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. 

According to research undertaken by GRiD for Mental Health Awareness Week (10th-16th May), of the four in five employees (79%) who currently have health and wellbeing concerns, stress and anxiety is the biggest issue for almost two thirds (62%).

With life in the UK beginning to unlock, many employees will be keen to re-book routine check-ups and medical procedures that were cancelled during the peak of the coronavirus crisis. There is, however, a huge backlog of appointments and GPs are still under an enormous strain.

Absence management platform, e-days, has launched its Absence Risk Profiling Report informed by its work with 5,000+ businesses over the last 10 years. The comprehensive report summarises a decade of anonymised data collected on businesses that are looking to improve absence and compresses years of conversations, analysis, and market statistics into one report.

A brand-new and unique smart banking app that encourages sustainable living is releasing a beta product in the coming weeks to start testing with early users before launching to the wider public this summer.

The International Live Events Association (ILEA) has partnered with the first Event Tech Live (ETL) USA and Canada, which takes place next month, spreading show news to its more than 45 branches around the world.

Israeli startup, EVR Motors has unveiled an innovative electric motor, based on a new patented topology, which it calls TSRF (Trapezoidal Stator Radial Flux). The company has successfully developed and tested the first prototypes of its lightweight and compact TSRF motor. EVR expects its new motor architecture will be adapted to a wide range of vehicles in cooperation with automotive OEMs and Tier 1s. A production-ready motor is scheduled to be introduced to the global market later this year.

Addressing climate change requires innovation across the world, across industries, and across startups and multi-national corporations. From distributed energy to storage solutions to efficiency and optimisation software - clean technology investment and innovation is surging.

The Hustle Awards 2021 is fast approaching, with applications open and in full swing we have seen so many amazing startups and founders already nominated, but who will be in charge of choosing the best of the best? Well let me introduce you to this years incredible judges...

Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, has awarded a Smart Grant to deep tech startup electronRx to support the development of their novel period pain relief technology, Ohmm.

Today (6th May) marks World Password Day. Since 2013, the first Thursday of May each year marks World Password Day, promoting better password habits to stay safe online.

NeuReality, an Israeli AI startup developing high performance AI compute platforms for cloud data centres and edge nodes, has unveiled NR1-P, a novel AI-centric inference platform. NeuReality has already started demonstrating its AI-centric platform to customers and partners.

Regardless of size, recruitment is often one of the most difficult areas for businesses to handle. Finding that vital talent via recruitment agencies requires an upfront investment that many businesses simply don’t have. The alternative, the DIY approach, is deeply time-consuming, taking anything from 12-40 hours from application to hire and it’s very easy to get wrong if you lack the experience.

On February 5, 2021, a hacker initiated a cyberattack on a small water plant in Florida. If successful, the attack would have caused multiple health complications for the 15,000 residents that the plant provides water for. This is just an example of the disastrous consequences of cyberattacks on smaller companies. But how to avoid them? 

A series of backers, including former c-suite executives from Barclays, American Express, Expedia and Hertz have invested in family travel tech startup tripAbrood, to further develop its revolutionary AI-powered family booking experience. tripAbrood has raised £645,000 seed funds in its second round of funding, bringing total funding to just shy of the £1m mark. It comes seven months after its September 2020 beta-launch.

Businesses should consider classing long-COVID as a disability, an employment expert has warned. Up to one million people are expected to require treatment for the condition after June, according to recent reports.

How can the British public help their local pub, restaurant, cafe or hotel recover from May 17th when venues reopen indoor seating?

Sprout.ai, the insurtech that enables insurance claims to be settled within just 24 hours, has announced that it has raised £8m/$11m in Series A funding. The round was led by one of Europe’s largest and most active early-stage investors, Octopus Ventures, and was joined by existing investors, Amadeus Capital Partners, Playfair Capital and Techstars.