Recruitment inefficiencies and unfilled vacancies are set to, at a minimum, cost the UK economy an estimated £132.6 million in lost productivity over the next year, according to a new survey from leading global recruiter PageGroup’s Enterprise Solutions team.
A year ago, in February 2024, the Labour party pledged to introduce a Race Equality Bill, should it come to power. That promise was also included in its manifesto. Fast-forward, a year later, we’re expecting to see it come to the House – after it was mentioned in the King’s Speech, in July 2024.
Seaweed based supplement, cosmetic, and food ingredient startup BioMara, has secured $150,000 to advance fucoidan production to meet growing demand.
As of 24th February 2025 the Procurement Act came into force in the UK: legislation that dictates how public bodies buy goods and services, with the overall aim of streamlining procurement.
Videobot, the omnichannel interactive short-form video platform, has announced its drive to reinvent customer experience journeys through its video experience (VX) platform. The company recently closed at €2.8 million funding round, bringing its total funding to date to €5.5 million which will enable it to continue to develop its portfolio of products, designed to deliver video-centric brand journeys.
Can business success be distilled into a formula? Not exactly, but it can be structured, understood, and optimised. You hear it time and time again, exited founders who start again with a new product, nail it, and get to market faster, because they now understand the process, the pitfalls, and the structure behind execution.
Sarah Smith, digital services manager at JS, discusses how businesses can set themselves up for success in the face of economic turbulence through effectively managing their cash flow.
While startups’ pursuit of growth is exciting, the focus on expansion can lead to a range of cybersecurity challenges. Resource limitations may lead startups to overlook basic but crucial security measures. These vulnerabilities are increasingly being exploited by AI-driven threats, which target weaknesses at a never-before-seen scale.
The American economy is sputtering, and the solution won’t be found in Silicon Valley’s echo chambers. As we mark a historic Black History Month, it’s time to face a stark reality: our tech sector, a supposed engine of innovation, is leaving a vast pool of talent untapped.
Unique, a vertical AI player creating a specialised agentic AI platform for financial firms, today announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $30 million. Unique’s total investment now stands at $53 million since its founding in 2021. This round is led by CommerzVentures and DN Capital, with continued support from existing seed investors including VI Partners and Pictet Group.
GoCardless, the bank payment company, has launched capital powered by Pipe, to provide direct access to capital financing for its small business customers. The offer is in collaboration with Pipe, a fintech company delivering embedded financial solutions through software and payments partners.
Founders Factory, the London-based Venture Studio and early-stage investor, has been named the UK’s number one startup hub by the Financial Times, in its latest European Startup Hubs ranking. The FT-Statista report also sees Founders Factory ranked among its top five European startup hubs for the second year running.
Electric Sheep, a UK-based AI tech startup, announces a major milestone as it secures Innovate UK’s prestigious £500,000 Smart Grant – an award recognising its advancements in AI-driven visual effects (VFX) technology. This funding will support the development of Spotlight V3, Electric Sheep’s next-generation rotoscoping tool, set to launch in early 2025.
Founded in 2018, the EGA contest draws over 350 contestants annually and engages more than 80,000 industry professionals. The awards program highlights companies that push boundaries, solve industry challenges, and define trends in the DACH e-commerce landscape. Each year, the contest offers participants valuable visibility, enhanced brand recognition, and opportunities to connect with a broad network of industry experts.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Rare Founders brought together a whole host of female founders to discuss the parts of the journey that women in business don’t often discuss in public. The raw, unfiltered truth, the struggles that are hidden behind their success, and the real-life experiences that female founders face on a daily basis.
New research reveals that older workers are suffering from a silent mental health crisis at work, with almost a third (32%) of workers over 55 having taken time off sick with poor mental health in the last year. With workers aged 50+ now making up a third (33%) of the UK workforce, addressing this issue has never been more urgent.
Gene therapy’s biggest obstacle isn’t science – it’s manufacturing. While the field races forward with breakthrough treatments, production remains stuck in the 1980s, relying on unpredictable cell-based methods that make therapies costly and slow to develop. Fuse Vectors has announced $5.2 million in pre-seed financing led by HCVC to revolutionise gene therapy development with its cell-free viral vector technology.
CSEM, the Swiss technology innovation centre, has launched the country’s first dry room as part of its Battery Innovation Hub (BIH). This facility – unparalleled among Swiss research institutions and universities – is set to become operational in in September 2025 and will be instrumental in advancing next-generation battery technologies toward industrial production.
Uppbeat has announced the global launch of its new motion graphics library, expanding the platform’s existing asset offering beyond copyright-free music and sound effects.
A Leeds-based accessibility startup has secured early funding and expanded its team as it rebrands and accelerates its growth. AUDITSU, formerly known as IMAGINaiTION, was founded by Jason Crispin, a multi-award-winning entrepreneur.
