Marketing success has traditionally favoured big budgets and large teams. With the right strategy, small and midsize businesses can now build powerful, data-driven marketing engines that grow with them, using AI effectively to operate at scale. Valuable marketing starts with thinking, not tools. In this piece, Stephen Rumbelow, fractional CMO at The Marketing Centre, explores what this looks like in reality.
The inaugural edition of CARE (Climate Action, Renewable Energy & Sustainability) forum series by Trescon, is set to become the MENA region’s most influential platform for sustainability investment and climate innovation. The forum will unite regional and global leaders driving the Middle East’s clean energy transition. Co-located with DATE, a Digitization, AI & Emerging Tech Summit, CARE MENA will take place on 26th – 27th November at the iconic Madinat Jumeirah.
Any startup founder will tell you that the early years of building a business are defined by financial uncertainty. Cash flow is inconsistent. Revenue doubles one year, halves the next: that’s just life in the startup trenches. You run lean, you hoard cash, and you survive on adrenaline. Your business is your baby, and every spare penny must be reinvested to fuel its growth.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare. From diagnostic imaging to patient monitoring, AI systems are being deployed to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and access to care. But in a field where lives are at stake, innovation cannot come at the expense of safety. This is why regulation in AI health technology is not a bureaucratic obstacle, but a foundation for trust and sustainable adoption.
Human Health, the patient-first precision health platform founded by former Canva product leaders dedicated to giving everyone access to personalised healthcare, has secured £4.1 million from LocalGlobe, Airtree, and Skip Capital. The Seed round also saw participation from notable angels, including Arvind Rajan (Cricket Health), Eric Salama (former Kantar CEO) and David Shein (GP at OIF Ventures).
octonomy, the German-founded AI company building agentic systems for complex enterprise support and service workflows, has announced the successful completion of a new seed round totalling $20 million, led by Macquarie Capital Venture Capital, with participation from Capnamic, NRW.Bank, and theTechVision Fund. This brings octonomy’s total funding to $25 million since its founding 15 months ago.
Global manufacturing strategies are undergoing a fundamental shift. Tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions have exposed vulnerabilities in traditional manufacturing hubs, particularly in China. As a result, companies are increasingly looking toward Europe, not just as a market, but as a strategic centre for high-tech
manufacturing.
Small businesses are embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI), utilising its accessibility to optimise processes and unlock efficiencies. Resource-intensive and time-consuming tasks such as Research and Development (R&D) can be fast-tracked, shortening time to market and accelerating growth. However, entrepreneurs and innovators need to tread carefully if they want to maintain a competitive edge.











