Immigrant, refugee, founder

It’s no secret that being a founder is a tough ask. However, you’d be hard pushed to find an entrepreneur that has had to overcome as much adversity as Nour Mouakke, Founder of Wizme, a meeting and group booking management technology solution for venues, intermediaries and organisations that provides end-to-end automation of the booking process.

Israeli start-up chooses Detroit as its US base

Autonomous machine vision pioneer, Inspekto, is one step closer to having a strong presence on US soil upon striking up a partnership with the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator.

Funding round to help companies do more while sharing less data

Applied Blockchain has completed a £2m funding round lead by Hong Kong based venture capital firm, QBN Capital. The newly-injected funds will be invested in developing a platform using privacy enhancing technologies to help companies to collaborate and generate meaningful outcomes together, without having to share any of their data.

Accelerating in the days of coronavirus

Seven Italian startups selected to participate in Israel’s first accelerator program for Italian startups could not have imagined in early January that the coronavirus pandemic would spread so rapidly and inflict such deadly damage to their country and around the world during their stay in Eilat.

Top tips for scaling businesses to successfully pivot, adjust and innovate

Businesses in the UK, and across the world, are facing unprecedented challenges in order to survive and thrive in the wake of COVID-19. Scaling businesses are facing an additional and unique set of challenges, as many will be in the ‘critical growth’ phase which is often loss-making – embarking on a stage of expansion in order to achieve future revenue growth. This makes the current climate daunting to approach.

Tips for startups on managing money in the face of adversity

With COVID-19 continuing to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds it can be hard to prioritise the right things for your startup when it comes to managing money. This is undoubtedly a tough time for everybody, but for startups, freelancers, sole traders and small business owners, it’s hitting particularly hard.

SMEs missing out on thousands of pounds in unclaimed funding

UK businesses are still missing out on thousands of pounds of unclaimed tax credits, according to new figures from Leyton, the UK’s leading innovation funding consultancy. Leyton’s clients – 85% of which are SMEs – claimed an average of £78,000 in R&D tax credits last year.

Driving customer growth and product innovation

UK-founded marketing technology company ContentCal has secured a £2.5 million investment from early and growth stage investor Fuel Ventures with participation from existing shareholders. The new funding will be focussed on driving customer growth, product innovation and doubling the size of the team.

How to ensure your staff are kept motivated…

Across the globe, companies are introducing innovative ways to help their workforce focus. Wildly unconventional benefits and perks have surfaced over the last few years, with research estimating that increasing happiness can boost productivity by around 12%.

Balpro: The balance project
Balpro: The balance project

Balpro helps businesses balance aggressive revenue goals with employee wellbeing, creating aspirational corporate cultures that are safe to log off from. A typical client would be a company that’s flown through hyper-growth but forgotten to nurture their staff along the way, meaning that they’re suffering from a decline in productivity and have started haemorrhaging staff. Balpro helps their leadership get their mojo back, reignite employee engagement, help employees reconnect to the corporate vision and create a more safe, supportive and sustainable environment. Here we interview Founder Amber Coster.

Keeping Kent businesses moving during the pandemic

YourLocal.Delivery, a new free online store service, is supporting local businesses to sell their goods online and help them to survive current difficult trading circumstances. Since its launch last month, a number of Kent businesses have signed up to the service and are already experiencing sales. 

How startups can navigate through this period

There is no question that these are unprecedented times, incredibly difficult for everyone mentally, physically, socially and economically.

Providing the fix to a broken system

In the UK educational technology (or edtech), is currently significantly under-funded, compared to a market like the US. Despite this, London-based company The Profs is shining through and making great strides when it comes to enhancing the offering of one-to-one education. Startups Magazine caught up with Founder Richard Evans.

From government to coding: what could go wrong?

It’s always been clear to me that I’m not a math person. Or at least that’s the story I’m used to telling myself. Soon after graduating from Political Science and International Relations, I started working for Panama’s foreign service in Geneva. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, representing my country on issues I cared for like gender, climate change, and mass migrations. 

Where to get help and cut costs during the coronavirus pandemic

We are now a few weeks into the UK’s ‘lockdown’, and the existence of many small – and large – businesses is under threat. An inability to operate cash flows as normal is undoubtedly a major concern and so many are seeking ways to cut costs and access cash, and fast.

Gen Z payment pioneers launch open-banking software

VibePay has announced its open banking driven offer for businesses. The latest products will allow brands to process frictionless checkout and subscription payments online, increasing transaction success and reducing fees, whilst giving brands a gateway into their engaged Gen Z community.

How crucial is employee training in 2020?

In 2020, companies throughout the world are investing significantly in colleague training. 94 per cent of British businesses’ suggesting, ‘that even in the current economic climate, learning and development is at the heart of their strategy’. The report by UK L&D noted how none of the companies who are spending more than the national average of £300 on training for each employee have a retention rate of less than half a year. Clearly, staff morale and job satisfaction are enhanced by sufficient training.

Big life questions answered…

As a startup there is probably a high possibility you are not currently doing what you planned to do when you were child. ‘When I grow up I want to create my own business’ isn’t heard as often as policeman, astronaut or pilot we surely all have to agree.

FAQs for small business owners on the COVID-19 virus

The current Covid-19 pandemic is causing havoc for businesses across the world. If you are an employer with a small business, you are likely struggling or are concerned about the future of your company in the current economic climate.

A survival guide for business owners and entrepreneurs

Found & Flourish is a female founders and aspiring entrepreneurs online membership, media & events platform. We have over 10,000 women within our network and run on average 40 events a year. Our mission is to empower women in business to launch, grow and scale their dream businesses. We also provide services, resources and community to support the women at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.