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!

3604 Articles Published | Follow:
Lack of sales and marketing skills biggest threat to startup success

A lack of confidence in sales and marketing is the biggest hurdle for aspiring entrepreneurs in the UK, preventing many from launching their dream businesses, according to the Start Gap Report.

GitLaw launches AI agent to end legal barriers for UK startups
GitLaw launches AI agent to end legal barriers for UK startups

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.

Lack of female board members in UK’s fastest-growing tech startups
Lack of female board members in UK’s fastest-growing tech startups

UK scaleups are failing to adequately prioritise board-level gender diversity, according to a new study from global growth consultancy Think & Grow.

Gender bias is costing Britain £250 billion
Gender bias is costing Britain £250 billion

Early-stage venture consultants, Think Partners, have issued an open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, calling on the UK Government to take urgent action to close the gender gap in business investment – a move that could unlock £250 billion in additional economic growth.

Less than one in four employees are thriving in the workplace

As International Stress Awareness Week takes place, new research from global hiring platform Indeed highlights a significant gap between UK employees’ aspirations for workplace happiness and their current experiences of work wellbeing.

Human Health raises £4.1M to put patients first in healthcare
Human Health raises £4.1M to put patients first in healthcare

Human Health, the patient-first precision health platform founded by former Canva product leaders dedicated to giving everyone access to personalised healthcare, has secured £4.1 million from LocalGlobe, Airtree, and Skip Capital. The Seed round also saw participation from notable angels, including Arvind Rajan (Cricket Health), Eric Salama (former Kantar CEO) and David Shein (GP at OIF Ventures).

octonomy raises $20M to accelerate delivery of agentic AI for complex service workflows
octonomy raises $20M to accelerate delivery of agentic AI for complex service workflows

octonomy, the German-founded AI company building agentic systems for complex enterprise support and service workflows, has announced the successful completion of a new seed round totalling $20 million, led by Macquarie Capital Venture Capital, with participation from Capnamic, NRW.Bank, and theTechVision Fund. This brings octonomy’s total funding to $25 million since its founding 15 months ago.

mimic raises $16M to deploy physical AI across industries
mimic raises $16M to deploy physical AI across industries

mimic, a Zurich-based robotics company, has raised $16 million in funding led by Elaia, alongside Speedinvest, to deploy its frontier physical AI across industries, enabling robots to handle complex, dexterous tasks that conventional machines cannot.

Beyond School launches to bridge gap between education, AI, and future of work

In a world where AI is rewriting the rules of work, Beyond School is launching to meet the moment. A new platform designed to equip young people with the skills, confidence, and connections they need to thrive.

CFOs face mounting stress as lack of data hinders decision-making
CFOs face mounting stress as lack of data hinders decision-making

A survey of 1,000 CFOs and senior finance leaders across the UK and Ireland has revealed the growing strain facing finance professionals, with almost all (99%) saying they work evenings or weekends, and nearly two-thirds (64%) doing so often or always.

Antidote launches £2.5M to accelerate next wave of UK Bitcoin and fintech innovation

Antidote, a new London-based accelerator, has launched with £2.5 million in funding from Fulgur Ventures, Initial Capital, and a group of private angel investors.

Small businesses adopt increasingly cautious hiring stance

Small business sales and jobs are still growing but losing momentum following a reasonable start to the year, according to the latest Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) data from Xero, the global small business platform.

Uluu raises £7M to scale seaweed plastic alternative

Uluu, an Australian startup which turns seaweed into a plastic alternative, has raised over £7 million ($16 million AUD) in Series A funding to build a demonstration plant for the industrial production of its materials.

Legora raises $150M Series C to accelerate rollout of legal AI platform
Legora raises $150M Series C to accelerate rollout of legal AI platform

Legora, the collaborative AI platform for lawyers, has announced the completion of a Series C round of $150 million at a $1.8 billion valuation, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with significant investment from existing investors ICONIQ, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Benchmark, and Y Combinator, to accelerate its global expansion and growing product roadmap.

Snowball impresses Dragons, receives offer from all
Snowball impresses Dragons, receives offer from all

Simon Sansome, the creator of Snowball, a startup mobile app that describes itself as ‘the Trip Advisor for the disabled community’, secured backing from all five moguls on the hit BBC show, Dragons’ Den.

Lack of AI expertise could stall growth for UK tech scaleups

UK tech scaleups are at risk of failing to meet their growth potential by not appointing artificial intelligence (AI) experts to their boards.

London dominates UK fintech funding in September 2025

Tracxn has released its UK FinTech Report for 9M 2025, highlighting key investment and ecosystem trends across the country’s financial technology sector. The report captures funding, IPO, acquisition, and investor activity during the nine-month period ending September 2025.

Astut raises £1.6M to solve business crises without historical data

Astut, an Oxford University AI spin-out, has announced £1.6 million in seed funding to commercialise its breakthrough technology that helps organisations navigate unprecedented crises where traditional AI systems fail due to lack of historical data.

Brainspark Games secures Dragons’ Den investment

London-based entrepreneur, Reedah El-Saie, has successfully secured £30,000 funding from A-list Dragons’ Den stars, Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden, and Touker Suleyman for her educational gaming startup, Brainspark Games.

Branded Realities raises $1.6M to redefine sports fan engagement

Branded Realities, the creative technology company at the intersection of sports, fan engagement, and immersive experiences, has closed its $1.6 million seed funding round.