A London businesswoman has been selected from more than 800 other female entrepreneurs to win £15,000 in business support to help scale her new finance app which will encourage more women to invest their money.

Nearly half (46%) of IT and tech hiring managers planning to expand their teams with permanent, full-time employees, with technology hiring is expected to increase in 2025, according to recruitment firm Robert Half. Additionally, 25% aim to recruit contract talent for project-based needs and growth initiatives.

Seven businesses have joined Digital Catapult’s latest quantum innovation accelerator to fast track the development of solutions and accelerate the practical application of deeptech. Aiming to help solve complex market challenges in major sectors of the UK economy including transport, defence, and telecommunications, the programme convenes unique quantum capabilities and innovation consultancy to de-risk technology adoption.

One-in-four (24%) UK employees have taken time off work in the past 12 months due to stress, new research from Avilio has found.

BOW, the universal robotics software company, has announced the appointment of Liz Upton, Co-Founder of Raspberry Pi, as Chair of its board.

Volter, the operating system for commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar, has secured $3.2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Transition, with participation from Seedcamp as well as Neptunia, a prominent real estate investor.

Litera has announced the acquisition of Office & Dragons, the platform for mass drafting and editing, which leverages intuitive automation and generative AI to streamline document workflows for lawyers.

Today’s digital landscape provides a fertile ground teeming with opportunities for small businesses to grow by reaching global audiences through online platforms. Emerging platforms, such as TikTok shop, are especially lucrative, with SMEs on the platform contributing £1.63 billion to UK GDP in 2022.

Molyon – the spinout developing next-generation batteries with double the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries – has raised $4.6 million in its first funding co-led by IQ Capital and Plural. The funding will kickstart manufacturing at its pilot facility in Cambridge through expansion of the core team including battery engineers, material scientists and operations staff.

In January 2020, I co-founded Alsama Project with Kadria Hussein, herself a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon. Based in the Shatila Refugee Camp in Beirut, we provide innovative education solutions for out-of-school refugees. Today around 880 students are enrolled across four non-formal education centres in camps in Lebanon.

Argil, the video engine for the creator economy, has announced it has raised €4.9 million in pre-seed and seed funding as it emerges from the Y Combinator incubator. The company raised €3.9 million in a round led by EQT Ventures and with participation from renowned youtuber Kwebblekop, who has over 15 million subscribers and uses Argil to grow his own Youtube channel, and Charles Gorintin, Co-Founder & CTO of Alan, Co-Founding Advisor of Mistral AI.

As an entrepreneur, life can be full of ups and downs, with founders facing all kinds of hurdles along the way. However, one thing that can always help you find your way is events. Hearing insights and advice from people who have been there can help you figure out the next steps on your journey. And what a range of events, conferences, summits, and expos there are out there for entrepreneurs to attend!

Donut Lab has developed an entirely new approach to building electric vehicles. The company's development platform offers manufacturers a library of inter-compatible components that can be used to produce new electric vehicles such as supercars, buses, drones, or SUVs in record time. In addition, the company promises that vehicles built on the platform have significantly better performance and they are lighter and more affordable to manufacture.

iwoca has announced access to a £500,000 fund to help small businesses and employees build skills in AI and data analytics.

HyperHeat, the startup using renewable energy to make Zero-Carbon industrial heat, has successfully raised €3.5 million in a funding round. The investment was led by the Amadeus APEX Technology Fund with participation from Finindus, Possible Ventures, E44 Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Fellows, and a group of seasoned business angel investors.