New research from PeoplePerHour, the freelance jobs marketplace, shows more people have turned to freelancing alongside employee jobs during the pandemic.

GoDaddy has revealed that a micro-business ‘powerhouse’ has emerged in the North of England during the global pandemic, with growth in new ventures outstripping that in the South.

Funding Options, the marketplace for business finance, has launched Funding Cloud, a technology and data-driven platform that will bring unparalleled scale and speed to the SME finance sector. Lenders including Just Cash Flow, iwoca, YouLend, Optimum Finance and FIBR have already integrated with Funding Cloud to benefit from its innovative technology and as a highly efficient channel for customer acquisition. By Q4 this year, the company expects to have more than 30 lenders fully integrated.

From better work-life balance and wellbeing to zero commute time, working from home is said to have more than a few perks. According to a recent study by Instant Offices, Britons who have been working from home have accumulated 1.2 billion extra hours which means a mammoth figure of £21.9 billion worth of unpaid overtime is lost.

Pauline Kwasniak from Female Event Planners, MCI’s director of onsite services, James Kelley, and Kathryn Frankson, director of event marketing at Informa, are some of the latest judges to be announced for Event Technology Awards (ETA) 2021.   

Conducted by Frank Recruitment Group's specialist Salesforce recruitment arm, Mason Frank International, the survey asked over 1,800 IT professionals from around the world for their opinions on the tech jobs market, salaries, and benefits. The findings showed that 54% of respondents who would consider relocating to the UK for work would be open to pursuing opportunities beyond the capital. Among the cities mentioned by respondents as potential relocation options include Newcastle, Liverpool, and Leeds.

ABB Electrification’s Startup Challenge in collaboration with Microsoft and SynerLeap is scouting for startups. Applications are now being accepted with three winners set to each receive $30,000 for project development.

To mark Earth Day 2021, creative workspace and accelerator, Huckletree has announced a second wave of speakers for its upcoming Earthrise Summit, a virtual festival to unite sustainability leaders, founders, politicians, change makers and innovators from all corners of the world - to inspire people to take action. 

Corgee has secured its first pre-seed investment from Think Bigger Capital to develop its AI-powered finance app to make personal finance simpler for the UK’s 5.3 million self-employed.

A cohort of ten technology startups have graduated from the Techstars Hub71 accelerator, making compelling presentations to the community at the annual Demo Day. The portfolio companies hope to secure a total $15m in funding to support their rapid growth. 

2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record as a result of human activities, according to NASA. Keeping business going during a pandemic has been front and centre this past year, but it’s possible that it’s distracted business leaders from another major crisis of our times - climate change.

As restrictions continue to lift and organisations prepare to bring employees back to the workplace, a new report from hackajob has revealed that 86% of technology professionals in the UK and Europe don't want to return to the office full time at all.

Payhawk, the platform for payments and expense management, has raised $20m. The Series A round is led by the US-based fund QED Investors, which has a strong track record of investing in 18 fintech unicorns, including Klarna and Nubank. Existing investor Earlybird Digital East, who led the $3.6m seed round in March 2020, is also contributing fresh capital.

The pandemic has forced a recruitment rethink, and a huge uptake in flexible talent acquisition services. UK-founded scaleup, Talent Works reported 400% growth in March 2020 compared to March 2021, and a sustained 20% month-on-month forecasted compound growth.

Research from Ezra has revealed that a fifth of UK workers feel they get less recognition within their career as a direct result of working remotely. It remains to be seen to what extent we will return to a full working environment, as COVID-19 restrictions see many continue to work from home for part of, if not their whole working week.

A team of top scientists from the University of Bristol have announced the formation of a new biotech company that is developing newly patented potential treatments for Coronavirus.

BIG MAMMA founders, Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger have joined forces with Christine de Wendel to announce a €20m seed round to support the launch of a new, innovative payment method - Sunday, created by restaurateurs for restaurants.

Suss Ventures have contributed a six-figure sum alongside a multi-million investment drive. This raise marks a huge success for Suss Ventures who are synonymous with sourcing sustainable businesses for their community of impact-driven investors and corporate partners. The zero-effort payment system eliminates the worry of parking fines and is completely cashless, automated and secure.

Kickstart Innovation, one of Europe's zero-equity, open innovation platforms based in Zurich, is currently launching its sixth program, and welcoming applications from businesses across the world. The application period is from 15th April to 17th May.

An independent London teleshopping channel is offering small businesses with a unique product innovation the chance to sell their products for free in a TV advert worth up to £5,000 on Sky TV as part of its ‘Road to Recovery’ campaign.