Alongside a few others, I recently gave a talk to a university conference where I explained my progress in the past year, successes and changes, and my plans. What was interesting, hearing my own answer alongside the other start-ups called in to do the same, was that things have generally ‘paused.’ We have stopped every financial outgoing we possibly can and are reaching out to investors and clients alike only to be told that they are in the same position – ‘expect nothing soon.’
Thanks to coronavirus, our working culture has swiftly moved into sharp focus.
Law firm Taylor Wessing’s work with the Mayor’s International Business Programme, and its work day-to-day with VC-backed tech companies has shown that most UK companies look to the US or Asia before Europe when looking at new markets. However, Europe is on our doorstep, and has its own advantages which shouldn’t be ignored. This article by Mark Barron, a corporate technology partner at Taylor Wessing, will cover what you need to think about in choosing Europe as the first stop in your international journey, and a few of the key advantages in doing so.
If I was to tell you that water is the most used material in the world, I doubt you’d be surprised. However, if I asked you what material comes second in that list you may be left scratching your head. Plastic? Copper? Carbon Fibre? Good guesses all. However, you’d be wrong – it’s actually concrete.
Kindness – a word used so frequently. Social media feeds are covered in quotes including: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind” and many more. Especially now, given our current Corona-climate, we’ve all realised the power of kindness.
OurCrowd, a crowdfunded-venture investment platform, has announced the launch of its Pandemic Innovation Fund. The Fund plans to raise $100m for investment in urgent technological solutions for the medical, business, educational and social needs triggered by global pandemics and other health emergencies.
The founders of Bulb, a green gas and electricity supplier, met five years ago when they were both working in the energy industry and disillusioned with the way the industry treats its customers and how much businesses were charging for renewable energy. Hayden Wood and Amit Gudka are aiming to make the industry better with Bulb by making energy simpler, cheaper and greener.
Startup Zhiyun, the world’s most popular gimbal brand for cameras and smartphones, has announced the launch of the SMOOTH-X smartphone gimbal. SMOOTH-X is a stylish palm-sized foldable gimbal that weighs only 246g and easily fits into your bag – or even your pocket. With the new dedicated ZY Cami app, SMOOTH-X provides new ways to capture and create stories. Unfold your world with foldable SMOOTH-X – it is a whole new spin on the gimbal.
Leadoo Marketing Technologies (Leadoo MT) has launched its new platform to help UK SMEs update their marketing strategy, fight back in the current business climate and set themselves up for future proofing their business.
“In a crisis, beware of the danger- but recognise the opportunity,” John F Kennedy. Highlighting the light in the dark, this is perhaps one of the most salient quotes for our times.
As spring turns into summer and the fears of lockdown turn into the uncertainties of release, many early stage companies are effectively having to start all over again, either because they have been temporarily closed and have been in something of a coma like state, or because they have pivoted and the business plan has changed from the original. The question being asked by so many, is ‘what do we do and how do we go about it?’ and is focused around the fundamental question that takes all founders back to the origins of their business.
The world feels upside down, right? Mankind is not meant to stay locked inside. We need wide spaces, open-air, opportunities and horizons. As the world stopped and placed us in a timeless lethargy we find it hard to remain optimistic. The same question goes round and round in our heads as we stare at the azure of the sky through the window: How is Coronavirus affecting the future of work?
We’ve all seen ultrasound images, undoubtedly so if you’re a parent. And while the technology is used for a multitude of other healthcare-related reasons, the procedure has traditionally been the same, involving the patient having to pay a visit to a hospital. However, this could be about to change with the growth of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Here, Startups Magazine speaks to Nevada Sanchez, Co-Founder of Butterfly Network, a company pioneering such technology.
The world is embarking on a period of great technological innovation. This means that innovators themselves need a place where they can grow their ideas. Technology startups are fast becoming a growth area for semiconductor manufacturers, as they are often at the coal face of design innovation, pioneering the journey towards the fourth industrial revolution.
Sage has published its SMB Tracker highlighting the latest sentiment from the UK’s small and medium sized businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Eleven startup companies from Bristol’s world-leading tech scene have been announced to pitch and demo their innovative products at SETsquared Bristol’s Tech-Xpo 2020.
You know you need cloud skills within your startup, you have prepared the job spec for the right person (see our Cloud Skills Startip for details), and now you want to make sure that the world knows you are looking for this person and that your startup is the best place to work on earth. And preferably, you don’t want to spend a penny finding that person, because your startup is a lean startup. So how do you do this?
An entrepreneurial mum of three, from Preston, who’s a domestic abuse survivor, is on a mission to have ‘done her bit’ during COVID-19 to raise funds for Women’s Aid & galop, by streaming a charity event ‘The Big Festoon’ from her bedroom on 5th June.
As employees return to work, UK businesses are likely to face a backlog of annual leave requests that could cost thousands of pounds. By collecting data and analysing the average monthly salary at a baseline at £2,214 and at least 50% of employee annual leave owed, Coworking Specialists Instant Offices have calculated how much it would cost for companies of different sizes to pay staff for a minimum of two weeks of annual leave.
“The rapidly changing world brought about by COVID-19 means leaders face many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas – never has there been a greater need to develop critical thinking, personal agility and managerial decision-making skills to help organisations survive and thrive.”
