Zephr, the technology platform for media companies to grow their subscription revenue, has announced it has raised $8m, led by US-based BDMI and financing from SVB.

The F Factor, organised by Founders of the Future, is the UK’s premier startup competition for 18-25 year olds. It goes all across the UK to find entrepreneurial talent. To enter the competition you need an idea, a seemingly working prototype (does not need to be a fully working MVP but rather a prototype that shows how your idea works) and a two min pitch in video of your startup idea.

Winter alone can have a negative impact on anyone’s mental health. Couple this with spending the best part of the year dealing with a pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and it's no surprise that according to ONS statistics, the weeks after the clocks went back saw record levels of loneliness in the UK.

The PR Essentials Summit taking place on Friday 11th December from 7am PT to 5pm PT. The Summit is a one day virtual learning event for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners to learn and develop their own public relations strategies and campaigns moving into the New Year.

The government has pledged to spend 1/3 of its budget with SMEs and has also introduced schemes such as CBILS, BBLS and the Future of Fund to support startups during the pandemic, but as government support eases and investors continue to be cautious about funding early-stage startups, many startups are already struggling to stay open. A new campaign from Plexal, the innovation centre and coworking space owned by clients of Delancey, places the responsibility for saving startups at industry’s doors. 

Mouser Electronics, the New Product Introduction (NPI) leader empowering innovation, will be co-hosting a three-day online event to help UK-based startups test, validate and communicate their technical requirements to manufacturers. The workshop, hosted in partnership with the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), takes place from Monday 7th to Wednesday 9th December.

Brits are being called upon to offer vital support to small businesses as high streets reopen in time for Christmas. It also hopes to tap into soaring public affection for small businesses, as research from the campaign and its principal supporter American Express shows 59% of Brits support small businesses more than previously, following the major role firms played in communities during coronavirus lockdowns.

A new survey has revealed that 40% of people have considered starting a business in the last six months, however, 38% would be put off due to having limited knowledge of how a business is run.

HIV social app, Positive Plus One, has announced the launch of its new and updated platform, following World AIDS Day 2020. Positive Plus One is an app designed to help those living with HIV find and connect with people who share their story. The app now includes an ‘Events’ feature, which allows members to search and explore virtual events that they can take part in.

New to market, the patented Sanitiser Sentinel has now officially launched, making it the world’s first spoken and visual reminder for hand sanitisation, with clinical trials already secured at a number of NHS and private medical practices across the United Kingdom.

Ziglu, the personal money app has successfully closed its crowdfunding campaign, having raised over £6m from over 1,250 investors.

The 2020 CRL Demo Day with the year we had obviously had to be taken virtually, which meant it could have gone two ways, but having attended the event and speaking with a number of people who also did, to say the day was a success would be an understatement.

Global awards platform, Airwards, has unveiled the line-up of award categories for its inaugural year, ahead of submissions opening on 1st December 2020. The first unifying digital awards scheme of its kind to recognise best practice drone work, the Airwards categories span a broad variety of uses and sectors, including Technology, Operations, Supporting Services, specific Industries/Fields and Giving Back - with a People’s Choice category that is voted for by the public.

Aberdeenshire startup company, Legasea, has won the award for Subsea Company of the Year 2020, as part of the CorporateLiveWire Global Awards.

Amidst the chaos of the Covid-19 Coronacoaster, innovative startup baggl.com has pledged £1m worth of its barter trade credits to help support other SMEs during the latest national lockdown and beyond, with match-funded TV advertising grants with a value of £3,500 per applicant.

GovTech venture firm, PUBLIC has announced the six innovative startups selected to participate in the 2020 GovStart programme -  the UK’s only startup growth programme dedicated to supporting promising new technology companies to scale across Government and the public sector.

If you’re looking for a great Christmas gift for the women in your life, then a new book, Female Entrepreneurs – The Secrets of Their Success, may be the answer. 

Students from Essex University have launched a new start-up to help the county’s small businesses become more environmentally friendly. They see sustainability as of the utmost importance in today’s society; sustainability being a social and environmental commitment to finding new ways to consume without draining our planet’s resources.

Research technology company, uMed has raised £3.7m in venture capital to help healthcare providers in the UK and US, including GPs, hospitals and health specialists, run patient research more efficiently while safeguarding patient data and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Monimoto, the smart tracker for motorcycles, is offering the chance for new investors to join the fight against motorcycle theft. Having smashed its initial Crowdcube campaign target of €300,000 early, Monimoto has extended its crowdcube campaign for another seven days.