A new survey from The Open University reveals a growing dilemma for UK businesses: almost all leaders (96%) see growth as central to their strategy, particularly in the context of the UK Government’s priority mission in achieving strong, secure, and sustainable economic growth by 2035. Yet nearly three in four admit it often comes at the expense of workforce diversity and inclusion goals (72%) and sustainability and net zero efforts (71%).
UK employees were off sick for nearly two full working weeks (9.4 days) on average in the last 12 months. This is a significant jump compared to pre-pandemic levels (5.8 days), and 7.8 days in 2023 when this survey was last carried out.
UK and Netherlands-based cybersecurity and compliance company Naq has successfully closed a €6 million Series A funding round to accelerate its mission to help health technology companies meet essential NHS standards amid rising cyber threats and regulatory delays.
Plum, the smart money app trusted by millions, has unveiled its AI-powered tool built on Google Cloud and enabled by Google’s Gemini models.
ASML has invested €1.3 billion in Mistral’s Series C funding round as the lead investor. This has resulted in ASML holding an approximate 11% share on a fully diluted basis in Mistral AI. The total funding for the Series C round totals €1.7 billion, at a €11.7 billion post-money valuation.
Runna, the running coaching app, has launched the start of internationalisation on the platform. The app is now available in seven new languages, unlocking access to personalised running training plans for millions of new runners worldwide.
BoobyBiome, a London-based biotechnology company advancing the science of breast milk and the microbiome, has raised £2.5 million in seed funding for its infant feeding solutions. Founded in 2019 by a team of female scientists-turned-entrepreneurs – Dr. Lydia Mapstone, Dr. Sioned Jones, and Dr. Tara O’Driscoll – BoobyBiome plans to tackle the rising rates of infant health issues by harnessing the power of the breast milk microbiome.
Skylark Lasers, a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser specialist, has appointed international business development consultancy Intralink to accelerate its growth in China.
In an era defined by economic uncertainty and rising operational costs, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to drive efficiency and innovation. Business lending platform Funding Circle, which has supported over 110,000 UK SMEs, reveals how AI can help small businesses grow smarter, not just faster, in 2025 and beyond.
DeepL, the global AI product and research company most known for its AI-powered translation tools, has unveiled an autonomous AI agent for businesses.
Aonic, a global group of tech and gaming companies, has acquired research technology firm Prime Insights for a total transaction value in excess of $250 million.
UK artificial intelligence (AI) companies attracted a record-breaking £2.9 billion in investment last year, solidifying Britain’s position as a global leader in cutting-edge technology.
Throxy, an outbound growth partner for companies selling into traditional industries, has announced a $6.2 million seed round led by Base10 Partners with participation from Y Combinator.
ArcaScience, the AI healthtech startup setting a new standard for benefit-risk evaluation to make better, safer drugs, has announced a $7 million seed funding round led by The Moon Venture, with participation from Pléiade Venture, Plug&Play Ventures, Bpifrance, and AKKA Technologies.
The UK government may be celebrating favourable tariffs with the USA and new trade deals with countries outside the EU, but the vast majority of UK small businesses are now focused on the domestic British market to secure growth over the next 12-months, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance.
MEGA, the AI voice agent platform purpose-built for order-to-cash (O2C) management, has announced a $2 million pre-seed funding round led by Spintop Ventures, a Nordic early-stage venture capital firm with 15 years of experience scaling software-based technology companies.
LineWise, the US-based AI-powered “virtual engineer” for manufacturers, has raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding from A2D Ventures, Y Combinator, Exitfund, REMUS Capital, SBXi Fund, and Team Ignite Ventures. The funding will accelerate LineWise’s mission to eliminate two of the most expensive problems in manufacturing: unplanned downtime and yield loss caused by defects.
More than half of businesses have no formal policy in place to govern the use of AI tools in the workplace, leaving them vulnerable to data risks, compliance issues, and uncertainty over accountability.
Kerbo Charge has acquired one of its competitors in the EV charging space, Charge Gully.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is set to announce a £2.7 million government fund to support UK regulators in piloting AI systems to keep Britain at pace in the global race for tech leadership.
