News

Cocreatd achieves £100M+ portfolio value in first year
Cocreatd achieves £100M+ portfolio value in first year

Cocreatd, the British venture studio founded by serial entrepreneurs Oliver Yonchev, James Lawson Barker, Paul Stevens, and Simon Whittaker, has announced its portfolio is valued at over £100 million from a standing start just 365 days ago.

Defence Builder and 17Tech unite to accelerate defence innovation

Defence Builder, Ukraine’s accelerator for defencetech startups and 17Tech Oy, a Finnish defence technology accelerator and venture capital firm, announce a strategic partnership to reinforce the defence tech innovation ecosystems of Finland and Ukraine. The accelerator accepts startups from all NATO countries.

Functional tech is costing UK businesses revenue, but AI could help

As UK organisations strive to boost productivity in a challenging economy, new research from TeamViewer highlights concern about dysfunctional technology. Digital friction, the study reveals, is quietly eroding business performance and limiting productivity gains across industries. 

Startup founder joins UK review tackling barriers to entrepreneurship

Finance lecturer, author, and award-winning entrepreneur, Tara Askham, has been appointed to the Steering Committee for the Maple Review, a government-backed independent review led by Small Business Britain and supported by Xero, focused on tackling the barriers that economic deprivation creates for UK entrepreneurs.

OptAI wins CES 2026 Innovation Award

OptAI has announced that it has been named a CES 2026 ‘Innovation Award Honouree’ for its proprietary platform, OptHancer. The award recognises OptAI’s technological achievements ahead of CES 2026, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, taking place this January in Las Vegas.

World’s first AI app measuring period blood volume launches in UK

Menstrual health startup Joii is launching the world’s first AI-powered app that measures period blood volume in the UK, transforming a guessing game into data that doctors can’t dismiss.  

Gen Alpha: flexibility and tech to revolutionise the workplace by 2040
Gen Alpha: flexibility and tech to revolutionise the workplace by 2040

New research has revealed that Generation Alpha expect their jobs to be dramatically different to those of their parents, from the death of the daily commute and email to working regularly with robots at work. 

Partnership allows companies access to Chinese innovation

Companies can now access China’s fast-growing innovation ecosystem via a new partnership between UK innovation scaleup Wazoku and InnoMatch, the Chinese open innovation platform.

Ada Ventures launches AI “Deck Genius” to help founders fine-tune their pitch
Ada Ventures launches AI “Deck Genius” to help founders fine-tune their pitch

Ada Ventures, the pre-seed investment firm backing inclusive alpha founders across the UK and Europe, has launched an AI-powered pitch deck review tool for founders that allows them to access VC-grade feedback before they share their materials with prospective investors.

CGT shake-up could net Treasury £100Bn while supporting UK entrepreneurs

A reformed Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime could be a powerful tool to incentivise wealth creation while boosting long-term productivity, according to research commissioned by Ryan Howsam, CEO of Howsam Ventures and founder of travel insurer, Staysure.     

Catalyst and Ulster University partner to empower Northern Ireland innovators

Catalyst, Northern Ireland’s science and technology hub, has announced a new partnership with Ulster University that will embed entrepreneurial thinking and innovation into the academic experience of more than 450 second and final-year students across the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.

Gen Z leads Britain’s entrepreneurial boom
Gen Z leads Britain’s entrepreneurial boom, but lacks support to succeed

Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Britain’s ambitions for the future, but a lack of support could threaten the next generation of business leaders. That is according to new research from Young Enterprise, released today ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

uk business destination
Global entrepreneurs see UK as top destination for business

Entrepreneurs around the world rank the UK as one of the most popular countries to conduct business, with only Singapore ranking higher in term of appeal.

UK layoffs rise amid AI surge and Employment Rights Bill

UK businesses have increased the number of proposed mass dismissal programmes by 5% over the past year, as companies restructure ahead of the upcoming Employment Rights Bill and the growing adoption of AI.

DeepL unveils next-gen language AI tools and game-changing agentic productivity solution

DeepL, a leading global AI product and research company, announced two major business innovations for knowledge workers – DeepL Agent and Customisation Hub. 

During its annual conference, DeepL Dialogues, the company unveiled the general availability of DeepL Agent, an autonomous AI coworker designed to streamline and automate a broad range of tasks for knowledge workers. DeepL also announced continued innovations in Language AI with the release of Customisation Hub and the announcement of over 70 new languages to the platform.

£92m investment at risk as 77% of UK ecommerce retailers admit AI initiatives are falling short

Most UK ecommerce retailers are failing to get AI right, despite consumers becoming increasingly accustomed to AI in online shopping, according to new research commissioned by ecommerce agency Quickfire Digital.

 

Cizzle Biotech signs LOI to bring early lung cancer blood test to NHS

Cizzle Biotech, a British biotech company has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) that could lead to a transformational partnership in delivering how lung cancer is diagnosed across the NHS.

Cornerstone and Future Worlds seek applicants for new silicon photonics startup stream
Cornerstone and Future Worlds seek applicants for new silicon photonics startup stream

Cornerstone Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), the UK’s dedicated Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for silicon photonics, has partnered with Future Worlds, the University of Southampton’s startup accelerator, to launch a dedicated Silicon Photonics Stream at an upcoming Future Worlds Bootcamp, taking place on 29–30 November 2025.

Lack of sales and marketing skills biggest threat to startup success

A lack of confidence in sales and marketing is the biggest hurdle for aspiring entrepreneurs in the UK, preventing many from launching their dream businesses, according to the Start Gap Report.

London sees biggest coworking cost drop in Europe
London sees biggest coworking cost drop in Europe

A slowdown in cost increases across Western Europe, alongside rising prices in parts of Eastern Europe, is creating a more varied picture of affordability for expats and remote workers, according to bunq’s latest findings from the Working Abroad Index 2025. With the global digital nomad community now exceeding 40 million, borderless living has become an established part of modern work life.