Is skills-first hiring the end for degrees?

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.

How SMEs are harnessing optimism and resilience for growth

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.

Revolut secures UK license to offer UK and EU stock trading

Fintech giant Revolut has revealed that it has now secured a UK trading licence granted by the British financial regulator. This milestone will enable the platform to facilitate the trading of UK and EU-listed stocks, as well as exchange-traded funds, starting in 2025.

Little Journey raises £6m to redefine delivery of paediatric care

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 and Intuition partner to accelerate enterprise AI adoption

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.

Data delays: C-suite say data is out of date by the time it reaches them

Half of C-suite executives (52%) say that data is ‘out of date’ by the time it reaches their desks. That’s according to newly released research findings from data streaming platform Confluent.

Serial entrepreneur Bev Hurley CBE recognised with IED Outstanding Contribution to Economic Development award

Bev Hurley CBE, Executive Chair of YTKO and previously CEO for 25 years, has been recognised for her Outstanding Contribution to Economic Development at the Institute of Economic Development (IED) Annual Awards 2024.

Beyond the achiever brain

The rational achiever brain has an interesting history. And while these terms, “rational” and “achiever” may seem to address what we need in business, in fact, this kind of brain is only an early steppingstone on the path to capable leadership.

AI makes companies hire more managers

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.

Stand out or swipe past: mastering marketing in a fast-scroll world

With content flooding our devices 24/7, the human attention span at first sight seems to be shrinking, leading many businesses to believe their advert or marketing has to be as brief as possible to succeed.

Architecture AI platform Gendo raises £4.3m seed as demand skyrockets

Gendo, the AI platform which transforms how architects and designers bring ideas and sketches to life, has raised a £4.3 million seed round. This comes less than four months after the company emerged from beta and announced their pre-seed raise of £855k.

5 steps to creating profitable Ideal Customer Profiles

I’m not sure when the idea of Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs) first started circulating around the B2B world but it’s relatively recently (cue someone mailing me with evidence of them first in use in 1973…). Personally, I’ve been using the idea consciously for the last four years or so.

Mimica wins Lineage’s London Food Chain Innovation Challenge 2024

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.

Four ways enterprises can improve their ROI on AI

When generative AI exploded into the public consciousness two years ago, business leaders were understandably keen to be at the vanguard of the revolution and unlock its potential.

Beyond the baseline: how AI is changing sports coaching

High-level sports coaching has long been an opportunity reserved for the few – those with access to the right resources, connections, or deep pockets. When a single one-on-one tennis lesson can cost upwards of £50, professional training is an unattainable dream for many aspiring athletes.

Veriam launches integrated access and subscription management platform

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 secures $15M investment, prioritising AI in customer experience

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.

Fret Zero: 3 in 4 UK business leaders suffer from sustainability stress

Three-quarters of UK business leaders (72%) say they are stressed out over sustainability targets and the pressure to reach Net Zero, according to research by BT.

Pruna AI secures $6.5M to sustainably optimise ML models and empower AI engineers

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.

IonKraft secures €3.5M equity funding to fuel circular economy in packaging

Aachen-based startup IonKraft GmbH, a spin-off of RWTH Aachen University, has successfully closed a first equity financing round of €3.5 million. The round was co-led by M Ventures (the strategic investment fund of Merck) and TechVision Fund and joined by High-Tech-Gruenderfonds.