Small business owners across the UK are facing a harsh reality – many are too overworked and financially stretched to take a much-needed holiday, potentially pushing themselves to the brink of burnout. According to new research from InsureandGo, a significant portion of the UK’s 5.51 million small business owners are missing out on holidays to keep their businesses running, highlighting the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
GOZEN has announced the launch of its debut LUNAFORM range, together with the go-live of its vast new facility in Turkey and industry-first short film. LUNAFORM is an advanced biomaterial, which first featured in Balenciaga’s LUNAFORM Maxi Bathrobe Coat. The biotechnology startup’s design-led approach and commercial scalability will finally make biodesign a reality for global fashion and design brands, and is the result of less than three years of rapid GOZEN progress.
Aura Funerals, the digital end-of-life planning and funeral service, has announced a successful £750,000 funding round through Angel Investment Network, the online angel investment platform. This marks Aura’s third successful raise through the network. The funds were raised as part of a larger £3.2 million growth funding round.
According to GRiD, over the next 12 months, nearly a third (31%) of employers intend to increase their investment in employee benefits to provide support for staff. However, almost the same number (29%) of employers are looking to increase investment into funding support directly, which the industry body for the group risk sector believes is a concern.
A new survey by foodtech startup Revyve has revealed positive European attitudes towards yeast protein as a potential key player in the flourishing alternative protein market. The consumer study gathered insight from French, German, and British consumers through AI-moderated individual interviews. The goal was to gauge interest in its functional brewers and baker’s yeast ingredients as substitutes to egg proteins and synthetic texturisers.
Stacks, the AI-powered workspace helping companies close their books quickly and efficiently, has announced a $3 million pre-seed round led by EQT Ventures, followed by a fast-tracked $7 million seed round led by General Catalyst, with EQT Ventures doubling down on their investment. The rounds also saw participation from s16vc and prominent angel investors including Mike Taylor, CFO of Gusto, and Simone Rüschenberg, CFO at Taktile.
The global construction industry, valued at $12 trillion annually, builds the infrastructure underpinning modern life – from highways and data centres to renewable energy. Yet, for decades, it has faced persistent challenges: inefficiencies, project delays, cost overruns, and a growing labour shortage. Despite its size, the industry spends less than 1% of revenue on IT, resulting in stagnant productivity growth for decades.
IMPOSSIBREW is a team of London-based beer lovers who are harnessing tech to create enhanced functional non-alcoholic beers that deliver both relaxation and exceptional taste. Its Social Blend technology helps drinkers unwind naturally, offering a true third choice beyond ‘drinking’ and ‘not drinking’ and pioneering a new category in functional drinking.
Defying today’s challenging funding landscape, healthtech startup Level Zero Health has announced a £5.5 million pre-seed funding round spearheaded by European VC, redalpine, to enable remote and continuous hormone monitoring using first-of-their-kind DNA-based sensors. HAX (SOSV), Entrepreneur First, and industry experts also contributed to the round.










