News

Monimoto successfully secures €404,400 funding from 392 investors

As interest in security continues to be a major issue for motorcycle owners, Monimoto – the smart tracker for motorcycles, has successfully secured €404,400 in total funding from 392 investors.

Making VC portfolio management and monitoring hassle-free and data-driven

Finland-based startup Rundit, a platform for portfolio management and monitoring, has raised €1m in seed funding to further its mission of making investor reporting easy and transparent so that VCs and LPs can make better data-driven decisions.

Innovative entrepreneurs find opportunity during COVID

Innovative SMEs and startups are utilising the opportunities created amid the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published by the Great British Entrepreneur Awards & Community and business finance marketplace, Funding Options.

ABB and cutting-edge startups to shape the future and drive sustainable growth

Fierce competition gives boost to startup community as three winners of the first ABB Electrification Virtual Startup Challenge 2020 will receive $30,000 investment each to work in close collaboration with ABB Electrification R&D teams.

Plexal joins forces with AL JABR in Oman to support startups amidst the Covid-19 pandemic

Plexal, the innovation centre and coworking space based at Here East in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, has announced a partnership with Omani innovation development company AL JABR to support startups in Oman with navigating the challenges posed by Covid-19.

Latam Roadshow goes digital again for 2021

After seeing such success in 2020, Startup OLÉ is continuing with its international events, and launching the third Latam Digital Roadshow with the support of its main partners.

UK tech workers prefer better work-life balance to a pay rise

When it comes to job satisfaction, Denmark tops the list of the best places to work in digital in Europe – beating the UK, Germany and France – according to the 2020 Digital Talent Global Work Happiness Index.

Childcare startup launches as employee benefit to keep parents in workforce

Poncho, a digital startup backed by Kamet Ventures, has launched to address the growing childcare crisis and the resulting unprecedented pressure facing working parents. This comes as one in six childcare providers is expected to close by Christmas and 87% of parents report having needed to homeschool at least one child since May.

Quantum computing startup closes record $5m seed funding

On the back of new quantum algorithm breakthroughs, quantum software company Phasecraft has closed a record seed round for a quantum computing company in the UK. Its new £3.7m seed funding round is led by VC firm LocalGlobe with Episode1 along with previous investors.

SETsquared Bristol awards six BAME-led startups with Breakthrough Bursary

Europe’s Hottest Accelerator, SETsquared Bristol has announced the six companies that have been awarded their 2020 Breakthrough Bursary. Angel Investors Club, Engineer2Engineer, Latchaid, Lurncampus, FluoretiQ and YelloButterfly will join SETsquared Bristol’s incubation programme in January 2021 to grow their technology startups.

Italian startup sees 350% surge in demand for ‘workcations’ during second lockdown

‘Workcation’ has officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary this year: and for good reason. Italian startup hotel booking platform, DayBreakHotels – who set up a bespoke ‘smart working’ service in the summer to open hotels up to a nation of remote workers – saw a 350% surge in bookings from business customers during the second lockdown (compared to the first lockdown), as Brits looked for a change of scene after months spent working from home.

HumanForest Crowdfunding campaign surpasses £1.25m target

HumanForest, London’s only truly sustainable e-bike, has secured it’s target crowdfunding investment of £1.25m. The campaign is now overfunded thanks to commitments from more than 445 investors so far.

45% of SMEs are set to make further redundancies as Sage calls for urgent support

Sage has called for urgent additional government support to give small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) the confidence to invest their way to recovery in 2021.

Almost half of UK firms worry they won’t be able to comply with regulations post Brexit

Businesses’ biggest concern over Brexit is how new regulations will impact their trading after 1st January, a new poll revealed.

Research reveals that spend on Small Business Saturday hit £1.1bn

Spend on Small Business Saturday hit £1.1bn this year, exceeding the billion pound mark for the first time ever as shoppers showed support for their local high streets.

36% of companies outperformed 2019 results in positive recovery for business landscape

New research by Accountancy and Finance, HR and Data Analytics recruiter, Wade Macdonald has found that nearly half of UK businesses outperformed their initial predictions for this year, a more assured position than many were expecting only nine months ago.

Fees Waived For SMEs To Support Small Businesses Across Festive Period

In a recent study of 2,100 UK adults, undertaken by global affiliate network, Awin, it was found that as many as one in five Britons (19%) are planning to carry out their Christmas shopping online for the first time this year.

Deep tech startup receives £15m early stage investment fund

Scientist and entrepreneur, Dr Harry Destecroix, has unveiled Science Creates, the deep tech ecosystem that offers specialised incubator space, a £15m investment fund and a comprehensive network of strategic partners to nurture science and engineering startups and spin-outs. The hub, in partnership with the University of Bristol and located in the heart of the city, is set to become the ‘new West Coast’, transforming disruptive discoveries through impactful commercialisation.

Getsafe raises $30m in Series B round

Digital insurance company, Getsafe closed a $30m Series B funding. Swiss Re’s digital platform iptiQ led the round. Existing investors, including Earlybird, CommerzVentures, btov Partners and Capnamic Ventures, also participated. Getsafe now has received a total of $53m from investors, making it one of the best-financed European insurtechs.

How satellite data is helping keep venues and their visitors COVID-safe

The benefits of satellite data to life on earth are something that the global space community celebrated at this year’s ‘World Space Week’. Female founded tech startup, Data Duopoly, have already been recognised for their innovation in the use of space data – winning the Pitch to the Primes competition at the UK Space Conference in 2019, awarded by Astronaut Tim Peake.