When it’s time to scale, many businesses grind to a halt – not because of market conditions, but because their internal systems aren’t built for growth. These businesses often have the demand, the talent, and the ambition, but their outdated financial systems hold them back. This is the scale-up trap: when growing businesses stall not for lack of opportunity, but because they’re not operationally ready.
Small and medium sized companies are the backbone of the global economy. In the UK alone, these businesses account for three-fifths of employment and almost half of turnover in the UK private sector. But their influence is not limited to UK borders. They are internationally ambitious, often purchasing from global suppliers, and sending goods and services to buyers overseas. Their growth, and that of the economy, relies upon favourable and fair market conditions – something which has been found lacking in recent months.
At Zubr Capital, a growth-stage investment fund focused on supporting ambitious tech companies, we typically back three to five companies each year during the Series A or Series B stages. That doesn’t mean there aren’t hundreds of impressive founders with compelling ideas out there – only that few truly align with the investment approach and long-term partnership model we’ve developed.
Starting a business is always a leap of faith. But for refugees from Artsakh – an ethnically Armenian region forcibly depopulated in 2023 – it’s often a matter of survival. If you’re starting over after a career setback, bootstrapping a business during inflation, or trying to harness the power of AI, you may have more in common with these refugee founders than you think.
Dr. Krishna Dubba is the Co-Founder and CTO of CoVent, an AI-powered marketplace designed to transform the way sponsorships are discovered and evaluated. He is a serial entrepreneur and deeptech innovator with over a decade of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and product development.
Tracxn has released its United Kingdom Tech H1 2025 Funding Report, offering a comprehensive overview of the country’s tech investment activity during the first half of the year. The United Kingdom emerged as the second-highest funded country globally in H1 2025, surpassing India and Germany, with the United States being the only country ahead in terms of total funding.
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the workplace at unprecedented speed, new insights from Instant Offices suggest that Gen Z employees are already embracing AI tools far more fluently than many of their employers, highlighting a critical knowledge and leadership gap that UK businesses must urgently address.
Finnish hyperspectral satellite and AI-powered insights company Kuva Space is launching a pilot with the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) to test the use of hyperspectral satellite data and AI-driven insights in improving the monitoring and identification of algae blooms in Finland’s lakes and coastal waters.
As part of the open innovation strategy launched last year, Fincantieri announces the opening of its Innovation Antenna in South Korea, supported operationally by Mind the Bridge. The initiative marks a key milestone in Fincantieri’s open innovation strategy and reinforces the Group’s commitment to international collaboration on advanced maritime technologies.










