Features

What do election pledges on immigration mean for UK firms?

Employers hit by recent hikes in salary thresholds for sponsoring skilled workers will be poring over election manifestos for clues as to how they would affect filling skills gaps from abroad.

Q&A with Oxylabs: the future of data analytics

Rytis Ulys holds over eight years of experience in various analytical and consulting roles in both startup businesses and enterprise-grade organisations. Currently, he is leading a team of seven data professionals at Oxylabs, a web intelligence acquisition platform. Rytis managed to build one of the company’s core teams from scratch in just two years.

What is the equivalent of the golf course for women?

What is the equivalent of the golf course for women when it comes to learning about investing opportunities, and where can women meet investors and vice versa?

Why the Middle East is ahead of Europe on plastic waste

People worldwide are concerned about plastic waste in the environment, especially in the oceans.

Building out a startup – attracting talent on the right terms

A key driver of any startup’s success is the talent they can attract as well as their ability to retain those key contributors and protect the business’ interests going forward.

Governance – the bible for businesses

Up to 90% of startups fail and never pass the series B stage, which means that one in four startups succeed within their first five years.

Is your enterprise software holding you back?

In 2023, global spending on enterprise software exceeded $900 billion, according to Statista. In many cases, enterprise tech offers a quick, affordable solution to everyday business needs, but sometimes you’ll find yourself tied into frustrating, inefficient software.

AWS Showcases Generative AI Capabilities at Computex 2024

At COMPUTEX 2024, Xia Zhang, Enterprise Strategist at AWS, delivered a compelling presentation on the transformative potential of generative AI and AWS’s comprehensive data strategies. Zhang emphasised that data is the cornerstone of generative AI, outlining AWS’s integrated and secure solutions that span from silicon to software.

How much should I be spending on an accountant each year?

In the UK, small businesses spend an average of around 5% of their annual turnover on accounting. The size of the company and the complexity of its services and arrangements can contribute to their accounting spend.

Using a commercial mindset in legal negotiations (and vice versa)

When we ask our clients for feedback on our services, one of the things we commonly hear is that they appreciate our ‘commercial mindset’ when drafting and negotiating legal documents and carrying out legal discussions.

Climate Tech investment and innovation: challenges and opportunities

Guy Hayler is co-founder of Blue Earth Summit, a 5,000 strong annual event in London that connects climate tech and planet positive innovators, investors, campaigners and policy makers.

Why the UK needs to decentralise its startup ecosystem

You’ll often hear investors declare that ‘talent can come from anywhere’, yet the venture capital distribution in the UK tells a different story.

The key to acquiring new customers this Christmas

In today’s challenging economic climate, startup eCommerce brands are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain customers. The landscape has shifted, and traditional PR and marketing strategies are no longer sufficient.

The trust-fall that is post-investment VC startup funding

To secure funding startups endure an extensive due diligence process. Take the example of a startup courting a VC and vice-versa. The startup is put through its paces with accountants, lawyers, and even the investors themselves trawling through everything from corporate records to business plans, financial agreements to bank accounts, employee contracts, intellectual property, insurance policies and more… It’s normal for this process to take months before all shareholders are happy.

New flex operator creating workspaces that are better for people and the planet

We live in a world with an ever-increasing throwaway culture and the property sector is no stranger to waste.  You might be shocked to discover that old or not fit-for-purpose office furniture is putting a cumulative burden on our landfills and ultimately on our environment – this contributes hugely to the 300 tonnes of waste sent daily to UK landfills and will ultimately create between 30-40% of an office building’s entire lifetime greenhouse gas emissions.

BMW i Ventures: How to level up the innovation ecosystem in Europe

At MOVE 2024, Marcus Behrendt, Managing Director of BMW i Ventures, discussed how the innovation ecosystem could be levelled up to match the model that is currently seen in North America.

Building High-Performing Teams is Key to Successfully Scaling Your Business

In the rapidly evolving business landscape of 2024, building high-performing teams is more critical than ever. As companies navigate complex market dynamics and technological advancements, well-knit, professional teams are the core element that drives their successes. Brand appeal, sales, customer satisfaction, innovation – all of these factors are influenced by the quality and cohesiveness of teams that business owners put together.

Shifting gears: boosting startup performance with pitstop principles

The Monaco Grand Prix epitomises racing prestige and performance. While drivers push their limits on the track, it’s the team behind them – the pitstop team – that frequently gets them to pole position.

Investors are enthusiastic once again about Europe’s startup scene

Thanks to its spirit of creativity, immense cultural diversity, and rich tradition of free enquiry and scientific investigation, Europe has always been a hub for innovation. In more recent times, much of this innovation has taken place in the continent’s startup ecosystem, with tech entrepreneurs and companies, in particular, leading the way.

Selecting the ideal country for your initial launch

When businesses venture into new markets, some encounter obstacles stemming from past failures, while others grapple with uncertainty regarding where to start or which direction to pursue. This challenge isn’t limited to startups; it also impacts medium and large companies alike.