Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank, has announced that the programme has delivered more than 9,500 loans worth more than £100 million to founders from across the East of England.

Chatfuel has announced an evolution in workflow intelligence with a comprehensive AI-native operating system for SMBs. Trained on over 150 billion customer conversations, the solution empowers over 100 million SMB owners to shift from manual engagement to revenue growth by reimagining the sales cycle – from first lead to loyal customer – in a 30-second setup.

Digital startups throughout the West Midlands are set to benefit from a wealth of increased investment opportunities, expert support services, and methods to introduce AI integration, all designed to help reinforce the West Midlands as a global tech powerhouse.

Humanoid has announced a strategic partnership with QSS AI & Robotics, Saudi Arabia’s robotics and AI company pioneering the localisation of advanced technologies under Vision 2030.

As a founder or product lead, you may have noticed how crowded the obvious markets are, leaving you with massive market opportunities that large corporations often overlook. Changing demographics, cultural shifts, and greater public awareness have created unmet needs that agile startups can service in various ways.

The Female Advisory Board (FAB), the UK’s first all-female peer advisory group, has announced a new charitable partnership with New Beginnings Peer Support, a peer-led after-crisis domestic abuse service supporting women and children in North Yorkshire who have experienced domestic abuse.

Raising the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) often sparks debates about job losses and automation replacing humans, and this can be the case in hospitality, but in my view, in an industry built on personal connection, a different story is unfolding. In hospitality, AI isn’t replacing people – it’s empowering them. The next frontier of automation is human-centred, using technology to amplify empathy, not erase it. I believe everyone in hospitality needs AI.

There’s a dangerous myth that continues to linger in startup culture – if you build a great product, they will come. Though it’s the mantra widely attributed to Facebook’s rise in 2004, it simply no longer holds true in today’s world.

Jukebox is expanding its global creative footprint with the launch of Jukebox Ventures, announcing the launch of their Fund I which is raising up to $15 million dedicated to backing the next generation of startups at the convergence of music, technology, and culture.

Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities, and local growth, has announced the first project under the new Public Realm Innovation Lab.

I spent eight years working for a small British manufacturer in Oxfordshire. The sort of outfit that, like so many brilliant UK manufacturers, makes astonishing kit in an unassuming shed tucked away in the beautiful countryside. I’ve lost count of the number of days I’ve watched vanish: chasing a work order hidden in someone’s desk, sitting in a meeting that should have been an email, or typing the same numbers into two systems that hate each other. So I started Mithryl with a goal to turn that chaos into usable knowledge and give teams their time back.

Deel has announced a $300 million strategic investment, bringing its valuation up to $17.3 billion.

Wild Bioscience (Wild Bio), the Oxford University spinout that develops improved crop varieties using AI and precision breeding, has raised a $60 million Series A investment. This significant funding round was led by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), with participation from existing investors Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), Braavos Capital, and the University of Oxford.

Jack & Jill, the AI recruitment company, has raised $20 million in seed investment to build and expand in Europe and the United States. The round was backed by leading European early-stage firm, Creandum, as well as prominent VCs including Dig Ventures, Entrepreneur First, Ada Ventures, Firedrop, Repeat.vc, Episode1, Playfair, and over 75 high-profile angel investors, including Nico Rosberg, and from companies such as Lovable, Anthropic, and ElevenLabs.

Nila, the healthcare management startup helping expatriates care for elderly relatives back home, has closed an oversubscribed $2.4 million (£1.8 million) pre-seed round led by LocalGlobe. The investment enables Nila to scale its revolutionary care management platform which addresses the stress and challenges that accompany overseeing the health and wellbeing of older family members across borders.