Planet Smart, a London-based biomaterials startup, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to launch its first product. The company is developing PlanetSorb, a naturally biodegradable superabsorbent polymer (SAP) designed to replace the fossil-based plastics used inside nappies and sanitary products.
Alibaba.com has named 15-year-old Harrison Nott as its Grand Winner of CoCreate Pitch – the product-driven startup competition – for his small business, CoolTowel.
Kilo Health, the global health and wellness company, has rebranded to Kilo, to reflect the company’s expansion into new business opportunities in longevity, anti-ageing, beauty, and personal development. This change also demonstrates Kilo’s growing focus on co-founding, venture building, and early-stage startup investments.
Danish fintech Flatplay has become the latest company to reach unicorn status, after it secured $170 million in fresh capital. Co-founder Rasmus Busk said Flatpay became the fastest firm in Denmark to reach the milestone, achieving it within three years.
Female business owners across the UK are working longer hours and taking on second jobs, with 39% saying 2025 has been tougher than last year, a groundbreaking report from Tide, the business management platform, and everywoman, the global organisation dedicated to advancing women’s careers, has revealed.
Female-founded businesses are a vital and dynamic force within the UK’s entrepreneurial landscape. As of October 2024, there are 7,696 high-growth companies in the UK with at least one female founder, representing 13.7% of the country’s high-growth ecosystem.
Dean Franklin is the winner of The Apprentice 2025 and Founder of ADL Air Conditioning, and at The Business Show 2025, he discussed starting a business during lockdown, his experience on the show, and how life has changed since the big win.
Finance leaders across the UK remain bullish about their own business prospects for the year ahead, but deep concerns persist around government policy, global uncertainty and the pace of technological change.
A movement is transforming the way Britain does business, with the “1% mindset” taking root in small to medium business enterprises throughout the UK. New research from Adobe, in collaboration with Steven Bartlett, found that more than 90% of UK SMB owners and directors who know the term, say the “1% mindset” can make a positive impact on both business output (91%) and business profits (91%).
Starling has teamed up with Small Business Britain for a campaign to empower women across the UK to start and grow their businesses.
PitchBook has released findings from its latest investor survey, conducted in partnership with Web Summit. The 10th annual survey captures investor sentiment and trends shaping technology investment and AI adoption.
FALKIN, a digital safety company that helps people stop scams before payments happen, has announced it has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with participation from Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital.
A reformed Capital Gains Tax (CGT) regime could be a powerful tool to incentivise wealth creation while boosting long-term productivity, according to research commissioned by Ryan Howsam, CEO of Howsam Ventures and founder of travel insurer, Staysure.
Catalyst, Northern Ireland’s science and technology hub, has announced a new partnership with Ulster University that will embed entrepreneurial thinking and innovation into the academic experience of more than 450 second and final-year students across the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.
Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Britain’s ambitions for the future, but a lack of support could threaten the next generation of business leaders. That is according to new research from Young Enterprise, released today ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Leil Storage, a specialist data storage-infrastructure software company, has raised €1.5 million in seed funding to help organisations store enormous datasets more cost-efficiently and with lower energy use. The round was led by Karma Ventures, with participation from Specialist VC.
Entrepreneurs around the world rank the UK as one of the most popular countries to conduct business, with only Singapore ranking higher in term of appeal.
A Midlands-founded healthtech scaleup has landed £1.4 million in new funding from two leading venture capital firms. Securing cheques from both the Borski Fund and Future Planet Capital Regional, Rem3dy Health’s latest funding has reaffirmed growing investor confidence in the region’s innovation ecosystem, whilst also highlighting the impact and importance of cross-border investment relations.
UK businesses have increased the number of proposed mass dismissal programmes by 5% over the past year, as companies restructure ahead of the upcoming Employment Rights Bill and the growing adoption of AI.
Legal complexity is one of the biggest hidden barriers to growth for UK startups and SMEs. GitLaw, founded by UK entrepreneur Nick Holzherr, has raised a $3 million pre-seed round to power the launch of its agent – part of GitLaw’s platform built for startups and small businesses, not law firms – that helps teams draft, review, and negotiate contracts in minutes, for free.
