Anna Wood

Anna Wood is the Editor of Startups Magazine. She joined the team in June 2023 as Deputy Editor, and has since been promoted to Editor of the publication. When it comes to the startup sector, Anna has a keen interest in spacetech, biotech, medtech, anything that flies, and shining a light on the gender and diversity funding gap. Outside of work hours, you can find Anna tucking into a book, a nice meal, and playing her Switch!

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Number of businesses operating in the UK hits record high

The UK set a new record of 5.63 million active companies registered with Companies House at the end of 2024, an increase of 3% on the year before, according to the NatWest and Beauhurst New Startup Index.

Cancer tech startups tackling diagnosis and treatment
Cancer tech startups tackling diagnosis and treatment

Every year on 4th February, World Cancer Day serves as a global reminder of the urgent need for innovation in cancer awareness, detection, treatment, and care. With millions affected worldwide, and the stat sitting at one in two people likely to develop cancer within their lifetimes, the role of technology-driven solutions has never been more critical.

Fimple raises $12M to pioneer composable, cloud-native banking solutions

Fimple, a provider of flexible, cloud-native core banking software, has raised $12 million in its Series A funding round. The investment, led by DN Capital and Smartfin, saw continued participation from existing investors, including Albaraka Portfolio and Tera Portfolio.

Evolving cancer care requires a new approach from global employers

With World Cancer Day taking place on Tuesday 4 February 2025, Towergate Employee Benefits is alerting global employers to the different and evolving approaches to cancer care around the world and advising employers that they must adapt support.

Windows end of life challenges ahead in 2025

Cloudhouse, a company in application compatibility and cloud enablement, has reported a sharp increase in enquiries from large organisations seeking guidance on Microsoft Teams and legacy technology upgrades.

Sidekick launches bespoke investment solution for big tech employees

Sidekick, the wealth management platform for the financially ambitious, has launched Custom Index portfolios explicitly designed to help Big Tech employees invest more strategically.

AllBright assets acquired by Cain International investee company

Following rumours that AllBright entered into administration, news has broken that the organisation’s assets have been acquired by a Cain International investee company, to enable the long-term growth of the business. Cain International remains committed to the management team, long-term strategy, and of the organisation.

‘YC for VC’ selection announced for Europe’s first VC accelerator

Mountside Ventures has announced the selection of Europe’ first Emerging VC Manager Programme.

Over a quarter of employers concerned about cancer for older staff

Twenty-seven percent of employers cite living with serious ill-health, including cancer, as a concern for their Baby-boomer staff, 23% of employers have the same concern for Gen X staff, 13% for Millennial employees, and 11% for their Gen Z workforce, according to new research conducted during January 2025 by GRiD and released today for World Cancer Day (4 February 2025).

iplicit secures £25M to scale its next-gen accounting software platform

iplicit, the cloud accounting software platform purpose-built for the UK mid-market, has announced a £25 million investment from technology growth investor One Peak. This new investment marks iplicit’s first external institutional funding round and will be used to significantly accelerate iplicit’s product development and fuel its exponential growth.

US data collection professionals lead AI adoption compared to UK counterparts

86% of data collection professionals believe AI adoption in web scraping saves time and resources as the demand for web intelligence continues to rise. This is one of the key findings from the new Oxylabs white paper, Meeting the Increasing Business Demand for Web Intelligence, which demonstrates the growth and impact of web intelligence solutions.

Puma Growth Partners leads $4.3M funding round for finance-focused legal AI specialist, Semeris

Puma Growth Partners has led a $4.3 million investment into legal and financial technology specialist, Semeris.

Female Advisory Board launches peer group to accelerate growth of Yorkshire businesses

The Female Advisory Board (FAB), the UK’s first all-female peer advisory group, has launched FAB Enterprise to help female-led businesses with a turnover of £3 million+ to accelerate growth. Building on the success of its FAB Scale and FAB Grow groups, the Yorkshire-based company continues its mission to unite like-minded business leaders, offering a collaborative space to support, challenge, and learn from shared experiences.

GSMA launches new innovation fund for startups

The GSMA, in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has launched the GSMA Innovation Fund for Impactful AI, to empower small and growing enterprises in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.

Intryc raises $3.1M seed to transform customer support quality assurance with AI automation

Intryc, the platform transforming customer support quality assurance (QA) through AI-powered automation, has announced a $3.1 million seed funding round. The oversubscribed round saw participation from General Catalyst and scouts from Sequoia, alongside existing investors Episode 1 and 500 Emerging Europe, bringing the company’s total funding to $4.2 million. The announcement follows the company’s successful completion of Y Combinator’s Summer 2024 cohort.

MintNeuro wins three government ARIA awards to apply advanced chip tech to neural devices

MintNeuro, a startup working in scalable, low-power semiconductor technology for minimally-invasive neural implant applications, has announced that it is the recipient of three major funding awards from the UK government’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) in collaboration with leading institutions.

Barclays boosts London’s tech ecosystem with Eagle Labs expansion

In a significant boost for London’s thriving tech sector, Barclays Eagle Labs is set to expand its footprint by partnering in seven sites across the city, designed to support tech startups and entrepreneurs on their growth journeys.

AllBright enters administration, claims suggest

Rumours circulating suggest that AllBright, the women-only members’ club, has entered administration.

Blackfinch Ventures invests in Adia Thermal to accelerate heat pump adoption

Blackfinch Ventures, part of the Blackfinch Group, has invested £300,000 in Adia Thermal, a UK startup transforming the heat pump market with its innovative retrofit technology. The investment reflects Blackfinch’s focus on supporting companies that drive meaningful progress in the energy transition while delivering strong potential returns for investors.

Black and disabled workers seeking flexible jobs in record numbers

The latest Work Index from the future of work experts, Flexa, has analysed data from throughout 2024 to reveal the biggest work trends of the year, and those set to shape how we work in 2025.