New research suggests a rise in small business confidence following the formation of the new Government. A study by Novuna Business Finance, surveying 1,000 small business owners and senior managers, found that 68% of companies are now considering new projects to drive growth, up from 66% earlier this year.
Herbert Smith Freehills has teamed up with Carbon13 to support the development of high-impact climatetech startups aimed at reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.
Reonic, a climatetech SaaS startup dedicated to advancing sustainable energy solutions across Europe, has secured €13 million in a Series A funding round. Northzone led the investment, with support from existing backers Point Nine and Puzzle Ventures.
Stylus, a startup aiming to transform teacher workloads through AI-powered marking and feedback, has raised £500,000 in a funding round led by Sure Valley Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on AI-driven innovation.
Helsinki- and Palo Alto-based startup Root Signals has secured $2.8 million in funding to advance its generative AI (GenAI) measurement platform, which employs LLM-as-a-judge techniques.
Retrograde, the AI talent agency for content creators co-founded by Grace Beverley, has raised €1.8 million in pre-seed funding.
PolyAI is a startup that builds customer-led voice assistants that can carry natural conversations with customers to solve their problems.
The fast-paced advancements in fintech are reshaping industries by making financial services more accessible, intuitive, and customised to meet consumer demands. This surge in innovation is reaching beyond the realm of traditional finance, offering eCommerce platforms the chance to integrate fintech solutions that not only elevate customer experience but also boost revenue, streamline operations, and unlock substantial cost savings.
Over a six-week period, a panel of more than 170 experts selected 41 international startups to participate in the 11-week Kickstart Innovation programme in Switzerland. These startups now have the chance to connect with key decision-makers, test and scale their business models, and secure significant deals.
Custocy is set to enhance its AI-powered network detection and response (NDR) platform by integrating Enea Qosmos’ deep packet inspection (DPI) and intrusion detection (IDS) software libraries. This collaboration aims to boost the platform’s accuracy, performance, and product differentiation through enhanced traffic visibility and efficient data inspection.
Helsinki’s tech scene continues to draw the attention of global investors, with Singapore-based venture capital firm Leo Capital setting up its Nordic headquarters in the Finnish capital. This strategic expansion coincides with the launch of a €25 million fund dedicated to supporting B2B startups in the Nordic region, marking Leo Capital’s first fund specifically focused on Europe.
Recent research from HiBob has highlighted a significant challenge for businesses: seven in ten managers believe that companies struggle to effectively manage younger employees. This generational tension is further underscored by nearly a quarter of Brits expressing a desire to replace younger workers with their older counterparts if given the chance.
Cypriot startup Placy has secured €1 million in pre-seed funding to advance its AI-driven platform. Placy, founded just 10 months ago in Limassol by former CIAN and Wargaming colleagues, aims to streamline and automate the often cumbersome processes involved in property transactions.
Glovo has appointed Shiro Theuri as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Previously serving as the Senior Director of Engineering since 2022, Theuri’s new mandate is to elevate Glovo’s technological and innovative prowess, ensuring the platform delivers an exceptional experience for customers, couriers, and partners alike.
Coventry-based Expert Technologies Group has secured a significant contract in Spain, bolstered by a €1.4 million financing arrangement.
Innovate UK, Britain’s national innovation agency, has U-turned on its decision to award only half of the 50 grants in its ‘Women In Innovation’ funding competition for female entrepreneurs.
Despite the new Labour government’s commitment to a greener UK energy system, recent data has uncovered that hidden transaction fees are inflating costs for businesses transitioning to renewable energy. A comprehensive analysis has shown that these hidden fees are costing UK businesses a staggering £2.6 billion annually, translating to an additional monthly expense of £216 million.
Treble Technologies, a startup in sound simulation and synthetic audio data generation, has secured €11 million in a Series A funding round.
OceanScore, a provider of data and compliance management solutions for the maritime industry, has secured a €5 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round. This fresh capital injection will enable OceanScore to enhance its product offerings and broaden its global reach.
The World Economic Forum has highlighted the Skills Gap Crisis as a critical issue, projecting a potential loss of $11.5 trillion in GDP growth over the next decade if unaddressed.
