A new wellness and health startup has set out to tackle sleep disorders and anxiety with a new product known as the weighted blanket.
It’s troubling times for industries around the world who are attempting to negotiate the impact of a global pandemic and – for those in the UK and EU, the uncertainty around Brexit.
Speechmatics and Prosodica, a provider of innovative voice and audio analysis technology and subsidiary of Vail Systems, have announced their partnership to deliver better caller experiences to enhance customer care and improve customer experiences.
Bridging volumes fell by more than half in the second quarter of 2020 and by 45% over the first half of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown hit activity.
It’s no secret that the fintech sector is booming. Here, Startups Magazine speaks to David Nicol, CEO and Co-founder of fintech startup, LedgerEdge, which is providing a new ecosystem for the exchange of data and assets in the corporate bond market, on the challenges of launching a new firm in this sector.
According to the World Allergy Organisation (WAO), 2.5% of the general population is allergic to one of more foods, while up to 10% can manifest adverse drug reactions. This is just one example of why in highly regulated industries, such as food or pharmaceutical manufacturing, it is particularly important to protect consumers by ensuring that items are properly packaged and labelled.
Five startup businesses have won a year’s access to a new online finance training platform from a Yorkshire-based finance management firm. The wins are part of a competition which launched Mellor Financial Training’s virtual training platform, established to offer an on-demand digital system specifically designed to be consumed online.
As we continue to work towards the government’s net zero emissions by 2050 commitment, businesses are naturally becoming increasingly aware of the need to be more eco-friendly. Other strategies, such as the Clean Growth Strategy, which aims to promote economic growth at the same time as decreasing emissions, mean that the focus on having a positive effect on the environment is now higher than ever.
With heat-based illnesses such as heat stroke, current medical care often consists of an immediate emergency ice bath. However, an ice bath is anything but portable, and so Matt Anderson, Founder of Cryogenx, came up with a solution to help aid heat stroke or similar illnesses by essentially transporting the ice bath to you, which turns out can be lifesaving.
Online streaming giant Netflix, which has over 150 million paid subscribers in over 190 countries, collects data from its users. Using advanced analytics to understand customer behaviour and buying patterns, the company makes extremely relevant customer recommendations, helping it achieve an impressive 93% customer retention.
In a world filled with incredible innovative technology that everyday enables people to do what they otherwise could not, it seems nonsensical that there is still such an outrageous employment gap for disabled people, and Paralympic champion Elizabeth Johnson, agrees.
It’s received wisdom that successful startups solve real world problems. But there’s a commonly overlooked footnote to this mantra: you can’t try to solve a problem unless you’ve lived it first. Because without gaining the authentic understanding of lived experience, you’ll never find a solution that works in practice as well as in theory.
Remote working has been in the technology ecosystem for many years. I have personally been doing partial remote work for the last ten to twenty years and what I have found is surprising. Most individuals are not used to this style of work which is accelerating a nationwide transformation of company culture.
Before any business is established the founder will of course have spotted a gap in the market, thought of the original idea, conducted research, and come up with the MVP. Taking these basic thoughts and then forming a business around them, with all the necessary steps that regular readers will now be very familiar with, does of course take considerable time and effort.
Nottingham-based electronics design and software engineering consultancy, Ignys recently celebrated their 3rd anniversary after moving into their new premises on Nottingham Science Park. East Midlands entrepreneur, Richard Fletcher set up Ignys in 2017 to provide the product development industry with an extra resource.
Xero has announced the acquisition of Waddle, a cloud based lending platform that helps small businesses access capital through invoice financing. The acquisition aligns with Xero’s strategy to grow the small business platform and to address critical small business financial needs. Waddle’s cloud lending platform, combined with small businesses’ invoice data, will enable the delivery of tailored invoice financing solutions.
Ask anyone which location they’d associate with startups, and my money would be on “Silicon Valley” being their answer. But in the past few years, global investors have been shifting their collective gaze to Europe. Forbes reports that the first half of 2019 broke the record for tech investment in Europe: £17.2bn was invested in the continent’s tech startups. Similarly, Europe was pretty much on par with the United States when it came to the existence of startups backed by venture capitalists.
Many startups would have been forgiven for spending the last three months focusing purely on survival. Yet, as lockdown restrictions lift, an alternative story is beginning to emerge.
Startups Magazine recently spoke to Nicky Pasquier, CEO Virtuoso Assistant, the digital marketing for entrepreneurs and small business.
Launching a new business is not for the faint hearted even when market conditions are ‘perfect’. Doing that in the midst of the worst global pandemic in over a century is, by any standards, rather bold.
