OpenText has released results of its annual 2023 OpenText Cybersecurity Global Ransomware Survey. Findings show a similarity in how small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) and enterprises (more than 1,000 employees) think about ransomware attacks, including a disconnect about who is a target and growing concern about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by threat actors.

The inaugural Workspace Design Show held at the RAI Amsterdam from 11 – 12 October was nothing short of spectacular. With a vibrant atmosphere, innovative workplace designs, and an impressive lineup of speakers and exhibitors, it left an indelible mark on the industry.

Kidney Beam, a healthtech startup from the UK, has made significant strides in transforming NHS patient care for adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Over three years, their unwavering commitment has culminated in a solution that is now scientifically validated, offering a new lease of life to individuals with CKD.

DES – Digital Enteprise Show, the international event of reference on exponential technologies that will hold its eighth edition in Malaga (Spain) from June 11 to 13, 2024, has appointed Alezeya Sanchez as the new director of Digital Business World Congress. Thus, Sanchez heads the largest European technology forum for new concepts and digital trends, and takes over from Nacho Villoch, who remains linked to the role of Senior Advisor.

High-tech innovation in Europe and Latin America is paving the way for unprecedented collaboration and commerce between the two vibrant regions. The world’s premier destination for innovation, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) will be exploring these opportunities in a new summit on 30-31 January 2024.

One Young World, the global forum for young leaders, and Unloc have partnered to launch Seed2030 which will provide ten young leaders with grants to launch their own social initiatives.

UK Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) believe that cybersecurity and data breach vulnerabilities are most likely to keep them awake at night, according to new research from curated developer marketplace platform Deazy.

Zoho, a global technology company, has announced that the Zoho Finance Platform has achieved a 35% increase in new customers in the UK. The company also made a significant expansion to its Finance Platform with 230+ extensions in Zoho Marketplace, and a dedicated developer portal.

Scene, a London-founded recruitment and growth consultancy, has announced the acquisition of Nexo Science, a talent acquisition and advisory company for BioHealth and MedTech companies based in Switzerland.

The Venture Science Doctorate (VSD), a revolutionary concept by Deep Science Ventures (DSV), transforms the conventional PhD, embedding venture creation at its core.

British aerospace SMEs are poised to benefit from a new funding programme announced by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

Generation Alpha, spanning from 2010 to 2025, anticipates a world that is more interconnected and seamless, potentially reshaping local communities, their governance, and economic structures.

Recent research by STX Next reveals that 91% of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) consider technical debt their principal challenge as they head into 2024.

Gartner has forecasted that IT spending will reach $1.1 trillion in 2024, driven by investments in Cloud security and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This is expected to result in an increase in overall expenditure on IT services across Europe.

London-based unicorn Wise, who are a big player in the modern money transfer market, have amassed a market cap of around £7 billion. The startup is continually proving to be a very financially healthy and profitable company that caught wind of the fintech movement. 

GreyScout, a SaaS platform specialising in online brand protection, has secured a £3 million seed investment, bringing its total funding to £3.9 million.

In October, the Accenture / S&P Global UK Business Outlook reported a decline in UK business confidence, reaching its lowest point this year. The net balance of firms anticipating growth over the next year dropped to +37%, a decrease from +40% in June and +43% in February.

Jitterbit recently disclosed findings from its comprehensive research titled 'Integrate to Scale: How Leading Emerging Enterprises are Automating Their Way to Success'.

Duet London, a boutique technology communications consultancy, has recently been appointed by INSHUR, the renowned global insurance provider for the on-demand economy.

Humane has fully unveiled its Ai Pin: the first wearable device and software platform built to harness the full power of artificial intelligence.

Between July and September, the UK economy showed no growth compared to the preceding three months, despite a stronger performance in September, as reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The UK Government has unveiled a £200 million investment in digital skills training, aimed at bolstering careers in sectors like digital technology, green energy, and construction.

Photonic, an innovator in quantum computing and networking platforms, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Microsoft. This partnership aims to advance quantum networking and bolster the global quantum ecosystem.

Immuta, a player in data security, has announced its fourth annual State of Data Security Report. The 2024 survey, conducted in collaboration with UserEvidence, involved 700 data platform and security practitioners from cloud-based enterprises across the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.

Aerospace Xelerated recently unveiled an innovative addition to its Boeing-led accelerator programme: the "always on" innovation model. This model aims to provide enhanced benefits and impacts to the startups, corporate, and government stakeholders involved.

Vodafone Business has unveiled its collaboration with Steven Bartlett, known for his roles in "Dragons’ Den" and "Diary of a CEO," to introduce "Digital SOS," a new documentary film series aimed at assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in enhancing their use of digital technology.

Spendesk, the spend management platform for small and medium-sized businesses, has announced its collaboration with TravelPerk, the global player in travel management.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the return of the Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards for a second year. This year's event sees the introduction of five new categories and an enhanced prize package, aimed at recognising outstanding achievements in global trading.

The lead-up to Christmas is an important time of the year for businesses to boost their profits, with 4.7 million adults intending to spend more than usual on Christmas presents this year. In light of this, small business credit card company, Capital on Tap, has shared expert tips to help small businesses make the most of the lucrative festive period.

In the shadow of the tech giant WeWork's bankruptcy and the unfolding legal battles facing Meta across numerous US states, the focus on unicorn companies has intensified.

Quantum Motion, a quantum computing scaleup from the UK, founded by Professor John Morton from University College London and Professor Simon Benjamin from the University of Oxford, has initiated a flagship academic collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania.

Investment Futures 24, an event scheduled for 28th November in London, is poised to delve into the investment scene for 2024, focusing on innovation-driven startups, scaleups, and spin-outs.

GreyScout, a SaaS platform focused on online brand protection, has announced a seed investment of €3.5 million, elevating its total capital raised to €4.5 million.

Yourgene Health, a member of the Novacyt company collective, has initiated the first local non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) service in Morocco at the Centre de Biologie Riad (Laboriad), utilising the IONA test.

Calmer, an award-winning training organisation empowering entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business teams to prevent burnout and nurture good mental health, have been commissioned to identify how best to support London’s gig economy workers. After extensive research into the issues, they have launched a survey for gig workers to have their say up until 20th November, and following this will host a free webinar, open to gig workers, entrepreneurs, and businesses who are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of those in the gig economy.

Vanta, the trust management platform, has released its annual State of Trust Report, an in-depth analysis uncovering global trends in security, compliance and the future of trust.

Vodafone Business has confirmed the renewal of its alliance with Steven Bartlett, extending the partnership for an additional year.

The Corporate Wellbeing Expo is delighted to announce that former World Heavyweight Champion, Frank Bruno, will be the Headline Keynote Speaker at the event. Bruno is set to take the stage at the ExCeL, London on March 13th at 3:30pm, where he will share his remarkable journey and discuss the impact of mental health on both his life and career.

SpinDrive, a Finnish company providing affordable active magnetic bearings for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), has secured a €3.8 million Series A funding round.

BPP Education Group announced a £5 million Series A investment in and partnership with the UK-based education technology firm, xUnlocked, the operator of Sustainability Unlocked.

British tech startup Dootrix has carved a niche for itself in the burgeoning cloud services sector, attracting some of the nation's foremost brands with its bespoke cloud capabilities that are revolutionising their operational models. This has set the stage for robust growth and lucrative returns for its investors.

WeWork, the prominent shared office provider, faced a severe setback as it has been forced to file for bankruptcy in the US.

Kvanted Ventures, a new investment firm focusing on early-stage industrial technology startups in Northern Europe, has recently unveiled its inaugural fund of €70 million. The venture, established by Maria Wasastjerna, Eerik Paasikivi, and Axel Ahlström, distinguishes itself as the Nordic region's first dedicated industrial technology investor.

Mentor Group has launched the Revenue Velocity Accelerator, a comprehensive solution designed for sustainable revenue growth within any organisation. This integrated offering merges the pinnacle of Mentor Group’s expertise in revenue advisory services, promoting a fundamental shift in process, instruments, and behaviour.

Mangopay, a bespoke payment infrastructure provider for platforms, has announced a partnership with Aria, a prominent entity in the deferred payment infrastructure space catering to B2B marketplaces and platforms.

Nu Quantum, the Cambridge-based quantum networking company, has announced that it has raised £7 million in a pre-series A round.

SupplyWell, the edtech supply solution, is thrilled to announce a significant milestone with a recent investment of £1 million.

When it comes to running a business, every minute and penny counts towards its success. However, new research from Capital on Tap shows that over two-fifths (45%) of UK business owners work for free, and are asked to work at discounted rates an average of 75 times per year.

From the 13th of November, businesses will need to complete their VAT registration online as part of HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) strategy.  

Excitement is building for the pro AV and systems integration exhibition, ISE. ISE 2024 will see groundbreaking film-maker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy talking about the importance of storytelling and how technology is transforming lives.

London-based energy startup Voltaware has launched the new Voltaware Sensor exclusively in the UK, enabling Brits to save money on their energy bills this winter, by accurately tracking the costs of individual appliances in real-time.

Alibaba.com, one of the world’s largest B2B trading platforms, has launched its new research report, the ‘SME Export Barometer for Europe’, that aims to support European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on their journey towards a successful B2B export strategy.

Chipper Cash, a financial services company serving over five million customers across Africa and the US, has announced a strategic partnership with Visa to drive growth and financial inclusion across the African continent.

In a global collaboration, Australian company Lakeba Group, and AstroLabs, a leading business expansion platform in the MENA region, have joined forces to usher in a new era of AI and technology innovation in the region.

In a new update, Enate has introduced Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) to its suite of AI features, changing the landscape of operations management.

The advent of text-to-image AI diffusion models uncovered a promising opportunity for the digital comics landscape, akin to the transformative impact of high-quality camera phones and the rise of platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

The global AI safety summit unveiled huge concerns highlighting that the technology poses a potentially catastrophic risk to humanity as worries around highly advanced forms of AI, with as-yet unknown capabilities, are put forward under a landmark declaration from countries including the UK, US, EU and China.

MACH37, the accelerator for information security entrepreneurs and cyber startups, has announced the launch of its 16th cohort. Since 2013, MACH37 has been a significant player in the early-stage startup and tech community.

Canva has announced the opening of applications for its $50 million Developers Innovation Fund to provide financial support and incentives to developers. The Innovation Fund aims to reward developers who share Canva’s goal to democratise design and foster a diverse marketplace of free-to-use apps on Canva.

Following on from successful shows in both the UK and the Netherlands this year, Workspace Design Show is pleased to announce the first names to be added to the speaker programme for its London 2024 show.

Extraordinary women from across the country have been unveiled as the 2023 finalists in the UK’s longest-running recognition programme for female entrepreneurs.

Syz Capital, the boutique private markets investment specialist, has announced that it has made a strategic controlling investment in Capture Media, a Swiss player in digital media and analytics solutions.

There is less than a month to go until  South Summit and Biscay Startup Bay hold South Summit Industry & Energy Bilbao, the meeting for the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Industry 4.0, Energy Transition, and Mobility sectors. On 23 and 24 November, the B Accelerator Tower (BAT) international entrepreneurship centre in Bilbao will bring together the main leaders, startups, and experts in the industry, energy, and mobility sector to discuss the trends, opportunities, and challenges of entrepreneurship in these sectors.

A report conducted by HR technology scaleup Employment Hero reveals that UK SMEs are at risk of falling behind in the global race for AI adoption.

Finnish Earth observation company Kuva Space has successfully raised €16.6 million in funding. The funding round was led by existing investors Voima Ventures and Nordic Foodtech VC, with Singapore-based Earth VC also participating.

Over a third (38%) of small businesses have used, or are considering using, AI according to new research from Small Business Britain and the global hiring platform Indeed that underlines the growing appetite for the nation’s 5.5 million small businesses to embrace cutting-edge technology.

Steven Bartlett is the latest name set to join BBC Maestro’s online platform of world-class experts. His course, The 16 Steps to Start and Scale a Multi-Million Pound Business, will provide insights into the mindset of successful entrepreneurs and explore the key stages of building a business.

WeWork plans to file for bankruptcy as early as next week, according to reports, as the SoftBank Group-backed company struggles with a massive debt pile and hefty losses.

The US housing market is short 6.5 million homes after more than a decade of under-building relative to population and demand growth. Cedar has announced a $3 million seed funding round to take this problem head on, with software that helps real-estate developers and professionals maximise the housing potential of urban infill properties.

UK climate tech startup Levidian has announced its first international expansion with the establishment of a new base in Abu Dhabi.

iQ3Connect, a provider of a web-based immersive training and collaboration platform, has announced a seed round of funding through the NOVA Prime Fund, a venture capital fund created by global innovator LG Electronics.

Mangopay, a platform-specific payment infrastructure provider, has announced that it has been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI).

Over a third (38%) of small businesses have used, or are considering using, AI according to new research from Small Business Britain and the global hiring platform Indeed, which underlines the growing appetite for the nation’s 5.5 million small businesses to embrace cutting-edge technology.

Robin AI, which enables businesses globally to harness the power of AI for legal work, announced that its large language model (LLM)-powered contract copilot can now be added to Microsoft Word as a free add-in.

The quality of mental health, both at the individual and community level, has become a matter of global concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15% of working-age adults were estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019. It is also estimated that $1 trillion is lost every year due to depression and anxiety among workers.

Humane, a startup founded by ex-Apple design and engineering team Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiornio, revealed its first AI device, the Humane AI Pin, at Coperni’s Paris Fashion Week show, ahead of its official unveiling on November 9th.

easyFood has partnered with Ryft as part of its plans to onboard more restaurants onto its platform. The food delivery business, which forms part of the easyGroup is using the UK-based payment provider’s payment infrastructure to bring new franchise partners onto its system more rapidly than ever before. 

Government urged to prioritise the development of industry ethical frameworks to boost business confidence and make the UK a global pioneer in responsible AI innovation - ahead of the inaugural UK AI Safety Summit.

The Fintech and Payments Advisory Network (TFPA) announce the next stride in its ambitious growth journey with the appointment of a heavy weight executive team.

The average UK household could save an average of £285 next year on their electricity bills using the latest home energy monitoring sensors, says UK-based energy startup Voltaware.

New data from small business lender iwoca reveals that while more than half of SME owners (55%) feel they have a good understanding of AI, the majority are nervous about how it will impact their business.

Newconomics, the brand new web3 event in Lisbon this November is running an exciting startup pitch competition where participants can win a share of $15,000 to get their business off the ground.

Neteera Technologies, an Israeli-based startup disrupting the contactless patient monitoring market, has announced the successful closing of a $6.7 million Series B extension. The round was led by Aescuvest, a healthcare investment firm, alongside Foxconn Technology Co (FTC), an associate of Hon Hai Precision Industry, a large electronics manufacturer globally.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced that HD Hyundai, the world’s largest shipbuilder, will keynote at CES 2024 to share tech-first strategies which employ technology for building a more sustainable future. HD Hyundai, a global company also known for specialised construction equipment and energy solutions, further excels in developing eco-friendly infrastructure technology, as well as retrofitting carriers and shipyards.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced Gail K. Boudreaux, president and CEO of Elevance Health, will headline a keynote session to discuss how the company is implementing an innovative whole-health approach to care. It complements the Digital Health Summit, which returns to CES 2024, and will focus on the outlook for health care in the U.S. and beyond.

Emphasising the power of interconnecting our tangible world with digital advancements, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced Roland Busch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG, as a keynote speaker for CES 2024.

Nearly 70 startups, plus hundreds of attendees and media from around the globe convened yesterday for CES Unveiled Amsterdam. The event highlighted tech innovation from European startups that will solve global challenges and conference programming addressing sustainability, healthcare, climate change, and tech trends—including digital health, enterprise, AI, and a look toward using tech for good.

Tech Nation and a group of tech leaders have labelled the AI Safety Summit on November 1st and 2nd a ‘moment of critical importance’ for the UK in an open letter addressed to Rishi Sunak.

A national roadshow to support and raise the profile of small businesses all around the country is being launched by Small Business Saturday to help firms cope with persistent economic challenges.

New research from Novuna Business Finance indicates encouraging signs in small business attitudes, revealing a substantial shift towards prioritising sustainability and a growing recognition of the business benefits it brings.

Generative AI and the deployment of Large Language Models (LLMs) leads to unintended alterations in the sentiment of original text, according to leading academics from the Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology at Warwick Business School.

Coventry Building Society Arena, one of the Midlands' premier event venues, has unveiled a new partnership with sustainability platform, SKOOT.

The government has opened an inquiry into the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) to assess its cyber-resiliency as the UK is highlighted to be the third most targeted globally for cyber-attacks, following the US and Ukraine.

The Crypto Dashboard, created by the Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology at Warwick Business School, has been launched to revolutionise monitoring capabilities for various cryptocurrency assets, providing users with enhanced real-time insights and advanced analytics.

Despite tentative jobs growth, small businesses experienced slow sales growth and rising late payment times in the three months to September, according to the latest data from global small business platform Xero.

Elon Musk’s biotech startup, Neuralink, has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruiting for its first human clinical trial. Neuralink is set to begin offering brain implants to paralysis patients as part of its PRIME study.

Multiple startups have been recognised at the Touristech Startup Fest 2023, the global entrepreneurship competition hosted annually by TIS - Tourism Innovation Summit. The event, which has positioned itself as the key event for the tourism and technology entrepreneurial ecosystem, received more than 4,000 applications from startups from countries such as Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Upfront Diagnostics, a healthcare company focused on discovering novel biomarkers that can be applied to medical diagnosis, has started the last phase of clinical evaluation of a point-of-care rapid blood test designed to rapidly identify when stroke is caused by a blood clot blocking a main blood vessel within the brain. This is known as large vessel occlusion (LVO).  

Finnish biotech startup Enifer has contributed to a new study on farmed salmon that was done in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The study utilised Enifer’s PEKILO®Aqua mycoprotein, and it was conducted by a group of researchers led by Professor Margareth Øverland.