Features

Launching a fintech straight out of university is like riding a rollercoaster – full of ups and downs and more than a few sleepless nights. While some things click right away, others demand time, patience, and plenty of iterations.

Cyberattacks are no longer limited to large corporations, in fact 42% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reported experiencing a cybersecurity breach or attack last year. For SMBs, a single breach can lead to severe consequences. In fact, six in 10 (60%) small companies go out of business within six months of a cyber-attack. From ransomware and phishing to leaked credentials sold on the dark web, today’s attacks are more frequent, more sophisticated, and more damaging.

Recent research from Vodafone revealed that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK are losing a total of £3.4 billion annually to cyber attacks, with phishing being the dominant form of attack against small businesses. At a time when an ever-growing number of cyber criminals are taking advantage of artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) capabilities to improve the success of their attacks, the threat to SMEs is exacerbated.

Remote hiring is becoming increasingly popular. 82.9% of tech firms utilise it to optimise costs, tap into a global talent pool, and scale their operations efficiently. Startups use this strategy to remain agile, innovate fast, and compete in volatile markets.

In the fast-paced, ever-changing world of startups, time is the one resource founders can’t raise, borrow, or buy more of. Every founder is familiar with the relentless pressure of trying to balance it all: leading the company’s vision, pitching to investors, securing funding, managing growing teams, building products, and scaling operations.

Mark Kearsley, partner at DSG Chartered Accountants discusses what a Virtual Finance Office (VFO) is and how businesses stand to benefit the most from this new finance model.

When it’s time to scale, many businesses grind to a halt – not because of market conditions, but because their internal systems aren’t built for growth. These businesses often have the demand, the talent, and the ambition, but their outdated financial systems hold them back. This is the scale-up trap: when growing businesses stall not for lack of opportunity, but because they’re not operationally ready.

In the whirlwind pace of a startup, where every sprint feels like a make-or-break moment, Quality Assurance (QA) often finds itself playing catch-up. But what if QA could become a startup’s most strategic lever for product success?

Small and medium sized companies are the backbone of the global economy. In the UK alone, these businesses account for three-fifths of employment and almost half of turnover in the UK private sector. But their influence is not limited to UK borders. They are internationally ambitious, often purchasing from global suppliers, and sending goods and services to buyers overseas. Their growth, and that of the economy, relies upon favourable and fair market conditions – something which has been found lacking in recent months.

You cannot operate in organised chaos while expecting success. Strong foundations distinguish those geared for success from those that are not. Most companies follow a typical data analytics journey, and we do not use the term journey lightly.

Patrick Murray is a seasoned scaleup CFO at The CFO Centre with deep expertise across technology, life sciences, green tech and AI. Drawing on over 30 years of experience, he shares the most common financial missteps made by early-stage tech startups – and how to steer clear of them.

Dr. Krishna Dubba is the Co-Founder and CTO of CoVent, an AI-powered marketplace designed to transform the way sponsorships are discovered and evaluated. He is a serial entrepreneur and deeptech innovator with over a decade of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and product development.

Starting a business is always a leap of faith. But for refugees from Artsakh – an ethnically Armenian region forcibly depopulated in 2023 – it’s often a matter of survival. If you’re starting over after a career setback, bootstrapping a business during inflation, or trying to harness the power of AI, you may have more in common with these refugee founders than you think.

The legal and business landscapes are becoming increasingly intricate and dynamic, particularly within the startup sector, where rapid evolution and growth are the norms.

You know how it goes in the early days: two or three smart people, loads of coffee, big ideas, and no one’s really thinking about titles. Everyone’s just doing what needs to be done. You probably don’t have a full C-suite yet, and chances are, there’s no CTO.

Robert F. Kennedy captured the essence of breakthrough thinking: “Some men see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?'”

When we think of a founder, the image that often comes to mind is someone who had a lightbulb moment, got up one day and built a company from scratch, eventually taking it to a glorious, lucrative exit with a full set of growth stories and anecdotes to match. 

Understanding and catering to diverse customer payment preferences is crucial for businesses. While data from the trade association UK Finance, shows card payments dominate, making up 61% of all transactions in 2023, and cash usage made up just 12% of all payments, there is a growing preference for multiple payment methods amongst UK consumers.

It’s easier than ever for businesses to go global, no matter their size. With the rise of employment models such as Employer of Record (EOR), startups and SMEs can set their sights on overseas opportunities from the get-go. This growing number of smaller organisations expanding internationally has been dubbed ‘micro-multinationals.’ 

Achieving SOC 2 compliance can be a challenging and resource-intensive process for organisations. However, with the right compliance software, companies can streamline the process, reduce complexity, and ensure they meet the strict requirements set by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).