SumUp has become a recognisable name in the point-of-sale (PoS) space. Since its inception in 2012, the company has become a global fintech, supporting more than 3.5 million merchants in over 30 markets across the world.
UBS has published its first Global Entrepreneur Report, based on a survey of 156 UBS entrepreneur clients and network members across a full range of economic sectors. Their businesses account for approximately $19.1 billion in combined annual revenue, which equates to an average of $123 million each.
Nearly half of the global population is projected to experience a mental health disorder by age 75. It shows that there is an urgent need for more effective mental wellness solutions as relying on traditional medication, and even therapy hasn’t slowed the mental health pandemic.
VISARUN.AI, an AI-powered visa-as-a-service platform, has raised $700,000 in pre-seed funding from Swiss and UAE-based angel investors with extensive experience in e-commerce and trading. The investment will fuel the company’s platform development, sales team expansion, and strategic market penetration initiatives.
Over one in four (26%) organisations have no formal data strategy in the UK and the US, despite increasing AI usage, creating an ‘AI Paradox’ for businesses, research has found.
Mindstone, a global training platform and community focused on the practical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for non-technical staff, and Gamma, the San Francisco-based provider of an AI-powered presentation platform, have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of AI presentation tools among non-technical professionals.
London based firm, High-Velocity Startups which was established in 2012, through its STRIVE Acceleration Fund has awarded the founder of Jim, Isham Broer, a University of Exeter student, with a £2,000 grant and accelerator support, for his startup business.
A new service that has been recently launched makes it easy and fast for innovative banks of any size to unlock the transformative potential of digital asset-backed lending.
Austrian synthetic data startup MOSTLY AI has announced the release of the world’s first industry-grade open source toolkit for producing synthetic data from real customer data. The open source toolkit is freely available now.
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and partners have launched a three-year project with Oulu Port aimed at enhancing secure situational awareness in critical cyber-physical systems.
MacroCycle Technologies – the startup using upcycling tech to cut the costs, energy, and carbon demands of the $700 billion plastic waste industry – has announced it has raised $6.5 million in seed funding.
Northcote Equity, a newly established private equity firm, has announced the first and final close of its maiden fund, ‘Northcote Fund I’, at its hard cap of £160 million, only 16 weeks after launching the fundraise.
Sellectronics, a manufacturing company based in Cornwall, has been crowned SME of the Year at the National Manufacturing Awards, in a ceremony held aboard the iconic Dixie Queen paddle steamer on the River Thames.
Meatly, a UK cultivated meat firm, has become the first company in the world to supply cultivated meat for pet food on sale. Produced in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand THE PACK, a limited-release of “Chick Bites” is on sale at Pets at Home Brentford, London from Friday 7th February.
New research from Oxford Economics predicts that quantum computing could give the UK an economy-wide productivity boost of up to 7% by 2045 – equivalent to every worker achieving an additional three weeks’ worth of productivity per year without working an extra hour.
‘Beyond the Balance Sheet’, a new report from private and commercial bank, Arbuthnot Latham, reveals that over 40% of UK entrepreneurs exit to prioritise wellbeing and family. Current market conditions also play a large role, with 65% selling up sooner than they had wanted due to the fear of tax rises. One in five entrepreneurs said they received offers they “couldn’t refuse”, often resulting in hasty decisions and heightened uncertainty.
Steven Bartlett, star of BBC’s Dragon’s Den, and host of Diary of a CEO podcast, has stepped down as a Director of Huel, the meal-replacement drink brand.
On 30 January, the final of the Polish startup accelerator Axios took place in Berlin. Twenty-one entrepreneurial teams presented their projects to the jury – ranging from AI platforms for pet care to apps for people with insulin resistance. Participants tested their ideas, received valuable market expert recommendations, and explored new growth opportunities. The programme was supported by key IT industry players, including SOFTSWISS international tech company.
A new whitepaper from UK-Ukraine TechExchange, a collaborative forum around the key issues affecting the war in Ukraine and its future rebuild, explores how cutting-edge innovation can expedite the demining process and Ukraine’s post-war recovery.
The latest research from The Global Payroll Association (GPA) reveals that a third of UK workers could jump ship from their current employer in 2025, with widespread dissatisfaction around factors such as pay and job security the key reasons for looking to greener pastures.
