Female Founders Day is back again. It’s a free event designed to celebrate women entrepreneurs and leaders through an investor panel, pitch competition, and networking opportunities. This is the second time London Venture Capital Network (LVCN) is running the event and this year LVCN is proud to partner with Microsoft for Startups (Headline Sponsor), Barclays Rise, and NEXUS. It’s a day packed with unparalleled opportunities to make connections and drive innovation in women’s entrepreneurship—plus a chance to win a £5K cash prize.
Whisper, an AI-driven sales and behavioural cloning technology for content creators, has raised $1 million in a recent funding round led by investors, including AngelList Early Stage Quant Fund and a consortium of high-net-worth content creators. Content creators make up the largest shareholder group, reinforcing Whisper’s mission to develop AI-powered sales tools designed specifically to serve their needs.
For nearly 40 years, discussions about women in business, finance, and entrepreneurship have felt like they’re on a loop. We talk about diversity, increasing female hires, and closing the funding gap. Yet, we rely on the same data and measurements – and unsurprisingly, we see the same results. This narrative makes it seem like we’re constantly falling short when, in reality, we may not be looking at the numbers the right way.
The Estonian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EstVCA) CEO Madis Lehtmets says that the private and venture capital funds operating in Estonia are actively seeking new investments locally and abroad. “Last year, funds expanded their teams, opened offices in other countries and attracted international talent so as to boost their presence on foreign markets and grow their expertise, including in order to invest in new sectors,” he explained.
Are you making the assumption that high profile press coverage is only for those businesses who have reached a certain audience size?
A new report developed by National Women’s Enterprise Week (NWEW), launched ahead of International Women’s Day, reveals a staggering inequality in investments and the disproportionate success rates between male and female entrepreneurs’ funding applications.
Running a business means making critical decisions every day – about money, contracts, governance, and risk. But most founders aren’t legal experts, financial analysts, or compliance officers. Nor should they have to be. The alternative? Spend thousands on professionals just to tell you what you already half-know or waste time Googling answers that may not even be right for your business.
Epoch Biodesign, a company using enzymes to make recycled plastics cheaper and higher performing than virgin materials, has announced it has raised $18.3 million in Series A capital in an oversubscribed round.
A few months on from the Labour Government’s first Autumn Statement and the employment market is in turmoil, business closures have hit a 20-year high and UK economic growth has all but stalled.
New research from Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS) highlights a significant shift in business travel attitudes amongst Gen Z professionals. The research shows a growing preference for ‘slower business travel’ – lower-carbon journeys that align career progression with environmental consciousness, even if they take longer.
Growing a business in the UK is thrilling, until you hit the tax maze. With evolving regulations and financial hurdles, startups must be sharper than ever to keep their books in order and their cash flow intact. Compliance is not just about ticking boxes; it is about staying ahead of the game and avoiding unnecessary financial headaches.
Quantexa has announced that it has completed a $175 million Series F investment round, led by Teachers’ Venture Growth (“TVG”).
AI-driven automation is transforming industries, but reliability, scalability, and transparency remain major obstacles. Maisa, an Agentic Process Automation (APA) platform, aims to overcome these challenges with its deterministic ‘Chain-of-Work’ approach, ensuring traceability and accountability in AI-driven processes.
UCL Business (UCLB), the commercialisation company for UCL which supports UCL’s researchers to turn breakthroughs into companies, has seen a surge in spin-out activity over the last financial year (August 2023-July 2024).
Leadership is changing, and it’s a shift I find truly inspiring. A recent Deloitte report found that 87% of executives believe we’ll face a strong focus on gender diversity in the next five years. That’s not just a trend, but a necessity now, which only makes me proud, especially now, as we approach International Women’s Day.
Nisien.AI a Welsh artificial intelligence (AI) startup based in Cardiff, has received investment from the British Business Bank’s £130 million Investment Fund for Wales via Foresight Group and the Development Bank of Wales, in a joint investment.
While starting your business can be very exciting, your journey may be riddled with potential legal pitfalls. Navigating and understanding the legal landscape for early-stage companies will provide you with a strong foundation for your startup’s growth and avoid future disputes and potential costs.
Moonwatt – the energy storage startup founded by seasoned professionals with a track record at global leaders like Tesla, EDF, Siemens, Scatec, and Freyr Battery – has raised €8 million to unlock the true, 24/7 power of solar with its disruptive sodium-ion battery system. Co-led by daphni and LEA Partners, Founders Future, AFI Ventures (by Ventech) and Kima Ventures also participated alongside strategic business angels and customers. The funding will be used to accelerate the development and deployment of Moonwatt’s hardware and software technology, expand the team and drive the shift toward a cleaner, more resilient global energy ecosystem.
For decades, the boardroom has been a space of power, influence, and decision-making at the highest levels. But despite progress in leadership representation, women still hold just 23.3% of board seats globally. We talk about gender equity in the C-suite, in venture capital, in entrepreneurship – but what about at the top of corporate governance?
Trying to secure investment in your company from venture capitalists can be very daunting for leaders of SMEs or startups. It could have taken you years of hard work to realise your business goals, and now you find yourself negotiating the complex and cutthroat world of finance with experienced, shrewd professionals who might want a significant share of your operation.
