SquareX raises $6m as it empowers users to be fearless online

SquareX, led by serial cybersecurity entrepreneur Vivek Ramachandran, is developing a browser-based cybersecurity product to keep consumers safe online. The company announced that it has raised $6 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia. It will use the funds raised on R&D-engineering and go-to-market.

Payment Orchestration: Is it really the solution to solve all painpoints?

A recent research by paytech company payabl. has looked into whether or not payment orchestration could become a key capability for merchants across varying sectors, and for businesses of all shapes and sizes. 

Enactus Aston wins first place in National Social Impact Competition

A student-led organisation at Aston University, dedicated to using entrepreneurship to create positive social change, has won first place in the Sodexo: Stop Hunger Foundation incubator challenge presented by Enactus UK.

Startups power up innovation in electrification

Some of the world’s most innovative startups have been recognised at this year’s ABB Electrification Startup Challenge. The hotly contested challenge attracted 130 applicants from over 30 countries with a range of pioneering electrification solutions and services that address some of the world’s energy challenges.

Mental health biggest concern for employers in light of remote working

In a significant survey of companies of all sizes across the UK, Towergate Health & Protection reveals that the biggest concern for nearly half of all employers (49%) is the mental health of their employees now that remote working has become accepted practice.

Mayor announces renewed support for companies in London’s high growth sectors

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a series of new business support services to help companies in London high-growth sectors, create the jobs of tomorrow for Londoners. Delivered by the Mayor’s business growth agency, London & Partners, the ‘Grow London’ service will help London and international companies to expand their businesses and support London’s economic growth.

4 day working week more important to professionals than work socials and relationships

Say good-bye to work culture: Three quarters of professionals (71%) have stated that they would be willing to give up work socials and relationships with colleagues, in favour of a four-day working week.

50% of business travellers think UK government would get them home in medical emergency

Worrying misconceptions regarding support from the UK government in the event of a medical emergency are revealed in an Opinium survey of 501 UK-based business travellers, commissioned by World Travel Protection, a leading global travel risk management organisation.

Just a quarter of first-time buyers would opt for a 100% mortgage

Research from the Gradual Homeownership provider, Wayhome, has found that while high house prices and the initial cost of a mortgage deposit are the biggest obstacles currently facing the nation’s first-time buyers, just a quarter would be willing to consider a 100% mortgage in order to get a foot onto the property ladder.

CogX Festival announces its iconic new venue

The CogX Festival of inspiration, impact and transformational change, will be taking place this year on new dates, 12th to 14th September, at its iconic new venue: The O2, North Greenwich, London and sites across Canary Wharf.

44% of British businesses experienced LinkedIn scams this year

Almost half of businesses in the UK (44%) experienced at least one LinkedIn scam this year, according to research by NordLayer, a network security solution for businesses. The most affected tend to be big companies (65%), fake job offers are the most popular scam they encounter (63%), and damaged reputation, as well as stolen/damaged data (47% each) were the leading outcomes of LinkedIn scams.

Failure: the path to innovation

If there is one thing everyone hates, it’s the sense of failure. Indeed, the sweetness of victory feels just so much better. As an entrepreneur, though, you may learn much more from setbacks than successes. We must approach failure with a different mindset – seeing it as a chance rather than an obstacle.

ASOS: a weak sales performance in ‘very challenging’ conditions

ASOS, the fast-fashion online retailer, has released interim results for the six months ended 28 February 2023.

Want To Embrace a Buyer-Focused Mindset for Your Startup? Learn to Think Like a DJ

In my day gig as a provider of sales support services to startups, it’s fascinating to hear which factors are believed to be the most important when trying to attract new customers.

HumanForest and BetterHelp partner to help Londoners move

Ahead of National Mental Health Awareness Week, HumanForest has teamed up with BetterHelp, the world’s largest professional online therapy platform. BetterHelp will be sponsoring HumanForest users’ rides and rewarding riders with extra free minutes.

Funding: where to start
This article is part 9 of 9 in the series Getting funding to scale in 2023

Many hundreds of thousands of new businesses are set up each year in the UK. Indeed, according to Companies House, just over 200,000 new businesses were established in the first three months of 2023. For some, the founders will be content with a lifestyle business or will not wish to scale in any meaningful way. But the majority of businesses will need to raise some form of funding and for many this will be during the early-stage of the business when it is looking to scale.

Top 10 cities for pursuing a ‘green’ career

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we currently face. While some make changes in their personal lives, others are looking to make an impact through their work and where they chose to live. But which cities in Europe are best to find a green job, and where leads the way for sustainable living overall?

Virgin Media O2 Business Movers Index reveals Coronation confidence from businesses

More than half of UK businesses expected the King’s Coronation and extra Bank Holiday to give a bigger boost to revenues than the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, with new movement data showing over 114,000 people made their way to central London to be part of the historic parade.

Young startups from London Business School raise $9.4m from global backers

A smart walking cane, a marketplace that connects giant retailers to local producers, a climate impact platform, and a firm ridding AI of bias are among the startups that have gone to raise venture funds following their participation in the inaugural cohort of London Business School’s The Entrepreneurship Lab. 

M-Files announced enhances integrations with Microsoft Teams and Outlook

M-Files has announced enhanced integrations with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Outlook, delivering seamless content collaboration around all enterprise data regardless of its content repository.