Trying to secure investment in your company from venture capitalists can be very daunting for leaders of SMEs or startups. It could have taken you years of hard work to realise your business goals, and now you find yourself negotiating the complex and cutthroat world of finance with experienced, shrewd professionals who might want a significant share of your operation.  

Moonwatt – the energy storage startup founded by seasoned professionals with a track record at global leaders like Tesla, EDF, Siemens, Scatec, and Freyr Battery – has raised €8 million to unlock the true, 24/7 power of solar with its disruptive sodium-ion battery system. Co-led by daphni and LEA Partners, Founders Future, AFI Ventures (by Ventech) and Kima Ventures also participated alongside strategic business angels and customers. The funding will be used to accelerate the development and deployment of Moonwatt’s hardware and software technology, expand the team and drive the shift toward a cleaner, more resilient global energy ecosystem.

Heidi, the healthcare AI company whose AI scribe is transforming how clinicians work, has raised $16.6 million in its latest funding round. The Series A follow-on investment is led by Headline, with participation from Local Globe, Anthology (Menlo Ventures and Anthropic), and existing investors Blackbird, HESTA, Possible Ventures, and Archangel Ventures.

When I look back on my journey as an innovator, what strikes me most is not the "eureka" moments of invention but the quiet, persistent work of transforming ideas into tangible, industrialised solutions. It’s one thing to dream up a new technology in the lab, but it’s another to see it deployed at scale, solving real-world problems and making a measurable impact.

The startup differentiation problem: most startups believe that innovation means adding more features – a faster app, a smarter algorithm, a better design. But customers don’t buy features.

They buy transformation.

Generation Z business leaders are pioneering a new approach with purpose, profit, and personal wellbeing at the forefront of their business, according to new research by American Express and The Conduit, a collaborative impact community and members club.

Quantum Industries (QI), a startup in quantum secure communications for critical infrastructure, has announced the successful completion of its seed financing round, raising a total of $10 million in fresh capital.

In the digital age, we interact with countless applications, whether for personal, professional, or recreational purposes. Many of these applications appear consumer-oriented but are, in fact, B2B applications. By accessing healthcare services, payroll systems, or school management platforms, customers are using their provider’s applications (such as GP or employer) which is a business customer of a larger B2B application. B2B applications form an integral part of daily operations across various industries.

Starting a new business is an exciting journey. You have an idea, you have spotted a market opportunity and have the passion to take the business forward. However, the path to profitability and growth can be challenging, as highlighted by data showing a 26% increase in the number of startups that shut down in 2024 compared to the previous year.

As companies navigate an increasingly turbulent external environment, communications and HR leaders have identified ‘change fatigue’ as one of the top five barriers to success, according to Gallagher’s 2025 Employee Communications Report. The report, which drew insights from more than 2,000 communication and HR leaders across 55 countries, found that 44% of HR leaders view change fatigue as a key battleground for success in 2025.  

Helsinki Metropolitan Area is raising its profile as a noteworthy deeptech hub. Now, the city of Helsinki invites business leaders to discover opportunities in the field with a deeptech-focused edition of the famous 90 Day Finn programme.

Is DEI a good thing or a bad thing? Before the 2024 US election, it was all the rage, but now the once-touted benefits of cognitive diversity are being played down in a backlash against wokery. But how much does it actually matter?

Unique, a vertical AI player creating a specialised agentic AI platform for financial firms, today announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $30 million. Unique's total investment now stands at $53 million since its founding in 2021. This round is led by CommerzVentures and DN Capital, with continued support from existing seed investors including VI Partners and Pictet Group.

Founders Factory, the London-based Venture Studio and early-stage investor, has been named the UK’s number one startup hub by the Financial Times, in its latest European Startup Hubs ranking. The FT-Statista report also sees Founders Factory ranked among its top five European startup hubs for the second year running.

Electric Sheep, a UK-based AI tech startup, announces a major milestone as it secures Innovate UK's prestigious £500,000 Smart Grant – an award recognising its advancements in AI-driven visual effects (VFX) technology. This funding will support the development of Spotlight V3, Electric Sheep's next-generation rotoscoping tool, set to launch in early 2025.