In recent years, many startup founders have witnessed a continued downturn in venture capital funding. What they may not have realised, however, is that in its place alternative funding and credit markets have begun to enter the mainstream.

Fintech alternative lending platform for digital founders, Juice, has announced that it has raised £25 million in funding to support its aim to democratise finance by providing SME founders with capital and confidence to achieve growth ambitions.

Quantum computing and related technologies like quantum AI are regarded as the next big wave after AI. A global survey of 500 business leaders across industries found that interest in quantum is very high, with more than 60% of respondents indicating they are actively investing or exploring opportunities in quantum AI.

Doubleword, the self-hosted inference platform for enterprises, has announced a $12 million Series A led by Dawn Capital.

Transreport has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise, in the category of Innovation. Transreport is one of 197 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise.

As economic uncertainty looms large in Western markets – from political instability in the US to rising regulatory headwinds – a new centre of gravity is emerging for forward-thinking businesses: the Middle East. At WOLF, a UK-founded tech company built around creating community-led online entertainment for Arabic speakers, we’ve experienced first-hand the region’s exceptional growth potential.

Tech Nation will announce the next wave of high-impact tech companies at a Number 10 event hosted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer this evening. The tech scaleups have been selected for the prestigious Future Fifty programme, which is designed to fuel growth for high-potential and high-growth scaleups across the UK.

Nia – the AI platform building the next generation of autonomous engineering agents – has raised an $850,000 pre-seed round led by LocalGlobe, with participation from No Label Ventures, Andrena Ventures, Ventures Together, Eurasian Hub Ventures, and Artificial Societies (YC W25).

Lightsonic, a software company using fibre optic sensing technology, has raised €3.3 million in a seed investment round to develop intelligent monitoring solutions that enhance sustainability, resilience, and security in water utilities and critical infrastructure. The investment was led by Maki.vc, with participation from RAISEVentures and Sondo.

Duna's platform for compliant business identity helps large enterprises like Plaid, Bol, Moss, Sequra, and Brand New Day Bank to grow their customer base while adhering to increasing regulation like AMLD5/6, PSD2/3, DAC7, and DORA.

Sales isn't a dirty word – it's a survival skill. In today's high-stakes, high-noise business environment, mastering the art of closing is the difference between having a great idea and building a great company. Whether you're a Gen Z founder fluent in digital storytelling or a seasoned entrepreneur adjusting to a new economy, one truth remains: meetings don't move markets – deals do.

At the AWS Summit in London, I sat down with Tricia Troth, Head of Startups UK and Ireland at Amazon Web Services (AWS), to explore how the company is supporting early-stage businesses through technical enablement, investment guidance, and a broad ecosystem of resources.

Why is the human side of branding something startups can't afford to ignore? When we talk about branding, most minds jump straight to logos, taglines, and colour palettes. But for startups, whether B2B/B2C or, as I like to call it, H2H (human to human), the most powerful branding doesn't live in visual identity or marketing campaigns. It lives in what we can’t see: emotions, trust, and human connection.

Closing out the financial year remains a major challenge for businesses. Reports identify 55% of organisations still struggle with outstanding invoices from the previous tax year, while 20% of unpaid invoices are reconciled four to six months late.

On April 25th, Rare Founders Demo Day returned with its most ambitious event to date – delivering a powerful reminder that the UK’s startup ecosystem doesn’t need more polish. It needs more truth.