finnCap Group, a provider of strategic advisory and capital raising services to growth companies, has announced a partnership with YourGamePlan to help embed enterprise in schools across the country and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Diversity VC, Crowdcube and Frontline Ventures has announced the launch of the ‘Diversity VC: Parental Leave Guide’ as part of a collective of 25 top VC and tech firms. The guide, a first of its kind for the VC industry, aims to set the standard for parental leave policies and offers step-by-step advice on how VCs can create them. The guide is focused on the UK, and we hope the principals will be useful for other countries.

It is that time of year again, and hasn’t it come round quickly? As we introduce you to the cohort for Central Research Laboratory’s 2021 accelerator program, there are some similarities from last year, but also a number of exciting changes.

Banco Santander (through Santander Universities) and Oxentia Foundation are launching the Santander X Global Challenge | Helping Businesses Prosper for entrepreneurs with innovative, scalable solutions to help SMEs - the main driver of economic growth, job creation and social unity - digitalise and be more efficient.

Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank, today sets out its commitment to unlock the talent of thousands more people across the UK by helping them to start their own business.

Almost a quarter (22%) of 16-17 year olds have decided to pursue a career in tech since the pandemic. That’s according to research from UK scaleup Talent Works, which surveyed UK students and tech professionals in the early stages of their careers on their education and the journey into tech.

Creative workspace and accelerator, Huckletree has revealed non-alcoholic drinks brand, Reformed Character Drinks and fashion force for good Manchester Fashion Movement, as the winning businesses of its ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ programme.

Farly is a tech marketplace aiming to solve the rise in fast fashion which is currently poisoning the environment - and instead, offers users a slow, more conscious, and exciting place to shop online.

Businesses are sleepwalking towards a costly talent exodus, with four in ten employees (38%) looking to change roles in either the next 6 or 12 months or once the economy has strengthened - rising to 55% for 18-34 year olds. That’s according to new research from Personio, the all-in-one HR software solution, which is calling on businesses to prioritise their people as we emerge from the pandemic, or risk paying the price. 

Britain’s most inspiring small businesses have been crowned winners in this year’s Small Awards, during an online awards ceremony that increasingly stunned guests, as eleven small businesses across the UK were presented with trophies on their doorsteps.

Research carried out by absence management platform, e-days, has revealed that levels of reluctance to return to the office have doubled in less than a year, with almost two thirds (60%) of the UK workforce reluctant to return to the office when the lifting of lockdown restrictions allows. 

Xero has announced a major milestone in the growth of the Xero ecosystem, with more than 1,000 certified apps connected to Xero.

As major economies reopen across the globe and consumer confidence rises, Sage has unveiled the true levels of resilience and optimism amongst SMEs across the UK, US and France. Sage’s recent sentiment survey shows that SMEs - the economic backbone of many countries - have reached a turning point and confidence has largely returned.

Morrisons is offering British entrepreneurs a fast-tracked route to a national market through a programme called ‘Growing British Brands’.

Virgin StartUp has released new research to celebrate funding its 4,000th founder. Virgin’s not-for-profit entrepreneurial hub reveals that one in three (33%) Brits dream of becoming an entrepreneur and would like to set up their own business.

For Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May 2021), Christine Husbands, Managing Director for RedArc has shared her thoughts on the potential for the forthcoming return to work, the so-called ‘re-entry’, to induce further anxieties amongst staff.

A new campaign to help small businesses take action on climate change, by becoming more sustainable and committing to Net Zero, is being launched by Small Business Britain.

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has completed a new round of funding, achieving a raise of £1.25m, following collaboration with a collective of investors, alongside a Seedrs crowdfunding campaign.

To support ambitious early-stage entrepreneurs developing technologies with the potential to shape the future economy, SFC Capital has invested £25m in 120 companies (April 2020 - April 2021).

The global value of marketplace unicorns has soared by 70% since January 2020, fuelled by a rise in innovation and adoption as a result of COVID and record-breaking levels of VC investment, according to new figures.