News

Helping UK startups recruit through COVID-19 crisis

Founded in early 2019, Funded.club provides recruiting services for startups and scale-ups. Rather than charging based on a percentage of annual salary, Funded.club receives only low success fees that come in 70-80% less than a regular recruiting agency, irrespective of the salary offered or how long it takes to fill a position.

$150m of new capital announced for venture investments

Provider of technology solutions for merchants, banks and capital markets firms, FIS has announced that FIS Ventures, the newly created corporate venture investment division of FIS, has launched an effort to invest a target of $150m in promising fintech startups over the next three years.

Joining hands to deliver education in South Africa

Robotical, the edtech startup behind Marty the Robot, has today announced that it is working with South African NGO, Got Game, on Nokia’s Helping hands project to deliver education to previously disadvantaged youths in South Africa.

SaaS Explainable AI models to help banks support small businesses

Temenos, the banking software company, has announced the launch of Explainable AI (XAI) models to enable banks and credit unions to rapidly offer loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have seen their cash flow disrupted by the Covid-19 outbreak. These patented XAI models allow banks to accelerate digital onboarding, conduct eligibility checks and process loan applications for SMEs and retail customers.

The Government needs to accelerate support for startups

More than 28-days on from the Prime Minister’s lockdown measures closed the door on many businesses, Toby Harper said help, for many, was still ‘painfully slow.’ He said the Chancellor’s new £1.25bn coronavirus package to protect firms driving innovation in UK , which includes a £500m investment fund, asks more questions than it answers.

Getsafe launches digital accident insurance

Around nine million accidents happen in Germany every year – sometimes with lasting health consequences for those affected. Personal accident insurance helps to cushion the financial burden. Getsafe has decided to offer its customers a digital accident insurance product. This marks an important step for the company towards life insurance and shows that even personal, complex insurance products work on the smartphone. 

UK tech startup confidence slumps as COVID-19 takes its toll

Confidence levels among UK tech startups have dropped significantly over the past three months as the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, Studio Graphene’s latest Tech Tracker survey reveals, as Studio Graphene has published the results of its Q1 2020 Tech Tracker survey.

Codota raises funds for AI-driven software development

Codota, an AI software for developers, acquired its competitor TabNine last year. The company has also announced the global launch of its complete version for JavaScript, merging Codota’s semantic technology with TabNine’s textual one for suitable accuracy for developers.

Where there is tech, there is a way

Job roles within tech increased by 40% in the first third of the year thanks to a surge in-demand within the ‘hybrid-tech sector’ – namely fintech, edtech, healthtech, and agritech – according to global recruiter Robert Walters.

Rapid response programme to support struggling small businesses during COVID-19 crisis

Youth Business International (YBI) has been awarded a $5m grant by Google.org to support over 200,000 underserved micro, small and medium businesses in 32 countries to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The global economy is suffering from an unprecedented shock as a result of COVID-19. With typically tight margins, micro, small and medium businesses are particularly vulnerable to economic downturn.

Tide and Hokodo introduce invoice protection to support SMEs during coronavirus crisis

Tide, the UK’s leading business banking platform, has launched a new Invoice Protection product in partnership with insurance solutions provider, Hokodo, to help micro, small and medium-sized businesses protect their cash flow against the late and non-payment of invoices.

Bringing simplicity and high performance to all businesses

OVHcloud is extending its virtual private server (VPS) range, designed specifically for DevOps teams and small businesses. This wider and more scalable range is better suited to the requirements of businesses.

‘Amazon for Seniors’ is changing the rules of the retail market

Aging is a slow process, and often a very painful one. The truth is the older we get the more assistance we need. Most of the time, the system we live in does not provide the right support for seniors. As the market continues to cater more to the younger, more digital-savvy consumer, there is a hole being created by the large retailers.

Curve discovers innovative way to help customers during lockdown

Curve, the banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, now allows customers to move past payments onto a different card for up to 90 days after the payment has been made.

BigChange honoured with Queen’s Award for Enterprise

BigChange, the mobile workforce management technology company, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise, one of the highest official honours for companies in the UK.

Ground-breaking simulation created to help fight COVID-19

The Francis Crick Institute today announces that it is deploying a cloud-native simulation engine developed by UK start-up, Hadean Supercomputing, to simulate how COVID-19 spreads both in the body and through the wider population. The Francis Crick Institute and Hadean are working together to accurately forecast how the virus spreads in order to help governments, public health authorities and businesses make fast, informed, and in many cases, life-saving decisions.

Ingenious leads investment round in software startup

Ingenious has announced that its Infrastructure Ventures EIS Service has led a $4m A-series investment round in Shoreline. The Norway-based startup has built an intelligent field operations and project development platform to help develop profitable wind projects by constructing and operating them efficiently using intelligent schedule optimisation and simulation.

Free affiliate marketing consultation to support SMEs

As part of a wider initiative to support businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, a global affiliate network is offering members of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) 30-minute consultations on the benefits of affiliate marketing.

Leadership in Covid-19

Nottingham University Business School announces May event to help business leaders survive and thrive in the ‘new normal’. Chief Executives, HR, Learning and Development and Talent Management professionals are being brought together by Nottingham University Business School to plot their way forward from the Covid-19 pandemic which is threatening irreversible damage to the UK economy.

Future Fund for startup businesses needs backing

The Chancellor’s £1 billion package for startup businesses is another brilliant move to support the UK’s business infrastructure during the COVID-19 crisis, but it will need backing from private investors if it is going to work, say leading tax and advisory form Blick Rothenberg.