News

UK business confidence fell by -10% to its lowest level in at least 13 years in October, but was stronger than European peers, according to the latest Accenture / S&P Global UK Business Outlook.

Penzance-based Varfell Farms is one of the UK’s largest agri-business firms, supplying plants, bulbs, blooms and shrubs to retail chains including B&Q, M&S and Waitrose. After working with staff and students from Falmouth University, the company decided to issue an urgent call for expertise to help develop a prototype robot picker – currently code-named ‘Daffy’.  

New data from Barclays shows that the number of reported purchase scams after Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year rose by 34 per cent, with an average of £1,072 lost to scammers.

Scrolling through LinkedIn you’d be forgiven for believing a rose-tinted view of startup leadership as a continually exciting, dynamic lifestyle. Whilst that can be the reality, there are also plenty of times when things are anything but – when leaders find themselves feeling isolated and under pressure to keep building the business and making the right decisions.

An employment lawyer has warned football fans they could be sacked if they call in sick to watch the World Cup. 

The current environment is one of increased regulation and scrutiny, which has led to increased pressure on firms’ CFOs and COOs to manage their risks more effectively. This posed many interesting points of discussion and questions that were answered by seasoned experts, Christopher Parmo, Mirela Brox Montell, Bernd Eckel, Martin Kodar, Andrew Hampshire, Maximilian Fleitmann, and Christopher Conradi.

Weglot, a website translation software, announced they will be donating 50% of all sales made on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to a number of charities.

We are over the moon to announce that BAFTA award-winning documentary maker, actor, and author, Ross Kemp will be joining our keynote speaking line up on Thursday the 16th March 2023 for an intimate fireside Q&A chat.

During the last decades we pulled us through the stormy weather of the dot-com crisis, the financial meltdown, the Covid pandemic and, today, we’re up against a global recession. Yet during all crises, the fittest survived or even thrived: internet companies such as Amazon, eBay, and Priceline became leaders through agile re-organization, new leadership and adapted business plans. In rough weather, great teams and crisp solutions are ahead of the storm. Venmo, Instagram, Slack, Uber and WhatsApp were even founded during the 2008 mother of all post WWII recessions.

In the past 12 months, we have seen new growth in workplace support specific for men’s health and those assigned male at birth, with over a third (35%) of employers investing in employee benefits specific to this area, according to new research undertaken during September 2022 by digital health app, Peppy.

One hundred tech startups and scaleups across the UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand have been announced as innovation finalists in the annual Super Connect for Good Competition.

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, and President of DIFC, today announced the launch of the Dubai FinTech Summit, a global event that will bring together more than 5,000 experts, thought leaders, policymakers and decision-makers in Dubai to discuss how they can shape a new wave of innovation, enterprise and growth for the international financial industry.

New research1 from the UK’s leading insurance premium finance company, Premium Credit, shows SMEs are most likely to raise prices for customers as they attempt to address soaring energy bills.

Impact Brixton, a community-led co-working space dedicated to creating real social impact, is pleased to announce the launch of its Virtual Office. To celebrate, it’s giving local entrepreneurs up to 12 months free.

In advance of Stress Awareness Week (7-11 November), one Brighton-based business is sharing their experience of allowing dogs in the office to help reduce stress.

A government call for the UK to future-proof its economy by investing in cutting-edge green technologies has been welcomed by the boss of a solutions company.

iDenfy, the AI-powered identity verification and fraud prevention software provider, announced that it will be joining forces with MGID, a global advertising platform. With iDenfy’s IDV solution, MGID will ensure a secure onboarding process for its growing customer base.

Employees are the heartbeat of a company and their dedication to doing their jobs can contribute greatly to any success or failure. It’s therefore essential that we keep our employees motivated and happy at work, to ensure they keep doing their jobs with enthusiasm.

Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, today announced the results of its annual Tech M&A Survey, which reveals dealmakers are cautiously optimistic about 2023 and view 2022 as a year of reset. Through the first three quarters of 2022, tech, media, and telecom (TMT) deals announced worldwide were worth a combined $887.4 billion, which is behind 2021’s historic run but well ahead of 2020 and the years preceding. The new Morrison Foerster survey report, Cutting Edge: Tech M&A Is Powering Deal Markets, in conjunction with Mergermarket, also shows that the top driver for tech M&A deals over the next 12 months will be keeping pace with technological advances, mitigating risk through joint venture and club deals, and addressing concerns around antitrust, ESG, and shareholder activism.

Today (2nd November), cloud-based business phone system, CircleLoop, releases the ‘Recession-proof Index’, a new ONS data analysis which finds that businesses launching within the Health industry are likely to have the best chance of surviving the current recession, according to trends uncovered during the 2008 recession.