Insurgent, a new venture studio, has officially launched to back startups building sustainable, purpose-driven businesses where commercial success, customer value, and planetary health align.
The crucial question of how small businesses can effectively scale was given fresh focus this week, as some of the UK’s smallest and most ambitious businesses came together to explore new routes to growth.
New insights from American Express’ Merchant Barometer reveal that nearly two-thirds (65%) of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) say customer expectations around payment choice are higher than ever, with over half (52%) planning to improve their online checkout experience in order to reduce levels of cart abandonment.
Relocated tech founders are settling in Europe, but their experience points to a deeper issue: ecosystems feel closed, capital is hard to secure, and much of the support on offer is low-value. A new study suggests Europe risks wasting incoming talent, while investors may find overlooked opportunities in the gaps.
The percentage of small business owners predicting growth has fallen for the fourth consecutive Quarter to a new five-year low (25%) – and in every industry sector, the percentage of enterprises predicting growth is down on the start of the year – according to new tracking research from Novuna Business Finance.
Oneleet, the all-in-one security compliance platform, announced that it has raised a $33m Series A round led by Dawn Capital, with participation from existing and new investors including Y Combinator, Frank Slootman (former CEO of Snowflake and ServiceNow), and Arash Ferdowsi (co founder of Dropbox).
MyRoboteam is launching its third batch of its acceleration program for tech startups at the beginning of October 2025. This program is free and designed for sole non-developers and even developers themselves who want to establish their own business but lack funding and co-founders.
Love Finance, the SME lender and broker, has secured £45 million in its first debt financing arrangement, enabling the company to expand its loan book and support more UK SMEs with fast and flexible business loans. The funding package comprises a £35 million Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) from FTSE 250 specialist lender, Paragon Bank, and a £10 million junior Medium-Term Note (MTN) programme from LGB Capital Markets.
NGP Capital announced the results of its third, annual data-driven deep dive into the DACH startup ecosystem’s investment landscape. Comparing data from the 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
Property management software Hospitable announced it has raised over $1.5 million in funding directly from its own customers and employees.
Qovery, a SaaS platform that automates DevOps and makes application deployment effortless on any cloud, has raised $13 million (€11.3 million) in Series A funding.
The development phase for digital solutions tackling land data, small site viability, and infrastructure barriers can now begin.
Digital Catapult has announced a £400,000 investment in deep tech startup Immersely to scale its solution and expand across the UK’s creative industries. Immersely’s tool could redefine the creative economy and fuel a steady pipeline of compelling new content, particularly in the design and development of video games.
HyET Solaris, the Dutch innovator in ultra-lightweight solar foils, announced it has entered into agreement with UK-based investors Aequitas Carbon Ltd and Abbeydale Partners LLP to fund the company with €60 million growth capital. The investment will finance the development of a new 50megawatt modular production facility in the Netherlands, with test production set for mid-2026 and full commercial output of flexible perovskite PV modules expected by Q4 2027.
Panasonic Industry Europe announces a strategic collaboration with FISEGO Holding.
