Very few founders go into business wanting to learn more about legislation. And yet, understanding your legal commitments is a huge part of the role, particularly in the early days. Whether it’s employment law or regulatory considerations, knowing where to start to stay ahead – or even meet compliant standards – can be a challenge.
As the UK’s startup ecosystem continues to thrive, 2025 brings a new set of HR challenges for budding businesses. From navigating hybrid working, the fierce competition for skilled talent to staying ahead of regulatory changes, and fostering inclusive company cultures, startups are finding themselves in a place where they need to combine operational excellence with their innovation.
Contentstack, the composable digital experience platform (DXP) company, has announced its acquisition of Lytics, a pioneer of the real-time customer data platform.
Towergate Employee Benefits predicts that ensuring ‘everybody benefits’ from health and wellbeing support must be a major and essential HR focus for 2025. All employees, at all levels and, crucially, the business itself must gain full advantage of employee benefits if businesses are to thrive in the coming year.
TurmaFinTech, a new fintech startup helping US community banks bridge the technological gap, increase sales, beat customer churn, manage customer relationships, and provide targeted customer communications, has announced its launch.
Monolith, an AI software provider to the world’s most innovative engineering teams, has started work with Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero emission aviation. Monolith will help the Bristol-based company optimise its eVTOL testing and simulation programmes to improve performance and accelerate time to market.
At now 81 years old, I’ve learned a thing or two about business and entrepreneurship along the way. My career to date has taken me from the engineering workshop, through delivering training and seminars to teams across the world, to even now taking on new projects in my ninth decade.
While women-led startups are gaining more attention, those that focus on impact often miss out on crucial opportunities. Studies show that women drive more impact-driven projects than men, prioritising the social impact of their businesses and communities over revenue. For many VCs, this is a red flag against backing such initiatives.
Elvie, the female-led femtech startup and creator of the Elvie Pump, has launched its newest innovation, the Elvie Rise, at CES in Las Vegas.
Siemens has launched Siemens for Startups, a new programme to empower early-stage engineering and manufacturing startups. Announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, the programme will enable new innovative companies to accelerate innovation, streamline development processes, and scale faster by providing venture-related services, while reducing the cost of access to Siemens software and hardware.
EIT InnoEnergy, the innovation engine in sustainable energy, has marked yet another milestone year in driving the energy transition forward, with its portfolio of cleantech startups and scaleups closing 56 rounds, raising €4.3 billion.
In 2024, cybersecurity breaches and attacks were a significant issue for UK businesses, with approximately 50% of organisations reporting incidents. Government data reveals that 58% of small businesses, 70% of medium-sized businesses, and 74% of large businesses experienced cyber threats.
4YFN, the global startup event, has unveiled the finalists for its annual 4YFN Awards, a competition spotlighting standout digital startups from across the globe.
Deus Robotics, an innovator in warehouse robotic automation, has successfully closed a $3 million seed funding round led by U.Ventures, with participation from 1991 Ventures, SID Venture Partners, Sigma Software Labs, and SD Capital and is now valued at $20 million.
Almost half of UK adults (47%) are thinking about starting a business or side hustle in 2025, a 12% increase on this time last year.
First aid charity St John Ambulance has declared 2025 the year of holistic workplace health, warning that organisations must proactively address outdated approaches to first aid in the workplace to best protect their employees.
Alibaba International has announced that its AI-powered business-to-business (B2B) search engine for product sourcing, Accio, has reached a significant milestone since its launch in November 2024, currently boasting over 500,000 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) users.
2024 was a year of seismic change with a new government coming into power and a UK budget that will undoubtedly impact the UK’s small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2025. So, as we look ahead to next year, what technology trends will lead?
January can be about resolutions, but really, it should be about goals if you want to achieve anything.
As the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Shoorah, Ferne McCann is a familiar face on UK television, known for appearances on popular shows like ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, and BBC’s Celebrity Best Home Cook. However, life in the spotlight is not without its challenges.
