As Apple unveils its new Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy, “Apple Intelligence”, businesses across various sectors will be anticipating its potential impact. At Slalom we have seen that 84% of UK businesses are already using AI but the majority are in the exploratory stage of implementation, with only 6% having a robust AI strategy. Is Apple’s new offering set to change that?
The power that comes with being in charge can be a wonderful thing. It enables us to make decisions, direct activity and have an impact across a broader scale. But it isn’t just an enabler, because it also changes the people who wield it. Sometimes for the better, but all too often in subtle, hidden ways that make the job of being a leader much more difficult.
The global shift towards cleaner energy is not just an environmental imperative – it’s one of the most lucrative opportunities of our time. As we transition from fossil fuels to sustainable solutions, founders who position themselves in the energy transition space stand to benefit from an unprecedented influx of capital.
Winners of a £1.4 million competition to transform the transport sector, grow the economy and inspire innovation have been announced by the Department for Transport.
tozero, a European startup in the sustainable lithium-ion battery recycling space, has raised €11 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by NordicNinja. New investors joining this funding round include In-Q-Tel (IQT), automotive giant Honda, and global infrastructure engineering giant JGC Group. Existing investors including Atlantic Labs, Verve Ventures and Possible Ventures, also doubled down.
Originating in Cambridge, UK, Luminance was conceived by a team of mathematicians and AI experts who recognised the immense potential of AI in transforming the legal industry’s approach to the vast amounts of documentation and data involved in legal work.
Oxford University Innovation (OUI), the technology transfer office of the University of Oxford, has launched its 2024 report Shaping the Future: Oxford’s Innovation Impact, showing it raised millions of pounds to fund innovative research and venture creation, filed scores of new patents and created more than 15 new companies over the past 12 months.
Paloma Health, the AI-enabled healthtech startup reducing wait times for access to critical NHS health services, has raised £2 million in a pre-seed round. The round was led by Triple Point Ventures, with co-investors Heal Capital and expert angels, including Pam Garside, Co-Chair Cambridge Health Network, and James Allgrove, ex-Stripe. The funding will support the roll-out of Paloma Health’s first NHS service providing access to children and young people’s autism assessments in under four weeks.
What do business owners keep in their pockets? Keys? Phone? Handkerchief? What about their HR team? Probably not but that’s about to change. Established HR consultants Cream HR have created a new resource that enables owners of SME’s (there are 5.51 million in the UK) to have their HR questions answered from their phone with their new product FresHR.
Microalgae protein innovator Brevel has successfully implemented the FOAK (First-Of-A-Kind) strategy method by building its first plant for proprietary industrial-scale fermenters for microalgae protein. The company has completed construction of its FOAK facility and already secured two commercial agreements with leading food & beverage companies.
MicroHarvest, a company in sustainable microbial protein, has achieved a key milestone by demonstrating an ability to scale its production process to 10 tonnes per day in a single vessel, representing a ten-fold increase over its current capacity.
The upcoming E-commerce Berlin Expo 2025 defies expectations by transforming into a two-day powerhouse of insights, networking, and innovation. For the first time ever, the event will stretch across 2 days, doubling the opportunities for attendees to learn the latest trends and technologies shaping the industry.
Today’s business environment is increasingly competitive. With creativity and innovation more crucial than ever to drive business growth, ensuring a diverse workforce has fast become a key priority for leaders. Despite the continued focus on DE&I, there is still a lack of understanding when it comes to neurodiversity. This has very real consequences for individuals, businesses, and the wider economy.
AI is changing many fields with its fast progress, and governments around the world are facing the difficult challenge of creating good policy governance frameworks that can leverage the advantages of AI while reducing any negative impacts.
The project management sector in the UK needs an urgent rethink. SMEs and other companies and organisations across a wide range of industries are experiencing high failure rates in critical initiatives. Over three decades of experience in digital and business transformation, I’ve witnessed up close how inadequate project-management practices lead to substantial waste of resources and organisational risk.
iwoca, one of Europe’s largest SME lenders, has announced a new £200 million package of debt funding from Citi and Waterfall Asset Management and doubles its SME loan offer ceiling to £1 million.
Sunswap, a UK cleantech startup decarbonising cold chain logistics, has announced that transportation services business, DFDS, has ordered the first 10 of its zero-emission ‘Endurance’ transport refrigeration units (TRUs).
For half of managers with children, balancing their job with family life has become an overwhelming challenge, leaving many to feel like they’re failing both at home and at work, new research from Avilio has found.
AXA – Global Healthcare has announced the launch of its newest and most customisable product to date, Global Health Adapt, designed to meet the needs of SMEs with a globally based workforce. The product will be available for all new business from the beginning of January 2025.
BGF, one of the largest and most experienced investors in the UK and Ireland, recently surveyed business leaders across its 400-company investment portfolio to assess the impact of AI on SMEs.
