I used to think the way you speak was just a part of who you are. A reflection of your roots. Your family. Your story. Something to be proud of.

But then I started noticing just how quickly some people make judgments based on someone’s accent. How a certain voice in a meeting gets listened to more seriously. How a regional twang gets laughed off.

One in five employees across the UK, equivalent to 6.8 million employees, are not receiving any coaching or awareness-building for gender specific issues, such as menopause, fertility, and screening programmes for gender-based cancers, according to research by Towergate Employee Benefits.

While much of Europe sweats through a record-hot summer and the headlines are unusually quiet, the real action in tech investing is happening where few are looking. No IPO fireworks, no M&A frenzy – and yet, this is precisely the season when the most interesting trajectories quietly start to take shape.

A year since Labour’s historic landslide, is the government doing enough to back British business? Mark Smith, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Ayming, argues that while the intent is there, Labour must accelerate the pace of delivery on innovation and reform if it’s serious about driving meaningful economic growth.

A Manchester based children’s online safety app backed by Innovate UK and Centre for Digital Innovation, is looking for £250,000 in funding, to help younger children aged 6-13 stay safe on social media. 

British Business Bank has announced a new commitment of £15 million to a new separately managed account (SMA) managed by Prefequity LLP. 

Solestial, the solar energy company for space, has announced that it has been selected by SpaceWERX for a Direct-to-Phase II contract in the amount of $1.2 million dollars to develop a novel, fast to manufacture, multiorbital solar array wing concept for small satellites.

Gaining startup funding is notoriously difficult. With venture capital (VC) as the dominant model, it’s been down to startups to push hard, seeking to outshine competitors in a race to the top.

Business schools are a leading source of support for SMEs, according to a new report from The Small Business Charter (SBC). More SME business owners are now turning to business schools than trade associations or their accountants, new research has found.

Exein, the embedded IoT cybersecurity company, has raised €70 million in a Series C round. The round was led by Balderton and joined by Supernova and Lakestar, with 33N, United Ventures, and Partech following on from the previous round.

Auriga Space, a company in electromagnetic hypersonic launch technology, has announced $6 million in additional funding in the form of a seed round and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the US AFWERX and SpaceWERX, the innovation arms of the US Air Force and Space Force respectively.

Qodea, one of Europe's largest dedicated Google Cloud consultancies, backed by Marlin Equity Partners, has announced its definitive agreement to acquire technology consultancy Beyond, from Next 15 Group.

Transport for London (TfL) has appointed Plexal, the innovation and growth company founded by Delancey, as an Innovation Operation Supplier for a multi-year partnership.

Portugal is establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading digital and AI ready hubs and further growth in data centre development in the country could contribute up to €26 billion to the national GDP between 2025 and 2030 (i.e. average of c. € 4.4 billion per year), according to a study conducted this year by Start Campus and Copenhagen Economics.

With the enforcement of the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive approaching, startups – and all businesses for that matter – must start preparing before it comes into force next June. Those with operations in member states will face new reporting responsibilities and the rules will put pressure onto others to follow suit to stay competitive – even if only operating locally.