Genie AI raises £13.3M to reduce legal friction and boost economic efficiency

Genie AI, an AI legal editor, has raised £13.3 million in Series A funding, led by GV (Google Ventures), and joined by Khosla Ventures (early investors in OpenAI), taking its total raised to over £15 million. Previous to this round, Genie AI received one of the UK Government’s largest grants for a startup, and seed funding led by Connect Ventures.

Workwize launches first fully automated IT Asset Management Suite

Workwize, the global IT operating system used to deploy, manage, and retrieve laptops and IT equipment across more than 100 countries, has released its new Automation Suite.

Dryad Networks launches third-gen Silvanet Gateways for ultra-early wildfire detection

Dryad Networks, a startup working in ultra-early wildfire detection technology, has announced a major financial boost to advance its wildfire prevention solutions. The company has been awarded a €3.8 million grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), via Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB), to accelerate the development of its revolutionary wildfire suppression project, codenamed “Florian.”

Supporting healthtech startups for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, FasterCapital announced a new initiative dedicated to supporting healthtech startups that are innovating in the breast cancer space.

Opteran and Airbus join forces to show how nature can revolutionise space robotics

Opteran, a company focused on natural intelligence, has revealed that Airbus Defence and Space, with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency, will trial its Opteran Mind neuromorphic software in Airbus’ space rovers.

A third of employers do not record the impact of sickness absence

Eighty-two percent of employers say they currently record sickness absence, a marginal improvement on the 80% that said the same in 2023 but not as many as the 85% who recorded sickness in 2022.

Estonian startup GDPR Register launches new AI solution

Estonian startup GDPR Register has created an AI-powered solution designed to assist businesses and public institutions across Europe in meeting their data protection requirements under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By leveraging AI, the platform streamlines compliance, offering a unique approach to managing GDPR obligations.

TIS2024 advocates technological innovation as a driver for more sustainable and personalised tourism

Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) 2024, kicked off its fifth edition in Seville, Spain, on Wednesday. The tourism innovation summit par excellence has opened its doors to more than 7,000 congress attendees who, from October 23 to 25, will be able to learn about the latest innovations and technological solutions defining tourism worldwide. Also, all those trends and strategies will make this industry take a giant step forward in terms of sustainability, accessibility, competitiveness or adaptation to the new and changing demands of travellers looking for an ever-greater personalisation in their tourism experiences.

Canva boosts AI and workplace tools with Dream Lab and Visual Suite upgrades

Canva, the world’s all-in-one visual communication platform, has unveiled a suite of new products and features set to transform how people design at work and beyond. This announcement coincides with Canva reaching the major milestone of 200 million monthly active users, an increase of more than 115 million over the last two years, as the company also hits $2.5 billion in annualised revenue.

adCAPTCHA launches with £1m funding to tackle ‘bots epidemic’

adCAPTCHA, a newly launched security verification platform, has secured £1 million in funding to combat the growing challenge of automated bots and cyber fraud.

The Future of Audio Advertising: A Q&A with AudioStack

AudioStack is an end-to-end enterprise solution for AI audio production. Its proprietary technology connects AI-powered media creation forms such as AI script generation, text-to-speech, speech-to-speech, generative music, and dynamic versioning. This allows enterprises to build complex audio production workflows faster than real-time. AudioStack unlocks cost and time efficient audio that is addressable at scale, without compromising on quality.

Slow uptake of centralised data processes is preventing analytic maturity

Decentralised data and processes are commonplace in UK businesses, according to research from AI for analytics platform, Alteryx, leaving organisations unable to unlock their true potential from data.

Authologic secures $8.2M to fight AI-driven identity fraud with Global e-ID Hub

Authologic, a global digital identity verification platform, has raised $8.2 million in its Series A funding round, led by European VC firm OpenOcean. YCombinator, Peak Capital, and SMOK VC also contributed, backing Authologic’s mission to modernise KYC and AML processes with secure e-ID solutions. Traditional KYC systems that rely on document images are becoming outdated, as AI-generated fake documents make these methods increasingly vulnerable to fraud, identity theft, and compliance issues. Authologic’s platform offers a more secure approach, addressing the flaws in legacy verification systems.

Unlocking Net Zero: Developing deeptech startups

The race to net-zero is no longer an aspirational goal – it’s a global imperative. As we surge forward, significant technological gaps stand in the way of realising this ambition. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a striking 35% of the technologies required are still in early development or pilot phases, not yet commercially available.

Drax provides £1m funding for Smart Green Shipping project

Drax Group has partnered with Smart Green Shipping to advance the use of wind-assisted technology in decarbonising the shipping sector. The project centres on Smart Green Shipping’s ‘FastRig’ wingsail, which aims to cut fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30% annually.

The growth model of the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem seeks ways to revitalise itself, after reaching maturity

The Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem has reached maturity and needs to explore new ways to revitalise itself and ensure its business model continues to grow. This the main conclusion of the 2024 Entrepreneurship Map, developed by South Summit in collaboration with IE University, which shows how startups already reach an average age of 3,19 years and follow a constant consolidation and growth compared to the 3,12 years registered in 2023. Additionally, 2 out of 10 startups in Spain are now scaleups, representing 3 percentage points more than the previous year and is also a symptom of this growing maturity.

European cybersecurity professionals face burnout due to high pressure and staff shortages

Burnout among security professionals in Europe is reaching concerning levels, with 68% of workers experiencing burnout to varying degrees. Of this number, 32% reported high burnout, while 36% indicated moderate levels. The UK has been hit particularly hard, with 40% of professionals facing elevated stress.

Honiture Showcases Latest Pet-Friendly Cleaning Innovations at GITEX and Canton Fair

Honiture is increasing its investment in pet and deep cleaning technologies to provide pet-loving families with innovative, convenient cleaning solutions. This commitment is highlighted as Honiture showcases its latest innovations at GITEX in Dubai and the Canton Fair, two leading platforms for advanced technology.

Student Minds and Mind Data partner to enhance mental health support for university students

Student Minds, the UK charity dedicated to student mental health, has unveiled a new partnership with Mind Data, a digital platform providing real-time mental health insights.

Evntful: Revolutionising dating with safety, authenticity, and shared experiences

Evntful is a female-led dating app aimed at levelling the playing field for women in the male-dominated dating industry. With a 70/30 male-to-female ratio on platforms like Tinder, Evntful seeks to address the frustrations and safety concerns that plague modern dating, particularly for women.