Clive Stanley of Warwickshire-based M&A advisors, Acqius, shares his advice for maximising returns and minimising stress.

Across the UK, businesses are trying to be better corporate citizens for their people, the communities they serve, and the environment. Sustainability is high on the agenda. Many businesses are leading the way – while others are recognising pressure from employees, consumers, customers, partners and industry peers to go green.

With London Tech Week next week, for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts looking to stay ahead of the curve, attending top-notch startup and VC technology events is crucial. If you are looking to expand into international markets or find out more about European startups, here are the top 10 events you won't want to miss this year.

Zoom inaugurated its new Experience Centre in the heart of London. The Zoom Experience Centre has brought the Zoom brand to life. The experience-based space was designed to inspire and immerse customers and partners in Zoom’s products, solutions, and values.

Signapse, a company developing generative AI software for sign language translation, has secured a £2 million seed funding round. The investment comprises £1.5 million from investors and £500,000 from the UK Government.

When you measure the positive impact of health and wellbeing using data analytics, organisations are in a much stronger position to direct initiatives appropriately to optimise return on investment. By effectively measuring and monitoring progress, you can increase that return further.

On the Thursday afternoon of InnoVEX 2024, judges, attendees, and startups gathered for the annual show pitching competition. The presentations highlighted a variety of tech solutions across several categories, including Smart Mobility, Semiconductor Applications, Precision Manufacturing, Healthcare & Biotech, Greentech, and AI. Across 11 awards, the prizes included cash and startup resources totalling in excess of $100,000.

Spike, a B2B data technology and AI startup, has successfully closed an oversubscribed $3.5 million seed funding round co-led by Practica Capital and TheVentureCity, with participation from Silicon Valley, New York, and Berlin-based investors including CEAS Investments, Plug & Play Ventures, Geek Ventures, and Axel Springer Porsche (APX).

Octopus Energy is expanding its global influence with new investors Galvanize Climate Solutions ("Galvanize") and Lightrock joining its investor base.

Sofant Technologies, the Edinburgh-based wireless technology business, has successfully raised £3.4 million in additional funding. The funding, from EMV Capital, Scottish Enterprise, and Kelvin Capital, will be used to complete the development of Sofant’s core technology and support the production and shipment of beta versions of its satellite antenna to lead customers.

emerchantpay, global payment service provider and acquirer, has announced a strategic partnership with TrueLayer, a prominent European open banking payments network. This collaboration enables emerchantpay to offer bank transfer payments as an online checkout option for merchants across the UK and Europe.

Founders of Blue Earth Summit have launched an exciting new competition to accelerate innovation in climate health. 1000 planet positive startups and scaleups are invited to pitch to hundreds of investors with access to £100 million in funds.

InnoVEX 2024 is being held from June 4th to 7th 2024 in Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center (TaiNEX) Hall 2. One of the organisers of the event, Taipei Computer Association (TCA) stated that InnoVEX 2024 will focus on AI, Green Tech, Semiconductor Applications, and Smart Mobility; reflecting the current ongoing trends in the tech industry.

A recent survey from technology consultancy esynergy indicates that an increasing number of enterprise organisations are turning to FinOps as an approach to significantly optimise cloud spending during times of cost and climate concerns.

Matt Bird, Co-Founder of Lemon, grew up in Shropshire and attended school in North Wales where his entrepreneurial spirit emerged during his school days – when he started selling CDs.