DRIFT Energy, a British startup set to make green energy at sea using hi-tech sailing vessels, has successfully completed its seed funding round. The round was spearheaded by Octopus Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm in the UK and Europe, with additional backing from Blue Action Accelerator. This round secured £4.65 million, a critical investment that will enable DRIFT Energy to scale its operations and initiate vessel production in the coming year.

JetLearn, a company in online one-on-one education in coding, robotics, and artificial intelligence for children and teenagers, has recently formed a partnership with the NHS Staff Benefits Programme. This collaboration is set to extend JetLearn’s highly rated tech education programmes – praised on platforms like Trustpilot and Google Reviews – to the families of NHS employees.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often sadly overlooked when it comes to getting finance. According to government figures, UK SMEs account for nearly two-thirds of employment, and this pattern is similar in other markets around the world.

While running any business comes with a fair share of financial risk, this must be within measure, and carefully controlled. If you find your business overwhelmed with debts, the turning point will be determined by the speed at which you attempt to save the business.

Robin AI, a legal artificial intelligence (AI) assistant for businesses, has teamed up with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to streamline complex legal processes and advance the development of a significant new AI-driven legal market.

Sahara AI, a decentralised blockchain platform designed to ensure fairness and openness in AI, has announced it has secured $43 million in funding.

New research from Xero, a global platform for small businesses, highlights a growing disconnect between how UK consumers prefer to pay and how small businesses prefer to receive payments.

New research from Deltek, a provider of software for project-based businesses, highlights that while 79% of professional services firms plan to boost their investment in emerging technologies, significant hurdles are slowing down adoption.

Vapaus, the Finnish employee bike benefit company, has secured €10 million in a Series A funding round. This equity investment will drive the company's international expansion, enhance software development, automate its platform, and scale its innovative PreCycled concept for the second-hand bike market.

New research from TalkTalk Business has uncovered that nearly a quarter (23%) of UK SMEs faced technical failures in the past year, leading to significant financial strain. The study found that 17% of SMEs incurred costs between £500-999 due to these tech issues, while 12% reported losses of £2,000-3,999, and 7% suffered a staggering £8,000-9,999 hit.

Looking at the role of social media in enabling the organisation of violence and hatred, it’s hard to appreciate the platforms and tools I once recommended as a good thing in general. I’m probably not the only one who feels a bit guilty having encouraged brands and organisations to get on the platforms and engage with people, when those same platforms carry misinformation, racism, conflict and bullying.

Senior executives and HR leaders are grappling with declining trust in their leadership as employees grow increasingly sceptical about their company’s direction, leading to polarised views on workplace experiences.

Adamo Foods, a foodtech startup from the UK, has secured $2.5 million in seed funding, co-led by UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund (UKI2S), Future Planet Capital, and Joyful Ventures. This investment will accelerate Adamo’s efforts to launch the first ultra-realistic beef steak alternative made from fungi, catering to the rising demand for healthier, higher-quality meat substitutes.

Arrow Electronics played a pivotal role in the creation of the world’s first 7nm Network Addressable Processing Unit (NR1 NAPU), now powering NeuReality’s NR1-S AI Inference Appliance. This technology offers significant advantages in cost and energy savings compared to traditional CPU-centric systems.

Collo, a Finnish tech startup specialising in IoT analysers for industrial liquid processes, has secured €5 million in growth funding. This latest investment round was co-led by SEB Greentech Venture Capital from Sweden and the Dutch deep tech investor FORWARD.one, with additional backing from existing investor, Danish deep tech firm Scale Capital.