As Britain’s high streets prepare to return to life in time for Christmas, small business owners have been given tips for coping with a still uncertain winter. This year’s Small Business Saturday - an annual celebration that encourages consumers to 'shop local' - couldn’t be better timed, with 5th December falling three days after the English national lockdown lifts.

A cloud-based CRM provider has announced a new virtual event series, designed to help UK businesses conquer COVID and rebuild revenue for 2021.

The social marketplace with the cult Gen Z following, Depop has been shaking up the fashion industry over the last few years. Starting up in 2011 as an incubator in Milan, Depop founded its HQ in London in 2012 and has fitted in with the smart hipster tone of Shoreditch ever since.

No Isolation, the company bringing people together through the use of warm technology and the application of specialist knowledge, today launches a new version of KOMP, its one button computer designed specifically for use by seniors. The new model, boasting a wider screen and in-built internet, has been launched in direct response to user feedback following an increase in demand brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, No Isolation has sold 4,300 KOMPs, and the app is currently being used by around 30,000 people across the globe. This means that on average, each KOMP is connected to approximately 7 family members.

HOBEEN is the first startup in the home energy consumption model. It has accelerated its technological process to land as soon as possible in homes and help families save on their bills in face of the crisis caused by COVID-19. It is an APP that connects several smart devices that are installed in homes to offer personalised energy advice that helps reduce waste. In this way, a minimum saving of 30% in water, electricity and heating bills is expected.

One in four London tech companies fear they would not survive the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit, according to new research released today by Tech London Advocates, the independent network of more than 9,000 tech leaders, experts and investors.

New research from HR and people management platform Employment Hero shows a worrying lack of support for staff by UK small and medium sized businesses since COVID. 

YouPic is a free-to-use social platform from Sweden transforming photography-sharing by enabling a global community of over 3.7 million users to build an audience, gain insights about their portfolio, and share their passion for photography.

It has been a challenging year for the small business community, with many companies having to reduce staff numbers or pause operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the forthcoming holiday season, owners have an opportunity to try and rebuild their businesses.

With one month to go until Christmas, social impact accelerator and mentor network, Impact Central, has released its top fifteen picks for ethical Christmas gifts for this season - from planet-friendly stocking filler snacks to sustainable menswear staples.

First Office Hub, the global workspace broker, which has just helped a tech company to expand from a traditional leasehold property into a 20,000 sq ft managed office space, describes the London office scene as extremely active with companies of all sizes and across all sectors researching offers and looking to secure the right deals ahead of 2021.

The 14 founders have been chosen to join Hatch’s Impact Accelerator Programme. The latest programme cohort were drawn from businesses all across the UK and specifically those that are producing maximum positive impact across underserved individuals, their communities, and the broader environment.

The government-backed Start Up Loans scheme has partnered with distance-learning provider, The Open University to give its customers - and other small business owners across the UK - the opportunity to take free Open University business learning courses.

Natural intelligence startup, Opteran has raised £2.1m in seed funding. Opteran will use the funds to pioneer its radical lightweight, low cost silicon-based approach to autonomy called Natural Intelligence and expects its technology will significantly expand the potential addressable market for autonomy in machines and robotics.

Tech is now Bristol’s dominant industry, boasting the most jobs and higher-than-average salaries across the board according to new data by Tech Nation, the UK network for ambitious tech entrepreneurs, and job search engine Adzuna.

Mobile phones have become a basic necessity for everyone. With more than 3 Billion smartphone users in the world, equating to 4 out of every 10 people being equipped with smart technology, apps have become one of the fastest-growing markets in the IT industry. This creates infinite opportunities for businesses looking to break into or expand into the mobile realm.

The Really Good Idea Test offers seven practical steps to test an idea and find out if it really is worth pursuing. It might be an idea for a new business launch, a development to an existing product or a major life decision, but the simple process will help you understand what people really want and spot potential downfalls before you commit (or waste) time and resources on them.

The New York, Berlin and Tel Aviv-based startup, Dynamic Infrastructure is expanding its pilot project with the Public Works Department of New York’s Suffolk County using the world’s first deep-learning solution which allows bridge and tunnel owners and operators to obtain visual diagnosis of assets they manage in order to reduce direct and indirect maintenance costs.

Cleantech startup, Sunswap has successfully secured two Innovate UK grants worth £376k, working in partnership with the Clean Energy Processes (CEP) Laboratory at Imperial College London and Cenex, to develop their zero-emission transport refrigeration technology.