On 19th May 2023, I was lucky enough to be invited to Antler’s UK HQ for their ‘Women of Antler brunch and fireside chat: Unlocking Success’ event. Antler is a Singapore-based business incubator and startup accelerator founded in 2017 with Pitchbook ranking it as the most active seed stage venture capital firm in 2022 globally, with 262 deals.

Encompass Corporation has been selected to join a major international trade mission, led by Austrade, which aims to showcase growing FinTech businesses and strengthen global relations.

Sustainability expert Tom Gosling is raising concerns about the potential negative consequences of relying solely on ESG targets. In a recent episode of the Conversations on Climate Podcast, Tom argues that ESG targets can lead to greenwashing and create a false sense of security.

TwinUp, a Frisco-based software company, announces a milestone in securing a lead investment of $3 million from private investors for its revolutionary software application tailored specifically for the architectural community.

Brite Payments, one of Sweden’s fastest growing fintechs and a leader in instant bank payments, has announced its Brite Instant Payments Network (IPN).

At a startup festival, you wouldn’t expect to hear discussions of art floating around the room, however, one of ViennaUP’s participating organisations, CultTech Association, is investing big money and big ideas into startups that combine the power of culture and technology.

His Highness Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporated, inaugurated the 2023 edition of the PrecisionMed Exhibition & Summit (PMES) 2023 being held today and tomorrow at the Dubai World Trade Centre. HH Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum toured the exhibition and summit accompanied by dignitaries.

Organisations must enable mid-life women to thrive in the workplace by taking inspiration from societies such as China and Japan to encourage positive conversations around the impact of menopause, a new study reveals.

Consumers’ desire to travel has caused travel bookings to spike with 80% of UK airlines and hotels saying direct bookings have increased over the last 12 months. That’s according to a new travel benchmark report series of airlines and hotels from Quantum Metric, the continuous product design platform for customer-driven digital experiences, that combined anonymised platform data and executive survey responses to uncover this year’s travel booking trends.  

Research from STX Next, a software development company specialising in the Python programming language, has found that 29% of developers have completed courses in AI and machine learning (ML), making it the third-most popular area for training behind web development (67%) and software development (65%).

While ambition and determination are key characteristics for becoming a business owner, tailoring your education to build skills, knowledge and potential networking opportunities is vital for prospective entrepreneurs. Each university has a unique reputation, whether that's based on prestige or academic success, but is there a university that produces more business owners than others?

Cloudways, the multi-cloud managed hosting platform and subsidiary of DigitalOcean, today launches its new Digital Agency Landscape Report exposing the obstacles preventing digital agencies from growing during times of uncertainty. Research conducted by Cloudways found that 40% of digital agencies prioritise growth above personal wellbeing, suggesting that digital agencies are neglecting the welfare of their employees in their pursuit of expansion. 

Gresham House Ventures, a growth equity investor specialising in software and digitally driven businesses in the technology, consumer, healthcare and services sectors, has completed a £3.5 million investment into product sustainability impact software business Dayrize.

As one of the biggest tech trends in the past decade, with millions of users in both the consumer and business sector, virtual reality (VR) has hit impressive shipment and revenue figures.

The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) has announced a landmark strategy to end digital poverty in the United Kingdom by 2030, setting out six core missions and calling on government, industry, and local communities to work together to achieve this aim.

Manchester’s status as “the fastest growing digital and tech hub in Europe” can only be maintained through relentless, collaborative ambition - according to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and World Cup winner Matt Dawson. 

As the cost of living crisis continues, the UK-based Virtual Assistant firm SpareMyTime reveals that it is seeing increasing demand for its services and it has registered a 325% rise in growth since 2020. The company has also recorded a 74% increase in revenue since May 2022.

Climate technology startup Pledge has secured $10 million in Series A funding to drive its mission to help businesses reach net zero emissions, starting with the logistics and supply chain industry.

Elkstone, the Irish investment house, has announced that the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) has committed to anchor the final close of its €100 million Early-Stage Irish Venture Fund. With Enterprise Ireland also on board, the fund has already deployed over €10m to date and aims to complete its initial investments by 2026.

HiBob, the company behind Bob, the modern HR platform that powers productivity, engagement and retention, announces its Chief People Officer, Nirit Peled Muntz has been named to Mogul’s Top 100 list of People Leaders and CHROs. 

The latest Spotlight on Spinouts Report by the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub has revealed rapidly growing spinout clusters outside the ‘golden triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge and London – with the local authorities of Manchester and City of Bristol demonstrating the highest growth by proportion of spinout population.

Chris Todhunter, Technical Director at Studio Republic explains the importance of online accessibility: “Web accessibility should be seen in the same way as a high street shop without wheelchair access, or a cinema without a hearing loop - excluding a website user because of their disability has long been classed as discrimination in the USA and we're quite a way behind in the UK in terms of legislation. In fact, 97.4% of 1 million website home pages tested in a WebAIM 2023 study were found to have accessibility errors. The most common failures are actually pretty easy to fix.” 

Irwin Mitchell has recently conducted a nationally representative study into workplace behaviour. 

The Middle East’s leading event dedicated to the advancement of precision medicine in the region is set to welcome a distinguished line-up of healthcare leaders and experts from around the world later this month.

A new research report, Education for a World of Opportunity, reveals that over a third (36%) of British Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) decision makers believe that technology and innovation have created fewer opportunities for unskilled workers to “learn on the job” and progress to higher paid roles.

On Wednesday morning at Manchester Central, the former Director General of MI5 delivered a warning to an audience of technologists at DTX + UCX Manchester. 

Small businesses need to conquer their fears of cloud technology if they are to thrive in the next decade, experts have warned. Experts from HostingSystems.co.uk claim many small companies still remain wary of using cloud technology and perceive it as something new and untested.

The UK creative industries will get a 1 million job boost adding £50 billion in value to the sector by 2030, according to the culture minister.

EarSwitch has been awarded the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge Grant. The grant will enable EarSwitch to develop its EarMetrics product, initially for the UK’s diverse and ageing population. EarMetrics aims to provide an in-ear sensor for standard hearing aids to measure temperature, heart rate, pulse, and blood oxygen levels and a medical first: continuous blood pressure monitoring.

European businesses continue to miss out on the full potential of hybrid work, according to new analysis by Ricoh Europe.

Lem-uhn, the feel-good PR agency, reveals that sales are up by 4.5% as consumer spending power continues to be felt despite the cost of living crisis. The latest Office for National Statistics retail sales data from March also shows that this figure has increased by 15.7% compared to February 2020. Lem-uhn believes the data suggests that UK consumers are still looking to shop however they are prioritising products that add value to their lives. 

Barcelona-based Mitiga Solutions, a science-based climate-tech company that applies science and technology to improve prevention, resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards using AI and high-performance computing, has raised a €13.25 million Series A. The investment was led by Kibo Ventures alongside Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Nationwide Ventures, Faber Ventures, and CREAS Impacto.

Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, today launched the second edition of its Launchpad programme - part of Xsight Future Solutions business, Majid Al Futtaim’s newly formed business aimed at accelerating the company’s digital offerings and empowering partners with scalable, end-to-end digital services, products, and solutions. Majid Al Futtaim’s Launchpad strives to unlock value by partnering with and investing in innovative startups and disruptors that can benefit from the reach of the Majid Al Futtaim ecosystem. 

RingCentral, a provider of AI-powered global enterprise cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration, and contact centre solutions, today shares research exposing the views of UK workers on one of the most revolutionary technologies of a generation: Artificial Intelligence (AI). The data comes as CFOs predict ‘significant growth’ in AI spend according to Deloitte. 

Elite Business Live is excited to announce its participation at ATOMICON, the annual conference that is a 'must-attend' event for small businesses. The event will take place on Tuesday, 13 June, where Elite Business Live will broadcast from the main stage at 13:50 to thousands of people.

OneTech, a not-for-profit designed to help underserved communities connect to opportunities in the tech ecosystem, has announced its official spinout from startup network Capital Enterprise. OneTech has evolved into a formidable force, tackling the deep-rooted systemic inequality across the London tech startup scene.

On the evening of Tuesday 16th May, the winners of The Business Book Awards 2023 were announced at The Drum, Wembley, London.

Startups Magazine will be exhibiting at Dublin Tech Summit from 31st May to 1st June in Dublin. You can say hi to the team and grab the latest issue of Startups Magazine at booth E27.

Dufrain, the data consultancy, has released new research from its State of Data report, exposing a significant ‘talent shortage’ in the data and analytics sector that could result in substantial losses for firms worldwide. 60% of data and analytics leaders said the biggest challenge to their business was recruiting individuals with the necessary skills and talents.

With World Telecommunication and Information Day taking place today (17 May), and more and more brands recognising the potential of artificial intelligence, entrepreneur and marketing expert Pete Sayburn says that technological innovations are creating a new wave of creative marketing. With the rise of technological innovations, 2023 will see traditional marketing methods overturned, says marketing expert Pete Sayburn.

On the 27th and 28th of June, businesses including Google, eBay, Nestle, Microsoft, GSK, Phoenix Group, M&G Investments, Starling Bank, and other FTSE100 companies and the investment community will unite at Reset Connect London, the UK’s sustainability and net zero event, the flagship of London Climate Action Week at  ExCeL London.

DUO: Dates Unlike Others is a mobile application designed to add excitement and adventure to couples' dating lives. Created by Arie and Lauren Burnham Luyendyk, who found love on season 22 of The Bachelor, DUO offers a range of features, date ideas, and date planning, to help couples break out of their dating rut and improve their relationship.

We’re currently living through challenging times and, at Ben, we’re seeing more and more of our automotive family turning to us for support.

Healthtech company TidalSense has closed a £7.5m fundraising round. 

Clu, a skills based inclusive hiring platform, today announces an investment round of £1.2 million to further progress its goal of becoming a major player within the Talent-Tech market, which is forecast to reach $30 billion by 2033. 

The UK is fourth in the world and second out of the G7 economies, in a new ranking of the impact of entrepreneurs on their overall economy from Shopify. UK entrepreneurs in Shopify’s ecosystem generated £28.8 billion worth of business activity in 2022 and contributed £14.3 billion in GDP impact.

Following on from six years of success and growth of the Erudites Network in New York and throughout the USA, it has expanded to enable members to further connect to a global network; unlocking access to business experts from diverse backgrounds, industries, and organisations. 

Hardware Pioneers Max returns to London. This annual gathering, held on 13 July 2023, is dedicated to all those involved in developing connected and smart hardware solutions and bringing them to market.

Metaverse company, Hadean, is teaming up with film & TV studio, Film Soho, to produce an interactive virtual documentary about the life of iconic British supermodel, Twiggy. Supported by Epic Games, disguise and AWS, the new partnership employs metaverse technology to deliver a photo-realistic interactive experience to a global live audience of fans, while challenging the boundaries of modern filmmaking. 

A new UK mental health and wellbeing startup is planning to rival giants Headspace and Calm through its innovative approach to wellness.

Are you ready for the future of marketing? Join us on 8th June at 6pm as we celebrate the launch of our latest issue. You guessed it. We’ll be at the incredible Huddle co-working space, Hammersmith to celebrate our marketing issue.

Justified Studio, the creative studio for purpose-led tech businesses and startups, has announced the launch of Justified Ventures, an initiative to accelerate the growth of early-stage businesses through strategy, design, technology and access to VC expertise.

Just three months into 2023 and over 600 tech companies have announced mass layoffs globally, impacting over 180,000 employees. This is compared to 161,411 tech company layoffs in 2022 as a whole. While most of these layoffs occurred within some of Silicon Valley's most notorious tech giants, there is no doubt that this stream of job cuts has impacted businesses both large and small across the globe - reportedly fuelled by ongoing global macroeconomic conditions. 

South Summit Madrid 2023, the leading event for the entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem co-organised by IE University, will feature content and conversations dedicated to analysing the growing trend of Sportstech, i.e. the application of innovation and new technologies to the world of sport.

Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) provider Ringover will exhibit at Digital Transformation Expo, taking place at Manchester Central on May 17 and 18, 2023. Exhibiting from booth F60, Ringover will demonstrate its omnichannel communications platform and explore the relevance of an all-in-one solution within digital transformation.

Amid rising attacks on schools and universities, the biggest challenge in education today is data misuse, says OmniIndex CEO, urging leaders to take every step to secure their sensitive data.

Research by digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, has shown that the market size of both the fraud detection software development and cyber security software development sectors have increased notably year on year, with this growth expected to continue through to 2025. 

The WMF - International Trade Fair and Festival on Tech and Digital Innovation, scheduled for June 15-17 will host more than 1.000 startups from around the world. Among them, hundreds will present their projects within the World Startup Fest, the international leading event for startups, scaleups and investors, in front of the WMF audience that includes the major players of innovative entrepreneurship in the technology and digital sector. Also among the most expected events at World Startup Fest is the final of the Startup Competition, the largest international competition for startups, which will see the 6 finalists of the call compete on the Mainstage.

Digital pension provider Penfold has warned today that Brits should be taking action early to plan for their financial future - following research which shows the majority of workers are not on track to retire comfortably. 

In today's digital age, cybercrime has become an all-too-common occurrence, including nefarious activities such as phishing and cyberbullying.

Fast-track your journey to business ownership at London’s only franchise exhibition supported by the British Franchise Association.

Despite a challenging economic climate, the passion for entrepreneurship remains alive and well as more than 800 startups apply for the Intel Ignite accelerator programme.

Money20/20 is unveiling Money20/20 Europe’s Champions of Change who will be taking their stages at RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on June 6-8th. 

FATJOE has been servicing clients since 2012, offering outsourced content and links. Turning over more than $10 million per year, Joe Davies shares six tips for agency growth.

Tracxn has released its Tracxn Feed Report - Mom & Baby Care ahead of International Mother’s Day. The report, based on Tracxn’s extensive database, provides insights into the global Mom & Baby Care space.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since its release in November 2022 and companies have been racing to adopt this in some shape or form in their business processes. Helping these companies embrace the opportunity, WorkHack is today announcing a $1.5 million funding round to develop its AI tech layer which allows businesses to deploy safe, thoughtful, and responsible AI functions.

Empire State Development (ESD) has announced that the application window is now open for round five of the Grow-NY food and agriculture competition. Grow-NY, an initiative that connects innovators and investors in the food, beverage, and agriculture sectors locally and around the globe, has resulted in economic growth and entrepreneurial opportunity in upstate New York.

Secure digital communications specialist Zivver has been named as one of the most innovative companies in the annual CyberTech100 list from research firm Fintech Global.  

Recruitment fell sharply in April, suggesting that employers are holding back on hiring as business confidence continues to be impacted by economic uncertainty. That’s according to the latest statistics from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) – the trade body for the professional recruitment sector.

With marketing budgets being squashed, marketers are expected to do more with less. Teams are leaner, cookie policies are changing, Google analytics 4 has been released and, with fewer people commuting and out shopping, OOH is being put to the test. These changes have created a mini storm within most marketing departments which, for years, have been collecting and analysing data, finding patterns and trends and adapting their tactics and budgets to improve their ROI.  

Chipolo has announced the launch of the Chipolo ONE Point key finder and the Chipolo CARD Point wallet finder, which will work exclusively with Google’s Find My Device network, allowing you to locate your lost belongings.

Sticky, the technology company solving companies’ inefficient and often unprofitable physical spaces, has raised £1.5 million in seed funding from prominent UK venture investors to accelerate customer growth across leisure and retail markets around the world. 

As the Conversational AI Summit comes to London on 16-17th May, it promises to bring together leading conversational AI innovators to discuss the latest technological advancements, deployments, challenges, and best practices across regulated enterprise sectors.

The UK fell 0.3% in March, below expectations. 

Amazon has announced that it will support the creation of more than 750 apprenticeships in 250 small and medium-sized organisations across England by next year.

Swiss drone delivery company Jedsy has announced a significant collaboration with Brazilian aviation firm Helisul, poised to revolutionize goods delivery in Brazil. Helisul, known for its comprehensive range of aviation services including air taxi and cargo transportation, has committed to purchasing one glider and three mailboxes from Jedsy as the initial step in their partnership.

A group of independent economists that shadow the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) say a further interest rate rise is unnecessary to control inflation.

Perkbox, the global rewards and benefits platform, reveals proprietary data showing the extent to which businesses have become champions of their employees’ lifestyles. With price rises fuelling the cost of living crisis, employees are increasingly relying on employer-funded rewards to enjoy the moments that matter outside of work.

Modern-day entrepreneurs have utilised various resources such as programmes, interviews, and podcasts to expand their empires and personal brands. With this emergence of entrepreneurs in the influencer sphere, Business Name Generator has delved into social data to find out which entrepreneurs hold the most influence online in 2023.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a key role not only in helping accountants to be a more effective strategic business partner to their clients, but also in keeping small businesses afloat, according to new research1 from Intuit QuickBooks. 

Andrew Radcliffe, Co-Founder of Spyrosoft, Managing Director UK, explores the importance of educators and tech companies working together to provide a digital education, and how this can be done in a way that empowers young people and career changers to make the most of opportunities in the digital age.

Healthcare marketers can now access vital insights about patients and healthcare professionals (“HCPs”) within seconds through the curated Patient Voice GPT.

Research by data consultancy Profusion has revealed that the vast majority of UK business leaders are struggling to use data ethically within their organisation.

Gen Zers are set to lead the next wave of small businesses, with nearly half (49%) of under-25s saying they want to start their own business.

Stix Mindfulness, a provider of interactive wellbeing products for children, announces the results of a recent research study showing the positive impact of Stix Mindfulness Remotes on children's mood. The study, conducted over four weeks, involved eight children and was conducted in partnership with Brunel University London.

Three UK universities have been awarded a share of £4.5 million to fund small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) engagement hubs as part of the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation (HNCDI) programme.

As a startup business, building trust, credibility and awareness is absolutely crucial and ongoing media coverage is an effective way in achieving this.

Techspace has released The Scaleup Culture Report, a national report diving into the current state of workplace culture across the UK tech industry. Based on a comprehensive YouGov survey of 1,000 tech workers, the report sheds light on how companies are adapting to new working models and shares insights and learnings to help businesses.

A recent research by paytech company payabl. has looked into whether or not payment orchestration could become a key capability for merchants across varying sectors, and for businesses of all shapes and sizes. 

Some of the world’s most innovative startups have been recognised at this year’s ABB Electrification Startup Challenge. The hotly contested challenge attracted 130 applicants from over 30 countries with a range of pioneering electrification solutions and services that address some of the world’s energy challenges.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a series of new business support services to help companies in London high-growth sectors, create the jobs of tomorrow for Londoners. Delivered by the Mayor’s business growth agency, London & Partners, the ‘Grow London’ service will help London and international companies to expand their businesses and support London’s economic growth.

Worrying misconceptions regarding support from the UK government in the event of a medical emergency are revealed in an Opinium survey of 501 UK-based business travellers, commissioned by World Travel Protection, a leading global travel risk management organisation.

The CogX Festival of inspiration, impact and transformational change, will be taking place this year on new dates, 12th to 14th September, at its iconic new venue: The O2, North Greenwich, London and sites across Canary Wharf.

Almost half of businesses in the UK (44%) experienced at least one LinkedIn scam this year, according to research by NordLayer, a network security solution for businesses. The most affected tend to be big companies (65%), fake job offers are the most popular scam they encounter (63%), and damaged reputation, as well as stolen/damaged data (47% each) were the leading outcomes of LinkedIn scams.

ASOS, the fast-fashion online retailer, has released interim results for the six months ended 28 February 2023.

Ahead of National Mental Health Awareness Week, HumanForest has teamed up with BetterHelp, the world’s largest professional online therapy platform. BetterHelp will be sponsoring HumanForest users' rides and rewarding riders with extra free minutes.

There are signs of confidence returning to the UK’s 5.5 million SMEs and the lending market they rely on, iwoca’s latest SME Expert Index finds.

VistaPrint, the design and marketing partner for small businesses, announced the 20 winners of its Realising the Remarkable grant programme with Enterprise Nation. The winners will each receive an equal share of the £150,000 grant money as well as access to VistaCreate Pro, 99designs by Vista´s Silver logo and brand guide package and £500 to spend on marketing materials on the VistaPrint website.