The hiring landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift, as organisations reconsider their degree requirements in their pursuit of top talent. According to a recent survey, 45% of companies intend to eliminate bachelor’s degree requirements for certain positions this year, with 55% having already done so in 2023 for some roles.
Despite a challenging backdrop, UK SMEs are still optimistic about the future of their businesses, with nearly three-quarters forecasting growth in the coming year. That’s according to American Express’ latest research which highlights a resilience among these businesses, and sheds light on how small and medium-sized enterprises are navigating rising costs and evolving customer expectations to map a path to success.
Little Journey, the healthtech company transforming the delivery of paediatric care through personalised psychological support, has announced £6 million in Series A funding. The round, which will be used to accelerate Little Journey’s mission to revolutionise paediatric healthcare globally, was led by Edinburgh and Leeds-based venture capital firm Par Equity.
Mindstone, a global training platform and community focused on the practical use of AI for non-technical staff, and Intuition, a global company in knowledge solutions with a track record approaching 40 years of corporate excellence, has announced a partnership to accelerate AI adoption across banking, financial services, and the broader corporate sector.
The rise in AI adoption by companies encourages the hiring of more managers – rather than fewer – relative to other positions, to supervise the implementation of this new technology. That’s according to a working paper co-authored by IESE Business School professors Mireia Giné, Sampsa Samila, and José Azar that analyses 375 million US job vacancies over more than a decade.
Lineage, the large global temperature-controlled warehouse REIT, has announced the winner of its pioneering initiative, the Food Chain Innovation Challenge London. After a full day of pitching at the Science Museum to an esteemed judging panel, Mimica, the brand behind dynamic food expiry labels, was crowned regional champion and walked away with the $5,000 prize.
Veriam has announced the launch of its platform that combines identity management, access control, and subscription services into a single, efficient solution. This new platform aims to make complex processes simple by eliminating the need for multiple tools, helping organisations manage user access and subscriptions with minimal effort.
CommBox, an enterprise-grade omnichannel, AI-powered customer experience platform, has announced the completion of a $15 million growth investment round from PSG Equity, a growth equity firm that specialises in partnering with software and technology-enabled services companies to help navigate and capitalise on transformational growth.
Pruna AI, the AI optimisation engine empowering ML teams to simplify code and streamline models, has announced that it has successfully raised $6.5 million in a seed funding round led by EQT Ventures with participation from Daphni, Motier, and Kima, along with support from high profile angels including Roxanne Varza, Hervé Nivon, and Olivier Pomel.










