Manufacturing leaders across Southern England are being urged to sign up to Made Smarter, the UK Government programme helping SMEs embrace digital technologies for growth.

NEC X, the Silicon Valley venture studio backed by NEC’s advanced technologies and global businesses, announced the six visionary startups selected for Batch 13 of its Elev X! Ignite programme – a cohort that reflects surging demand for innovation in agriculture, healthcare, compliance, financial services and enterprise tech.

Discovery Park has successfully concluded its latest Discovery Spark programme, an intensive business growth catalyst supporting early-stage startups. Designed to assist innovators refine their commercial strategies, build investor readiness, and connect with likeminded peers and industry specialists, the programme culminated in pitches from 10 pioneering companies dedicated to improving cancer treatment and patient outcomes.

What Directors Think 2025 – an annual survey conducted in partnership between Diligent, Corporate Board Member, and FTI Consulting – found more than three-quarters of directors are prioritising growth opportunities this year, a sharp contrast to the cost-cutting measures that have been the focus of the past few years.

Hospitality tech business Embargo has been awarded the UK Smart Grant by the UK government to develop an AI model for its CRM and loyalty platform.

The Hustle Awards, Startups Magazine’s annual celebration of entrepreneurial success, has extended its submission deadline to midnight on 4th April.

TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) has announced that Dr. Rick Tsai, CEO of MediaTek, will deliver a keynote at COMPUTEX 2025, discussing AI vision from Edge to Cloud.

Several leaders from Booking.com, Netflix, Atomico, and more have been announced as speakers for this year’s Startup Moldova Summit.

Taulia, a provider of working capital management solutions and part of SAP group, and Lloyds, part of Lloyds Banking Group, have announced a partnership to issue Visa-enabled Virtual Cards, embedded across a range of solutions available with SAP Business Suite.   

Flowwow, a global gifting marketplace for local shops in 40+ countries, has reported a surge in consumer spending as Brits gear up for Mother’s Day 2025.

Artificial intelligence has been a business game changer and has been the technology of the last few years. According to experts, the digital solution is already considered to have started a new cycle after the emergence of smartphones and social networks.

Confidence in retail investing is on the up, with the value of funds in UK stocks and shares ISAs increasing by £209 billion in the last decade, according to analysis from investment platform Lightyear.

Q5D Technology, pioneers of hardware and software tools for robotic wiring harness manufacture, has taken delivery of the core structure of frame and drives for its latest and largest to date wire harness automation robot at its Bristol headquarters in the UK.

A breakthrough in respiratory diagnostics is set to transform the way serious lung conditions, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), are detected and managed in the UK.

A new wave of semiconductor startups will join ChipStart, a government-backed incubator programme driving its Plan for Change by helping companies scale up, create jobs, and boost growth.

Geovation, an Ordnance Survey initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Digital Planning Programme has announced the launch of a new £1.2 million PropTech Innovation Challenge.

CyberWhiz, a team of experts in embedded, mobile, and cloud cybersecurity has set up a UK office in Cheltenham, UK.

Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with edtech firm, Cambridge Spark, on a bespoke six-month training programme to further strengthen AI capabilities across its senior management teams.

Verley, a French biotech startup specialising in sustainable food solutions, has launched the world’s first portfolio of functionalised precision fermentation dairy proteins, designed to overcome the limitations of both traditional and plant-based alternatives.

Over half (52%) of organisations are cutting expenses in light of rising government costs. That’s according to a survey by AccountsIQ, a provider of advanced financial management software, and ExpenseIn, who joined the AccountsIQ Group earlier this year.