News

IoT companies raising funds in 2022 pulled in $15.9 million on average, up 30% from the previous year, reveals new research by Avnet Abacus, an electronics distributor that consults engineers when they’re designing new products. The engineering firm analysed crunchbase data for companies listed under the Internet of Things to provide insight on the level of investment activity happening within the IoT.

Following a shock announcement, Nicola Sturgeon is stepping down as First Minister of Scotland. After serving in the role since 2014 the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party has said that the decision came as she felt she had less energy to give to the job, and wanted to spend more time with her family.

Visa, Froda and Lunar are announcing a global partnership and launching a new, innovative technology aimed at resolving issues surrounding financing. The product, which for the first time utilises push-payment functionality for financing, aims to reduce transaction times to mere seconds. Ordinarily, this process would have taken months.

Stage2, the first Spanish accelerator for start-ups in the industrial space, launches today a new call for applications to its industrial-tech acceleration programme, which is based in Barcelona.

Amsterdam will play host to Workspace Design Showin October 2023, an eventfocused on vision and innovation inworkplace interiors andworkspacedesign.One of the biggesthighlights isthe Workspace Design Talks,assembling aworld-class lineup of experts inworkplacestrategy and design to develop the future workplace experience for employees.

The Economic Development Board [EDB] Mauritius is inviting UK Business Leaders, High-Net-Worth Individuals and Property Investors to come and learn about its ‘land of opportunities’ via a dedicated Business and Investment Forum to be held in London this March.

AstroLabs, the leading entrepreneurship ecosystem builder in MENA, celebrated its 10th anniversary with the ecosystem at its spaces in Riyadh, Al Malqa. The regional celebration brought together Saudi’s innovation pioneers, including H.E. Dr. Nabeel Koshak, CEO and board member of SVC, along with key ecosystem partners, including the Ministry of Investment in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, and the Royal Commission for AlUla.

In the face of a shrinking economy, founders of early-stage software companies are looking for safety in numbers when it comes to co-founding teams; investors are more discerning, with a focus on quality over quantity; and start-up growth is moving away from HR and employee collaboration tools and towards the finance, compliance, DevOps and productivity categories.

ChangeNOW, the largest event of solutions for the planet, will return to Paris from 25 to 27 May 2023 for its 6th edition.

Masafi, Enhance Ventures, Kent PLC and Joi Gifts, amongst other companies, will take part in the Wellbees Challenge across the United Arab Emirates. From March 1st to 21st, Wellbees, a new generation all-in-one business-to-business employee wellbeing platform, is launching a nation-wide corporate competition where employees will go head-to-head against other companies to find out who can take the most steps for a good cause.

Under new Government legislation, millions of employees will be able to request flexible working on their first day of employment. As the UK comes one step closer to making flexible working the default, what should businesses do to help facilitate the transformation?

Research by debt advisory specialists, Sirius Property Finance, has revealed which areas of Britain look set for a property building boom, having seen the highest level of planning applications granted in recent months. 

Step Conference 2023, the leading technology festival for emerging markets, is introducing the Earth Track for the first time this year, powered by C3 – Companies Creating Change. The conference will bring together more than 400 global startups, hundreds of global investors, and more than 8,000 attendees on 22-23 February and is presented by Dubai Internet City, a leading technology hub and a member of TECOM Group PJSC.

In line with the Kingdom’s vision to diversify the economy by 2030, PepsiCo — one of the leading global food and beverage manufacturers — has collaborated with AstroLabs, an ecosystem builder in the MENA region, and Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) to launch an innovative new offering for local SMEs. The entities have joined forces to establish the ‘Scale Up Accelerator’ program in Saudi Arabia, empowering entrepreneurs across the Kingdom to fulfill the potential of their businesses.

Virgin Media O2 has announced it is boosting upload speeds for free across its business broadband service for all existing customers.

64% of eCommerce marketers haven’t measured their customer engagement processes in the past month, and nearly one-fifth (17%) have never measured them at all.

Jennifer Lopez and Sir Richard Branson are joining forces to create a one-of-a-kind collaboration on the high seas focused on women and entrepreneurship.

Macmillan Cancer Support, the leading UK cancer charity, has invested in Neutrocheck® – a portable device and accompanying app in development from 52 North Health – with the aim to help people with cancer test their risk of life-threatening neutropenic sepsis at home rather than having to be tested in an emergency at hospital.

Money.co.uk’s cost of living statistics revealed that at a retirement age of 65+, an average pension of £19,000 is needed to live alone in the UK. But with spending tightening across the country, are employees in certain industries facing greater cuts to their pension contributions than others?

Pleo, the smart spending solution for small to medium-sized companies, today launches its ‘State of Spending 2023’ report.