Early-stage companies based in the Edinburgh Business School (EBS) Incubator at Heriot-Watt University have created 48 jobs and generated a combined turnover during their incubation period of £1,051,464, a new report reveals this month.

The Techwuman STEM Ambassador programme is designed to train those from the STEM industry to ‘give back’ by being role models allowing them to share their career pathways and knowledge.

A new executive education course for the venture capital industry, aimed at getting more under-represented groups, especially women, Black, Asian and other minority candidates into the sector, has launched with a mission to find the investment professionals who will shape Europe’s next generation of tech unicorns.

When the term unicorn emerged back in 2013, there were only 40 private companies with a valuation of $1bn in the world. Since then, the number of these financial giants jumped 12.5 times, reaching around 500 in September.

A third of UK customers would ditch companies after just one poor experience, according to research conducted by SAS. Meanwhile, 90% of customers would abandon companies after just two-to-five poor examples of customer service, before moving to competing brands. The research shows that, despite disruption caused by COVID-19, customers’ patience with companies offering a poor customer experience is running thin.

Millions of Brits give up more than a month of time each year by working additional unpaid hours, totalling five years over their working life, research reveals. In a poll conducted by Hitachi Personal Finance for this year’s National Work Life Week, data reveals exactly how much time Brits are spending working past their contracted hours and what else the nation could be doing with this time.

OurCrowd and Emirates Angels Investors Association held an online event which gave Israeli investors and entrepreneurs their first glimpse of the tech opportunities available in the United Arab Emirates. UAE Tech Investment Landscape: Introduction for the Israeli Ecosystem, broke records with over 2,000 registrants who were able to hear from some of the Emirates’ top business leaders and officials talking directly to Israelis for the first time.

Despite the on-going impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, global early-stage venture capital firm, Antler invested in seven startups during its second UK cohort, taking its global investment total to over $30m.

Brighteye Ventures, Europe’s first and largest education technology (edtech) venture capital fund, has announced the $54m first close of its second fund, bringing assets under management to over $112m. Funding for first close comes from a mix of existing and new investors, primarily international Family Offices, with a second close expected in 2021 to accommodate institutional investors.

Vivalys is the first school in the world to automatically measure the level of hand hygiene of its students through connected water sensors. Developed by the startup, Droople, this first of its kind solution will contribute to the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The UK government is starting to draw up a plan to create a 'world-leading' hydrogen market that can help meet its goal to zero out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  As a consequence, the renewables sector is urging the government to support the rapid development of commercial green hydrogen.

Investors are continuing to pump money into London’s fintech companies despite the pandemic, according to latest data from London & Partners and Dealroom.co today.

This month is off to a positive start after the successful run of the Good Mental Health festival, co-hosted by Calmer and Psychreg last Friday 9th October. People from all walks of life came together to join the virtual festival, in a bid to raise awareness around mental health while also exploring how to promote positive mental health in the workplace, and other aspects of our lives.

Rising Stars 3.0 is the UK’s most exciting competition for innovative, early-stage tech companies. Designed to showcase the best the country has to offer, we provide the platform for businesses from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to shine bright. Startups will benefit from significant profile raising on both a national and international level, as well as the opportunity to put their business in front of leading investors, influencers and corporates.

Last month (September) was the highest month for Tech Nation visa applications since records began in 2014. August 2020 was the third highest month for visa applications on record, and applications in Q3 (calendar year) were up 42% on the previous quarter, and up 8% on Q3 of last year. It is clear that applicants have predominantly come from India, Russia and the US, and applicants come from backgrounds in software development, cloud computing and AI.

Aberdeenshire startup company, Legasea, have won the award for Best Energy Industry Environmental Service Provider 2020, making this the company's second award since establishing the company 18 months ago.

Satori has announced the launch of its new professional 3D printer, the ST1600, marking its debut in the 3D printing market. The London-based startup is also launching a partnership program to collaborate with global innovators and creatives across all sectors of the design and manufacturing industry.

The impact of COVID-19 on young people’s career prospects has been severe, with under-25s being more likely to be furloughed than any other age group, and many more young people being let go or having their job offers rescinded following the March lockdown. 

NovaQuest Capital Management, an investor in life sciences and healthcare, has announced a $20m product financing agreement with Mileutis, an Israeli biopharmaceutical company, to help mitigate the use of antibiotics in animals. NovaQuest’s investment will drive the continued development and commercialisation of Mileutis’ novel, biologically sourced, and residue-free therapies for animal health. NovaQuest’s investment is its first ever in the animal health care field and in an Israeli company.

The finalists of one of Europe's most renowned startup pitch competitions have been announced ahead of Arctic 15 taking place from 19th-21st October. With more than 150 entrants competing for a chance to pitch to an audience of VC’s and angel investors, only 15 startups have made the final cut.