News
New research from GovGrant, with data commissioned from CBI Economics, has revealed that just 10% of UK SMEs own Intellectual Property (IP) rights. This scenario is further exacerbated by the fact that the UK’s top ten patent applicants are predominantly made up of large firms, but still make up almost a fifth (18%) of IP applications. This suggests large firms dominate SMEs when it comes to applying for patents.
Creative England and the British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme have announced a new partnership, establishing an accessible source of financial and business support for creative entrepreneurs across the UK. The partnership provides vital support for creative businesses – many of whom struggle to access traditional forms of finance – to start, grow and develop their IP.
COVID-19 rocked the world and demanded many changes to the way we went about our daily lives. As a result, this pivotal year has led to a renewed focus on the health of our planet post-pandemic. Many have recognised the positive reaction to the world slowing down on our natural surroundings, and many have taken the opportunities that this huge period of change has offered to drive their ambition to make a difference.
Business festival sTARTUp Day has announced the programme of this year’s hybrid event. The festival brings to the stage over a hundred speakers in the course of two festival days and one side event day. On 25th-27th August, the Estonian National Museum in Tartu will become a meeting place for all the startup-minded people, with performers sharing their experiences on four stages, dozens of practical seminars, sTARTUp Pitching Powered by EstBAN, and many side events.
GEICO, the second-largest auto insurer in the US, is partnering with Tractable to accelerate its auto claim and repair process. Tractable’s proprietary computer vision technology, trained on millions of historical claims, assesses vehicle damage like a human appraiser. Inserting AI into the process, GEICO will be able to accurately review estimates within seconds while also reducing administrative overhead.
ICAS World Ltd (ICAS), a global provider of mental health and employee wellness services has acquired the NHS-commissioned mental health tech startup, Hello Tomo. The acquisition is the first major milestone for ICAS as it rolls out its new global digital health strategy, tapping into the $121bn mental wellness market and expanding its support for the 790 million people around the world currently affected by a mental health condition.













