Health and wellbeing: Why it’s good to talk during a pandemic

There is nothing better than being able to walk out of the house to exercise in the park, the countryside or even to stroll by the sea. Just the ability to go outside gives us a new sense of perspective, and enables us to maintain our health and wellbeing.

5 ways to secure finance and plan how to use it during COVID-19

Over £7.25bn has now been paid to more than 40,500 businesses under the UK government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). More than 130,000 applications were also received for the newer Bounce Bank Loan Scheme (BBLS) on the first day of launch alone, with SMEs able to apply for between £2,000-£50,000.

Pivoting your startup can impact your IP – here’s how

Agile startups have proven that they are able to help in a crisis. Access to bright thinkers and technical experts means they can come up with creative solutions quickly in response to changes in circumstances – and many have been helping in the fight against COVID-19.

UK SME Tracker: Sage’s industry insight into COVID-19

The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and necessary Government restrictions to curb the spread, has thrown millions of the UK’s small and medium sized businesses into a period of uncertainty, and in many cases, hardship. The Government has announced a series of sweeping, comprehensive and extraordinary measures for businesses to help them weather the storm

Platform enables European investors to fund African startups

Africa is a land of innovation! For several years now, initiatives have been multiplying to publicise the dynamism of this continent full of future. From Futur.e.s in Africa organised in Casablanca in collaboration with Cap Digital to EDF’s Pulse Africa competition, African technology is seducing by its ability to break codes and propose effective solutions to current issues.

Virtual coding event for young women passionate about tech

The Institute of Coding (IoC) is partnering with social inclusion enterprise, Sisterhood, to host a free virtual workshop and inspire young women to turn their passion for social good into a career that sees them at the forefront of change.

Ag-tech innovation centre to open in southern Israel

Arieli Capital has signed a cooperation agreement with Ramat Negev Regional Council and Ramat Negev Industries, for the establishment of an ag-tech innovation centre to take advantage of the region’s achievement in turning the desert into an unmatched agricultural success story.

Plans for UK Lawtech R&D Sandbox announced

Plans to create a UK Lawtech research and development (R&D) environment – the Lawtech Sandbox – have been announced by LawtechUK, a government-backed initiative delivered through a collaboration between Tech Nation, the Lawtech Delivery Panel and the Ministry of Justice.

Inspekto wins Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award

On 29th April, 2020, the Red Herring judging panel announced the winners of its competitive Top 100 Europe Award. Inspekto, the German-Israeli company founder of the Autonomous Machine Vision category, was one of the companies to receive the prestigious recognition, which celebrates the achievements of visionary enterprises and their potential to revolutionise their respective industries.

Live Q&A with HMRC to help businesses navigate the global pandemic

The global pandemic is creating huge uncertainty for people, businesses and livelihoods in the UK. To support those who are looking to better understand the new government financial support that is available and how it can help them, Jim Harra, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary of HMRC, will be participating in a LinkedIn Live interview and Q&A hosted by Emily Spaven, UK Editor of LinkedIn News, on Thursday 21st May at 3pm BST.

NHS trusts can now recommend mental health app Flow to patients

Mental health startup, Flow has become the highest scoring free depression treatment app in the ORCHA App Library. The inclusion means that many NHS trusts and healthcare professionals, who have their own bespoke App Library using the ORCHA platform, can now include Flow in their library and directly recommend it to their patients to reduce symptoms of depression – particularly during the current coronavirus pandemic.

How can employers foster a culture of openness around mental health?

For Mental Health Awareness Week (18th-24th May 2020), Naomi Thompson, Head of Organisational Development at Benenden Health, provides insight into how employers can create a culture of openness around mental health.

Do THIS before even considering your logo design

If a guest asked for toast, would you butter a piece of bread and serve it up to them? No way – the ‘toasting’ is the essence of toast, and anything else is simply a job half done. The same applies to your brand. Skipping straight to designing your business logo is equal to spreading the butter straight onto bread…it’s ineffective and lacks the ‘essence’.

Curve launches premium metal card in Europe

The banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and even smarter app, Curve, has announced that its premium Curve Metal card and great benefits are now available to its customers in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Travel startup overfunds by 24% despite the current climate

LuggageHero is bucking the trend by showing that investing in travel startups is not over during these uncertain times surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

How businesses can support employee mental health right now

A considerable task business owners face during the outbreak is keeping teams motivated and productive in the face of uncertainty. According to the people management and CIPD poll, around 63% of employers say anxiety is the biggest challenge facing their organisation right now, followed by the inability for their teams to work remotely.

An end to recycling old ideas

Most of us want to do our bit to save the planet. We’re aware of the ongoing risk of climate change. We’ve all watched David Attenborough’s Blue Planet documentary, and we’ve watched the Facebook videos of our oceans filled with plastic, and our sea life swimming amongst dozens of empty drink cans. But after seeing these saddening sites, do we actually try to do anything about it?

New tools launched to help small businesses manage cash flow

To help small businesses and their advisors manage revenue, profit and cash flow, Xero has announced availability of its improved financial reporting tools.

The future of the office

The concept of co-working has become synonymous with tech ecosystems across the globe. It came to prominence around the same time as the birth of some of the biggest tech companies you’ve heard of, as well as those you haven’t. 

“Should my business pivot?”
This article is part 20 of 26 in the series Overheard at a startup...

Many businesses ask me many questions but one of the questions that has become more common over the last few months is whether their business should pivot. Regular readers will know that many of the answers to questions I overhear are often prefaced with ‘well it depends’ but this question can in many ways be easier to answer than that.