The competition enforcer’s new regulator for Big Tech risks damaging competition and innovation in the UK, argues a report from The Entrepreneurs Network and the International Center for Law and Economics (ICLE). The report argues that by limiting acquisitions, and implementing a series of burdensome regulations around product changes, the regulator will decrease the amount of funding going to startups, and hurt Big Tech firms’ attempts to compete with each other.

UK workers are putting in an additional 20 working days per year by skipping all or some of their lunch breaks, new research has found. The data from flexible office specialist, Workthere, has analysed the UK’s lunchtime habits, both before and during COVID restrictions.

Majority (83%) of UK cities are interested in acquiring office space, indicating an increased demand in returning to the physical workplace, according to insights from Orega Offices. The findings were based on data obtained from 18 cities across the UK, analysing average keyword monthly search data to reveal ‘the cities where office space is most-in demand’.

Penfold, the pensions challenger making saving for the future easier today, has announced the close of a £6m investment round to accelerate growth and expand its team.

Dutch artificial intelligence company, Sentinels has raised £4.9m (€5.7m) in a seed funding round, led by INKEF Capital, complemented by strategic angel investors and industry leaders – including several members of the early Adyen team. The startup has now raised a total of £7.3m (€8.4m) to date.

New research from GovGrant, with data commissioned from CBI Economics, has revealed that just 10% of UK SMEs own Intellectual Property (IP) rights. This scenario is further exacerbated by the fact that the UK’s top ten patent applicants are predominantly made up of large firms, but still make up almost a fifth (18%) of IP applications. This suggests large firms dominate SMEs when it comes to applying for patents.

Creative England and the British Business Bank’s Start-Up Loans programme have announced a new partnership, establishing an accessible source of financial and business support for creative entrepreneurs across the UK. The partnership provides vital support for creative businesses – many of whom struggle to access traditional forms of finance – to start, grow and develop their IP.

Environment-savvy small firms have been stirred into action by the pandemic and propelled saving the planet to the top of their agenda. And business owners now see sustainability as a critical issue and want to take action as lockdown restrictions ease.

COVID-19 rocked the world and demanded many changes to the way we went about our daily lives.  As a result, this pivotal year has led to a renewed focus on the health of our planet post-pandemic. Many have recognised the positive reaction to the world slowing down on our natural surroundings, and many have taken the opportunities that this huge period of change has offered to drive their ambition to make a difference.

Accelerator programme, Lloyd’s Lab, run in association with L Marks, is currently on the look-out for innovative InsurTech startups to take part in its latest cohort, Cohort 7. The core aim is to find startups that can help them either grow the market or operate better.

After the wettest May since records began, many of us could do with a sunny holiday. There’s reason to be hopeful, with the UK government permitting international travel since 17th May and the EU agreeing to open its doors to vaccinated travellers.

Business festival sTARTUp Day has announced the programme of this year’s hybrid event. The festival brings to the stage over a hundred speakers in the course of two festival days and one side event day. On 25th-27th August, the Estonian National Museum in Tartu will become a meeting place for all the startup-minded people, with performers sharing their experiences on four stages, dozens of practical seminars, sTARTUp Pitching Powered by EstBAN, and many side events.

Workers at small businesses across Europe fear they will be forced to return to the office because they are unable to focus on customer experience or growing the business while working remotely.

Spain’s Impress, the new generation of orthodontic chains in Europe, has raised a $50m Series A round. This marks the biggest Series A round in Southern Europe.

Thrive Therapeutic Software has closed its latest round of funding in a record ten days, raising a total of £2.5m in funding and signifying one of the fastest investments of its kind for a UK company in the digital health sector.

Next-gen banking and impact app, Novus has teamed up with Visa to launch a unique mobile banking application that rewards conscious consumers for sustainable purchasing choices in a bid to generate positive impact from everyday payments.

Sky Media, the advertising sales arm of Sky, has announced the return of SME100, a £2m support scheme for small businesses, giving them free access to the power of TV advertising through AdSmart as they recover from the pandemic.

London-based startup and innovation house Satori is excited to launch its brand new, big volume, high precision, industrial-grade 3D printer via a Kickstarter campaign launching on 25th May at 1PM BST.

ICAS World Ltd (ICAS), a global provider of mental health and employee wellness services has acquired the NHS-commissioned mental health tech startup, Hello Tomo.  The acquisition is the first major milestone for ICAS as it rolls out its new global digital health strategy, tapping into the $121bn mental wellness market and expanding its support for the 790 million people around the world currently affected by a mental health condition.