As the ongoing economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt, there is an often-forgotten segment that has the potential to spearhead the UK’s re-growth in years to come. Pre starts, startups and SME’s hold the potential to move at pace and expand quickly to support a fledgling economy, provided they receive the right support at the right time and most importantly, at the right price.

At a startup, you are most likely to come across Intellectual Property (IP) due diligence in the form of investors conducting due diligence prior to investing or from potential partners or collaborators seeking to work with your company or license in your IP. It is important to know what to expect so you can present your company in its best light. You may also wish to conduct your own IP due diligence on other companies prior to working with them or licensing them your technology.

Voice Assistants are the trendsetters for voice tech. They have revolutionised the way we live our lives. In 2019, the global user base of voice assistants was 3.25 billion. What might amaze you is that the same is estimated at almost eight billion units, that is, even more than the global population! Here ICarta Technologies tells us more about the voice technology landscape.

Since the launch of London’s Silicon Roundtable in 2008, UK tech startups have enjoyed more than a decade of strong interest from Venture Capitalists (VCs). Spurred on by the success of fast-growth consumer tech companies like Uber or Deliveroo, VCs have sought out startups that could break into the public zeitgeist to become the world’s next big thing. This culminated in more than $13bn being pumped into British technology startups in 2019. Then, the pandemic struck.

Coronavirus has created many challenges for businesses and an area of discussion that has rapidly escalated in importance is around protection. Protection should always be an area of priority for a business, but the situation we find ourselves in has understandably brought this topic to the fore.

It’s been two years since the very first digital tax pilot from HMRC, commonly known as Making Tax Digital (MTD). Initially, HMRC required UK businesses above the VAT threshold to process their returns digitally. It has now been announced that businesses that are VAT registered and are below the VAT threshold must also be compliant with MTD, from April 2022. The self employed and landlords must be compliant by April 2023.

COVID-19 has made history by affecting each industry in the world. From the lockdown that caused the closure of businesses to people adapting to work from home, there is a need to identify strategies of how businesses will be run going forward. The pandemic has disrupted how people socialise as well as their shopping patterns. To adapt to this new normal, business owners have to make significant adjustments to reach out to their customers or less they risk failure.

Communication has always been key in running a business, and indeed in most other aspects of our lives. In 2020 many lessons have been learned or reinforced and it has reminded us all how very unpredictable life can be. But one of the most obvious changes that should be apparent to all, has been in the way that companies are communicating.

When launching a health app, it is always about convincing other people to change the habits of a lifetime. When we began pitching Joint Academy to physiotherapists - top-level professionals who had always treated patients hands-on and face-to-face - they initially saw no reason why they would ever do physio remotely.

It’s difficult to catch news that is not connected to COVID-19 or the US presidential campaign at the moment. In light of COVID-19’s impact on the employment market, at the end of September the Prime Minister vowed that 'radical changes' were being introduced to the UK’s adult education system.

It's tough as a founder on so many levels. As an investor in B2B startups, I’ve seen many of the same mistakes made - here are some thoughts on maybe trying to avoid some of the biggest pitfalls.

Teamwork involves people working together to complete a task or achieve a particular common goal. In any organisation, a team works to maximise effectiveness in the company and raise the morale, creativity, planning, efficiency, initiative as well as learning.

Many entrepreneurs' daily focus has gone from doing business as usual to doing everything to fight for survival. It’s not easy to run a business during times of COVID-19, especially when you’re in an industry where you rely on people physically coming in. Mike Jordan, CEO of Summit Defence, has put together ten tips to make sure your retail business or restaurant is COVID-proof.

During lockdown in the UK, there was no question that SME businesses and local traders were hit hard. Around 80% of small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK have seen a revenue impact in the last few months, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent lockdown.

I’m Jamie Martin and I’m an experienced Sales Trainer. Even more importantly I’m a Business Millennial, born between 1980 and 1994 and I’m a thought leader. 

The last few months have been the most challenging period for many UK business leaders. The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn have thrown the workplace out of kilter, requiring CEOs and senior leaders to be more present in every facet of the business.

The first lesson to be drawn from 2020, and undoubtedly the biggest lesson, is that the future is unpredictable. All of us in our personal and business lives try to predict the future to some extent, as this is what enables us to lay plans for the future.

Startups Editor Anna Flockett talks to Murata’s Mitch Nozaki, EMEA facilitator for their Open Innovation website, about why the electronics company is looking to collaborate with startups.

Despite not feeling safe to socialise with anyone for the last six months, I've understood 'community' in new and wonderful ways.

Saturday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. It arrives during the strangest time we’ll ever likely face in our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year’s theme is set by the World Federation for Mental Health, and this year’s is 'mental health for all'. This encourages us to think of different demographics and communities of people and how they are faced with issues and problems in their lives.