News
New data released today shows that nearly 40 million Brits (78%) have shopped ‘small’ this festive season. So far spending nearly a quarter (24%) of their Christmas budget – a whopping £5.8 billion in total – on festive gifts and food from startups and small businesses. In fact, one in ten (10%) people say the majority of their Christmas list has come from small shops and sellers this year.
Tech Nation has today announced the 5 East of England Regional Winners of its fourth Rising Stars competition, which recognises the brightest and best early-stage tech scaleups from every area of the UK. In total, 55 fast-growing tech companies from across the UK have been named this year’s Regional Winners – 5 within each UK region. Previous years’ Rising Stars Regional Winners have included Selazar (from Northern Ireland), Circa5000 (from the North West) and SeedLegals (from London), who have received a combined £33.79mn in investment to date, demonstrating the ability of the Rising Stars Regional Winners to scale quickly, and their potential to become the UK’s tech ‘unicorns’ (companies with valuations of $1bn+) of the future.
KlearNow, the smart Logistics as a Service (LaaS) pioneer founded in 2018 and launched in the UK 2021, has raised $50M (£38M) in new capital to transform broken supply chains, simplifying and providing real-time cargo visibility to the customs clearance and drayage processes. KlearNow’s AI-powered platform eases the worldwide supply chain disruptions that have left businesses grappling with delays and shortages.
SEON, the fraud fighters, has announced its partnership with Playtech, the gaming software developers. The online gambling market is experiencing a meteoric rise (expected to reach $1trn this year). However, the sector is becoming an increasingly high target – even before the pandemic, a 2019 study found that one in 20 online gaming accounts were associated with a fraudster. By joining forces, SEON and Playtech aim to significantly reduce this number.
Talenthouse Media Foundry, a revolutionary new platform that empowers game creatives to thrive independently, launches today. Media Foundry enables developers to explore partnership opportunities and resources, connect with other creatives, and crucially access direct, exciting opportunities for revenue beyond games – all while retaining creative control of their IP. A much-needed resource in an industry in constant, exhilarating growth.














