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!
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.
AI skills are important in today’s knowledge economy – there’s no doubt about it. Roles requiring such abilities are growing 3.5 times faster than all other jobs combined, meaning that workers need to learn about AI to avoid falling behind their peers. This is especially true in the UK, where knowledge-intensive sectors like financial services, professional services, and technology dominate economic growth.
Biolevate, a software company accelerating healthcare innovations through AI, has announced that it has raised €6 million in a seed funding round led by EQT Ventures, with participation from bpifrance and prominent angel investors.
The emergence of “death tech” is reshaping how society approaches end-of-life matters, transforming a traditionally sombre industry into one ripe for innovation and growth. Valued at £78 billion, this sector aligns with the burgeoning silver economy, which is projected to reach €5.7 trillion (a third of Europe’s GDP) by 2025.
Growth is what we are all aiming for. In fact, it is the number one mission of the UK government. For founders and startups, the great success stories of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) being preserved in the UK Budget was welcome news. As was the extension of the sunset clause of the EIS and Venture Capital Trust (VCT) schemes to April 2035 in the Autumn Statement.
Trilateral Research, which investigates ethical AI solutions to address a range of complex social issues, has secured a £2.5 million investment from Growth Lending. The funds will facilitate the growth of the business as Trilateral Research accelerates the rollout of ethical AI products, which are designed to tackle complex social issues such as child safeguarding, modern slavery and public health.
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.
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.
emma, the cloud management platform transforming how businesses optimise and scale their cloud infrastructure, has announced the successful closure of its $17 million Series A funding round. This follows its $6 million Seed Round in March 2023, bringing total funding to $23 million within two years.
This international hub on cybersecurity, co-funded by Instituto Nacional de Ciberseguridad (INCIBE), an entity under Ministerio para la Transformación Digital y de la Función Pública, through Secretaría de Estado de Digitalización e Inteligencia Artificial, and Universidad de Salamanca has connected Spanish companies with international investors by attending the Finnish event on 20-21 November.
A new study, ‘Women Founders in European Deep Tech Startups’ reveals that women founders in the field receive less total funding compared with male founders. According to the study, women are underrepresented in deeptech startups, with less than one quarter (24%) of deeptech startups created in 2022 having at least one woman in the founding team.
South Summit Industry & Energy concludes a new edition at the B Accelerator Tower (BAT), the international entrepreneurship centre in Bilbao. Over the past two days, it has become the meeting point for some leading experts, leaders, and representatives from companies and startups in Industry 4.0, Energy Transition, and Mobility.
Over three-quarters (76%) of UK software buyers expect their business to increase spending on software in 2025, according to Capterra’s 2025 Tech Trends survey. Of this group, 59% expect to spend between 5%-15% more on digital solutions next year compared to 2024.
Guy Hayler is co-founder of Blue Earth Summit, and Blue Earth Forum – annual events in London that connect 1,000s of climate tech and planet positive innovators, investors, campaigners and policy makers.
Northern Gritstone, the investment company focused on science and technology businesses in the North of England and chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, has announced a combined £4 million seed round investment into Exciting Instruments with co-investors Empirical Ventures, who led on scientific due diligence, NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance (managed by Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II) and serial entrepreneurs Stan Boland and Jonathan Millner.
In law school, one of the first things we learned about negotiation came from Roger Fisher’s book “Getting to Yes” – the crucial difference between interest-based and position-based negotiation. Position-based negotiation is fighting over what each party says they want. Interest-based negotiation focuses on understanding why they want it.
Cell-cultivated seafood innovator Forsea struck a major breakthrough in making freshwater eel farming a viable commercial reality. The startup announced its organoid technology reached a record-breaking cell density of more than 300 million cells/ml, and with minimal and precise use of cultured media ingredients.
2024 has proved to be a defining year for startups, with generative AI stealing the spotlight and sustainability taking centre stage in business strategies. It was also a year of stark realities: economic uncertainty forced many founders to rethink their models, while heightened consumer expectations demanded innovation that truly delivered value.
The holiday shopping extravaganza of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is fast approaching, and this four-day window isn’t just the busiest shopping period of the year, but a golden opportunity for e-commerce businesses to drive sales, attract new customers and supercharge their bottom line.
