Features

Since 2010, the number of companies diving into tax-advantaged share schemes has surged by 90% – a clear sign that the appetite for sharing the pie isn’t just growing, it’s booming.

From faster funds to bigger exits, the narrative of ‘easier elsewhere’ is louder than ever for UK startup founders. But it’s not easier, it’s simply different.

We hear it constantly: automate, optimise, accelerate. Organisations across the globe are throwing themselves into workplace AI, chasing productivity and advantage. But as we embed these systems deeper into our businesses, we need to ask a harder question: what happens to the human heart of the workplace?

Azeem Amir, who has been visually impaired since birth, has 28 caps for England and a thriving business under his belt, after making it his mission to make sports more accessible to everyone in society.

The year kicked off with an earthquake rattling the foundations of AI. Deepseek’s sudden arrival demonstrated there are multiple avenues in the advancement of super intelligence and drew the movers and shakers to weigh up software/algorithms versus banking on increases of model complexity or computational powers.

British Business Bank’s Start Up Loan is a government-backed personal loan for business purposes that is available to individuals looking to start or grow a business in the UK. It has provided support to aspiring entrepreneurs across the UK. In addition to the finance, successful applicants also receive 12 months of free mentoring and exclusive business offers which can help them succeed in their journey.

It is widely forecast that robotics will have a significant impact on businesses and the future workforce. Not least, predictions of widespread job losses supported by a populist narrative of “robots taking over” have captured public opinion. This image continues to negatively impact the adoption of robots, particularly in the UK, and may impede the achievement of the true benefits, not only across many industry sectors but throughout society.

Across the world, numerous organisations operate as startup accelerators or incubators. These are often affiliated with universities, backed by governments at various levels, or sponsored by large corporations. Their primary objective is to support and nurture innovative new businesses. Large organisations frequently reach a scale where rapid innovation becomes challenging, making startups a vital source of new and groundbreaking ideas.

The government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) scheme for Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA) is set to come into effect next April 2026, and whilst that might seem a while away, sole traders should start planning now to minimise any financial strain. The crux of the initiative is in its name; the government is making all tax reporting and filing a digital process.

Over my 30 years of experience buying and selling businesses I’ve gained a deep insight into what buyers want when they look for a company, and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are several factors that they take into account. Specifically, I refer to these as the 10 drivers of business value, and of the most important drivers is high customer loyalty.

Redefining success: “Success isn’t just about numbers. And it’s easy to get stuck chasing them. Success means freedom – the freedom to live by the ocean, to surf almost every morning, and to build a life shaped by small, intentional choices. A life where I get to design – and choose – every single piece of it.”

Speaking in front of an audience is one of the most common fears, whether it’s pitching to investors, leading a meeting, presenting at an event, or simply sharing ideas in front of a group.

I still remember learning history in school, memorising dates, cramming timelines, trudging through dry textbook passages. It was boring and ineffective. Mostly, I remember not understanding why any of it mattered.

The modern startup moves fast – testing, iterating, pivoting. But one thing that doesn’t change is the need to connect with customers in simple, scalable ways. And in 2025, there’s one underrated tool that’s quietly becoming essential across industries: the QR code.

UK startups are facing one crisis after another, from the lack of investment opportunities and access to talent, to economic and political uncertainties, scaling a business is becoming increasingly difficult. A recent report found that Series A funding has slumped £500 million over the past 12 months to March 2025 – hitting a seven-year low.

AI’s reliance on existing material to generate content raises a number of thorny intellectual property issues, both legal and ethical. When sourcing material to complete its tasks, AI does not distinguish between content protected by intellectual property law and content that isn’t. As a result, there is a genuine risk that AI systems could produce infringing material. If your business uses that content, you could face legal action and a claim for financial compensation.

Autonomous AI is no longer simply a concept of the future – it’s here, and it’s already transforming how we build, test, and deploy software. As the CEO of an AI-powered company, I’ve seen firsthand how agentic AI, which independently designs, executes, and optimises workflows, can deliver exponential gains. Many of these are in productivity, especially in repetitive, rule-based domains around software testing.

One of the starkest contrasts between the wealthy and the financially constrained has always been convenience – specifically, the ability to delegate. As people move up the economic ladder, they tend to shift from doing things themselves to paying others to handle them. Today, thanks to artificial intelligence, that same privilege is being democratised.

The deeptech industry has been in the spotlight for a couple of years now, and that does not seem to be slowing down.