News

According to recent research, in 2022 there were 5.5 million SMEs located within the UK2. With this many businesses in operation, where are the best areas for a small-business startup in 2023?

Huckletree, an independent workspace accelerator and innovation hub, has announced the opening of the Huckletree Innovation Lab at Regent’s University London this September, in line with the start of the academic year. The partnership aims to provide university students with access to a creative and entrepreneurial environment, nurturing a culture of innovation and collaboration on campus.

The feel-good PR agency reveals that Brits are working 94 fewer hours annually than 30 years ago. This suggests that employees are prioritising work-life balance and their personal happiness over working long hours.

Ambr, a burnout prevention software company, announced that it has successfully closed its $900,000 pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by Fuel Ventures, with participation from Pi Labs, APX VC, Plug & Play, Loyal VC and a number of strategic angels.

Research from smart money app Plum has revealed an ambitious generation of women who anticipate becoming ISA millionaires one day.

Fiverr the company that is revolutionising how the world works together, is introducing Fiverr Enterprise, formerly Stoke Talent.

Sustainability management and ESG reporting platform FuturePlus has closed an up-round of £750,000 with further investments from Two Magnolias, Vala Capital and HNW individuals and family offices. Funds raised will secure FuturePlus’ position as one of the hottest sustainability management and ESG reporting platforms since its launch in February 2022.

DocuSign has released findings from a new report, “Unlocking the potential of the anywhere economy,” that examines the opportunities and challenges the anywhere economy brings to people, businesses and countries. The findings of the report reveal we have entered an era that is poised for considerable business growth and the potential to experience new levels of productivity.

ViennaUP’23 is a decentralised community-driven festival blooming in the heart of Europe. Initiated by the Vienna Business Agency, this exciting adventure connects startup ecosystems, businesses, founders, investors, tech enthusiasts, creatives, and visionaries.

OVHcloud and Yepic.AI have announced the launch of their Startup Programme Showcase, looking at AI and the rise of Generative AI.

Businesses worldwide are embracing the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalised customer experiences, but customers remain cynical. That’s according to the fourth annual State of Personalisation Report from Twilio, the customer engagement platform that drives real-time, personalised experiences for today’s leading brands.

According to a new report by cybersecurity firm Rapid7, the cybersecurity posture of UK organisations has improved significantly since 2021.

Amid ongoing innovation leaps in AI-enabled marketing, enterprise CMS tech leader Storyblok has been quick to warn brands of the risk of taking hyper-personalisation marketing measures too far –  and end up creeping out customers rather than securing sales. 

After a successful inaugural edition last year, SME XPO successfully returned for 2023. Run by the Evening Standard and supported by ChromeOS, the show once again provided the perfect environment for ambitious SME founders and decision makers who are looking to scale to gain insights, connect with peers, and explore the latest business solutions.

The everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, the UK’s longest-running recognition programme for women in business, is now accepting nominations until 12th June 2023.

At a time when many startups struggle to attract any funding, I managed to raise $1.5M with an idea.

GoCodeGreen, the carbon calculation platform for software build and operation, has been nominated for the Earthshot Prize 2023.

Ringover, specialists in Cloud communications and contact centre solutions, has launched Empower, an AI-powered conversation intelligence platform.

Glasgow is ranked the best city to work for a small business in Britain for the second year running, according to new research compiled by iwoca – one of Europe’s largest small business lenders. 

Dublin Tech Summit (DTS) has revealed details of some of the futuristic talks, panels and interviews happening across multiple stages at this year’s event. These include out-of-this-world keynote speeches from Africa’s first astronaut, Sara Sabri, and José Luis Cordeiro, Director of The Millennium Project, on how technology can hold the key to immortality. Dublin Tech Summit, which is now in its 7th year, takes place at the RDS in Dublin on May 31 and June 1, 2023.