News

Tech startup deaths hit record levels

Over 1,000 British tech startups have filed for administration, liquidation or dissolution since lockdown began, according to new research released today by Plexal and Beauhurst.

Emirati startups introduced to Israelis at Ourcrowd-Emirates Angels Event

OurCrowd and Emirates Angels Investors Association held an online event which gave Israeli investors and entrepreneurs their first glimpse of the tech opportunities available in the United Arab Emirates. UAE Tech Investment Landscape: Introduction for the Israeli Ecosystem, broke records with over 2,000 registrants who were able to hear from some of the Emirates’ top business leaders and officials talking directly to Israelis for the first time.

Workers give over 1,000 unpaid hours a year to their employers

Millions of Brits give up more than a month of time each year by working additional unpaid hours, totalling five years over their working life, research reveals. In a poll conducted by Hitachi Personal Finance for this year’s National Work Life Week, data reveals exactly how much time Brits are spending working past their contracted hours and what else the nation could be doing with this time.

A third of customers would ditch companies after just one poor experience

A third of UK customers would ditch companies after just one poor experience, according to research conducted by SAS. Meanwhile, 90% of customers would abandon companies after just two-to-five poor examples of customer service, before moving to competing brands. The research shows that, despite disruption caused by COVID-19, customers’ patience with companies offering a poor customer experience is running thin.

Ten largest unicorns in the world hit over $560bn value

When the term unicorn emerged back in 2013, there were only 40 private companies with a valuation of $1bn in the world. Since then, the number of these financial giants jumped 12.5 times, reaching around 500 in September.

Investor training scheme to open up venture capital to minority groups

A new executive education course for the venture capital industry, aimed at getting more under-represented groups, especially women, Black, Asian and other minority candidates into the sector, has launched with a mission to find the investment professionals who will shape Europe’s next generation of tech unicorns.

Techwuman STEM Ambassador programme

The Techwuman STEM Ambassador programme is designed to train those from the STEM industry to ‘give back’ by being role models allowing them to share their career pathways and knowledge.

Edinburgh Business School incubator delivers 48 jobs and £1m turnover

Early-stage companies based in the Edinburgh Business School (EBS) Incubator at Heriot-Watt University have created 48 jobs and generated a combined turnover during their incubation period of £1,051,464, a new report reveals this month.

UK’s affection for small business greater since COVID-19

A new global study has revealed the extent to which the UK values its small businesses, highlighting the depth of goodwill and the strength of society’s dependence on them since COVID-19.

Health and Safety company launches free COVID-19 Compliance Checker for SMEs

Yorkshire-based, Pro Safety Management has launched a free phone consultation and 69-step Covid-19 Compliance Checker for businesses across a range of sectors.

The OVHcloud Startup Program Story

As the Founder/CXO of a startup, your alternative title is CFFO, or Chief Fire Fighting Officer. You don’t have time to attend a one-day workshop to solve a current problem in your business, let alone read a white paper on the topic. You need quick reads that provide you with answers to your problems now – and that is the purpose of Startips.

This article is part 4 of 5 in the series Startips: Tips for Startup Challenges
Bringing transparency to fundraising founders

Landscape, a new review platform for startup founders to discover and find investment opportunities, has officially launched today. The community project, started by Founder Joe Perkins, provides transparent feedback from entrepreneurs on their experiences with European venture capital firms and accelerators. To date, Landscape has received almost 700 reviews in its beta, with 83 Verified Partners on the platform.

Fitness technology company secures £7.7m in Series A funding

JAXJOX, the global fitness technology company known for its innovative workout equipment and platform, has announced that it has secured £7.7m in a Series A round of funding with investors Dowgate Capital Ltd. and entrepreneur Nigel Wray, bringing total funding raised to date £13m.

New $60m venture capital fund to invest in 120 MENA startups

A new $60m venture capital fund led by an ex-Google executive and Silicon Valley venture capital firm veteran will invest in 120 early-stage startups across the MENA region amid an anticipated boom in tech post-COVID.

A Quarter of Brits have launched their own business

Coutts, the wealth manager and private bank, has released the findings of its inaugural Coutts UK Entrepreneur Index (CUEI), outlining the level of entrepreneurialism in the UK as well as the desires and barriers that they have faced when starting their business.

Female-led equity-backed businesses show resilience through COVID-19

Resilience and Recovery, a new report from the Female Founders Forum – a project by think tank The Entrepreneurs Network, in partnership with Barclays – has revealed that female-founded, equity-backed businesses have been worse affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than their male counterparts.

Edgify brings Federated Learning to real world with $6.5m seed funding

Edgify, a company building AI training frameworks at the edge, has secured a $6.5m seed funding round backed by Octopus Ventures, Mangrove Capital Partners and a semiconductor giant.

Have you checked out the Women in Electronics annual leadership conference?

It is no secret by now that we are huge supporters of encouraging more females into the tech industry, and closing the gender equality gap. We have recently released out latest issue all about Women in Tech, where we spoke to some amazing females and heard some empowering stories from both males and females in the industry. However, to hear from some more inspiring females and males about the tech industry, and particularly the role women have within it, then head along to the 4th annual conference from Women in Electronics.

Tech startup secures Series A funding with W23

Spoon Guru, the London-based AI powered food search and discovery technology startup, has announced that it has secured a Series A funding round with W23, the Venture Capital arm of Australia’s largest retailer, Woolworths Group.

Best Business Women Awards 2020 Finalists announced

In a year full of adversity and challenge, an amazing line up of finalists for The Best Business Women Awards have been announced for 2020. This is cause for celebration as most businesses have faced their most turbulent year yet.