Rental deposit fintech, Fronted has launched this month, becoming the second company to be powered by Yobota’s core banking platform. Founded in 2016, London-based technology firm, Yobota has built a fast, flexible, cloud-native core banking platform that allows clients to create and run innovative financial products. 

Waze, the platform bringing together communities on and off the road, has announced updates to Waze Ads Starter, its advertising solution tailored specifically to small businesses. The features take into account the unique challenges faced by small businesses now, making it easier for them to connect with existing customers and attract new ones while making the most of their marketing investment.

Londoners are huge cryptocurrency fans, having bought more of the digital asset than any other region in the UK according to a new national survey, while cautious Scots have bought the least.

Axis Spine Technologies (AST) has raised £2.2m in a funding round led by ACF Investors, with follow-on investment from Mercia’s EIS funds. Mercia was the first investor when Axis was founded by Jon Acros in 2017. This is the first investment from ACF Investors’ new Delta Fund, a fast-track investment fund designed for high potential UK businesses that have been backed by a syndicate of angel investors with deep sector knowledge.

Xero, the global small business platform, is calling for urgent action to put small businesses at the centre of the UK economic recovery - after new Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) data finds revenue slowed further in January to 9.3% below levels seen a year ago.

Tech Nation​, the UK network for ambitious tech entrepreneurs, has announced the ten early-stage scaleup winners of its nationwide competition, Rising Stars. These companies have been selected because they are at the forefront of UK technology, across a range of subsectors, providing solutions such as digitally connecting healthcare workers with communities, digital recruitment for schools, and tools for online content creators.

Bumble’s CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, became the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire last week– a huge milestone for women in business everywhere. But how many female decision-makers are there in the boardrooms of some of the biggest companies in technology, entertainment and e-commerce?

Gophr, the UK's fastest-growing last-mile delivery provider, has raised £4m led by Nauta Capital, assisted by The ScaleUp Accelerator and White Horse Capital.   

A revolutionary new technology that allows customers to order products or access information with just the tap of a smartphone could transform the online marketplace, an expert says.

With pupils set to go back to school on 8th March, there are a number of safety measures schools need to implement to ensure the health and wellness of staff, students and school communities. 

A tech spin-out whose cloud based data capture and analysis technology is unlocking five-fold increases in manufacturing factory floor productivity in the North of England has secured a significant six-figure investment from a combined Angel and Venture Capital syndicate, valuing the company at £2m.

Future Acres - a new startup bringing sustainable agricultural robotics to the farm industry in order to optimise workforce efficiency and safety - has launched to raise up to $3m in seed capital via equity crowdfunding site, SeedInvest. The company is producing an autonomous, electric agricultural robotic harvest companion, named Carry, to help farmers gather hand-picked crops faster and with less physical demand.

A brand new recruitment agency has launched in the West Midlands with the ambition of making the industry a more community-conscious one. 70/30 Club is leading the way in ethical recruitment, committing 70% of its profits to local charities every year, whilst delivering talent acquisition for a range of organisations.

Ahead of the budget on Wednesday, reputation management consultancy, Lansons and strategic insight agency, Opinium polled 500 senior business leaders to gauge their views on current economic support and understand what they want out of the budget.

Eight 5G solution providers have joined the SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre (SONIC), a joint programme between Digital Catapult and Ofcom to test interoperability and integration of open networking solutions.

Following news this week that people have been rushing to book holidays for summer, data from absence management platform, e-days reveals that Mondays, already the day people are most likely to book holiday, will see a spike in holiday bookings post government announcements in 2021. So far Monday January 4th, the first day back after the Christmas break, and Monday 22nd February, following the UK government’s announcement of the roadmap out of lockdown, have witnessed the biggest leap in number of leave bookings.

Rewire, a fintech startup that develops cross-border online banking services tailored for the needs of expatriate workers worldwide, has announced a Series B funding round of $20m and significant line of credit from a leading bank. Rewire was founded with the vision to empower every migrant to fulfill their financial potential for a better future, for themselves and their families.

Research from Ezra, a global provider of digital coaching, has revealed to what extent the current pandemic could change the face of the professional workplace on a permanent basis. The trend of working remotely is one that has been largely forced on us due to lockdown restrictions and concerns over safety. However, for many it means more time at home and a positive increase in the work-life balance.

Here, Andy Hodgetts, Director of Corporate Finance at Buzzacott, the accountancy firm advising fast-growth companies, shares his thoughts on the recent M&A rush ahead of today's Budget and the corporation tax update.