News

The Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the introduction of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), an initiative launched by then-Chancellor Ken Clarke in November 1994.

Three innovative UK tech companies – specialising in renewable energy, advanced sensors and hydrogen-powered systems – have been given government support to expand into Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Each has been selected to participate in the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, an initiative that helps British scaleups unlock commercial opportunities in 11 markets across the Asia Pacific region.

Seven businesses have joined Digital Catapult’s latest quantum innovation accelerator to fast track the development of solutions and accelerate the practical application of deeptech. Aiming to help solve complex market challenges in major sectors of the UK economy including transport, defence, and telecommunications, the programme convenes unique quantum capabilities and innovation consultancy to de-risk technology adoption.

Over £20 billion could be spent by households across the festive season in the UK this year, as small businesses prepare to target a fifth of Christmas spend – equating to approximately up to £4.4 billion.

BOW, the universal robotics software company, has announced the appointment of Liz Upton, Co-Founder of Raspberry Pi, as Chair of its board.

As part of its mission to empower customers across the UK and beyond to meet their financial needs while fostering a sense of community and connection, financial services platform Kixy has announced an exciting new partnership with British Wrestling Association (BWA).

In anticipation of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, European Visa Fintech Partner, Rivero is urging banks, neobanks, and financial institutions to prepare for a potential spike in cardholder disputes.

Litera has announced the acquisition of Office & Dragons, the platform for mass drafting and editing, which leverages intuitive automation and generative AI to streamline document workflows for lawyers.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) is announcing its CES Innovation Awards 2025 honorees. The 2025 awards program received a record-breaking number of submissions, over 3400, a 13% increase from CES 2024. The CES Innovation Awards annually recognises and honours exceptional designs and engineering in technology that tackle global challenges and drive meaningful change.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), owner and producer of CES, the world’s most powerful tech event, announces Jennifer Witz, CEO of SiriusXM, a leading audio entertainment company in North America, will keynote at CES 2025. During an event at McIntosh Group’s House of Sound this afternoon, CTA shared the news that Witz will take the stage alongside Ashley Flowers, the #1 female podcaster in the U.S., host of the hit podcast Crime Junkie, and Founder of audiochuck, a leading media company. Witz and Flowers will participate in a fireside chat on the evolution of audio and what they believe is next for the industry.

Black Friday 2024 is almost upon us, and new data from Criteo shows it promises to be a significant moment for retail. With UK consumer spend set to rise year-on-year, the insights demonstrate that tailored product recommendations, omnichannel experiences, and discounted offerings will be key to attracting high-intent shoppers.

A new framework designed to guide businesses to introduce and implement new ideas, processes, products, or services that improve an organisation’s overall efficiency, productivity, or culture has been published by UK national standards body BSI.

YouLend, the global embedded financing platform, has reported that a growing number of UK SMEs are turning to embedded financing to secure vital capital ahead of the most important sales period of the year – Black Friday and Christmas.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), are being given the chance to engage with their bigger counterparts, along with education and governments, in order to help drive policy reform, close the skills gap, and generate growth, it has been announced.

As an entrepreneur, life can be full of ups and downs, with founders facing all kinds of hurdles along the way. However, one thing that can always help you find your way is events. Hearing insights and advice from people who have been there can help you figure out the next steps on your journey. And what a range of events, conferences, summits, and expos there are out there for entrepreneurs to attend!

Donut Lab has developed an entirely new approach to building electric vehicles. The company’s development platform offers manufacturers a library of inter-compatible components that can be used to produce new electric vehicles such as supercars, buses, drones, or SUVs in record time. In addition, the company promises that vehicles built on the platform have significantly better performance and they are lighter and more affordable to manufacture.

Global research group, The Hurun Research Institute, has just released the Hurun UK Under30s 2024, showcasing outstanding young entrepreneurs in the UK who are driving growth and job creation.

iwoca has announced access to a £500,000 fund to help small businesses and employees build skills in AI and data analytics.

A majority of UK business leaders (85%) feel that their productivity efforts are being held back, according to research from Celonis. Citing economic headwinds, employee stress, and difficulty implementing new productivity tools as the three core issues, these insights come against a backdrop of 57% of UK companies reporting turnover challenges in early October 2024, according to the ONS, and upcoming changes to employer’s National Insurance rates.

After the success of its latest edition, Digital Enterprise Show (DES) 2025 is gearing up for its ninth annual event in Málaga, strengthening the Costa del Sol capital as a European hub for technological innovation. The event is expected to host over 17,000 executives. This year’s edition will again highlight Artificial Intelligence (AI), not only for its transformative impact on digital transition but also for its crucial role in structuring and coordinating various business areas. AI acts as a “digital brain” capable of managing the complexities of today’s technological landscape and ensuring organisational success.