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.

The Joy Club helps businesses attract, engage, and retain customers in later life through providing its life-changing community and content platform as a benefit and digital channel. The Joy Club Founder, Hannah Thomson, felt inspired after losing her Granny Jean, as she wanted to find a way to pay tribute to such an important person in her life.

Gaussion, a spinoff from University College London (UCL), has introduced an approach that significantly improves battery performance. By applying an external magnetic field during charging and discharging, Gaussion's technology guides ions more efficiently within existing battery cells. This not only enables faster charging but also reduces cell degradation, thereby extending battery lifespan.

A recent survey of 250 UK office landlords, commissioned by workspace provider infinitSpace, has shed light on the growing trend of converting traditional office spaces into flexible or coworking environments.

Today, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still dependent on paper-based and offline workflows, with data from Inside Government revealing that 55% of businesses across West Europe and North America are still completely reliant on paper. This means that without existing digital systems and a centralised database of historical data, the transition to AI-powered workflows can seem completely out of reach.

Smart Pension, a prominent workplace pension provider in the UK, announced a new commercial agreement with STM Group. This deal involves the bulk transfer of members from the Options Workplace Pension Trust (OWPT) to the Smart Pension Master Trust.

First AML, a rapidly growing player in the anti-money laundering (AML) sector, has announced its latest integration with 3E, the cloud-native financial management and business operations platform designed for law firms by Elite.

Insurance brokerage firm Jensten has partnered with Manchester-based RegTech startup RiskSmart to enhance its risk management capabilities. After closing 2023 with 12 strategic acquisitions, including its largest yet, East Anglian-based One Broker Group, Jensten has continued its growth trajectory by announcing four more acquisitions this year, with further expansion plans in the works.

A recent survey by monday.com, the multi-product platform that manages core work functions, revealed that the excitement surrounding the Olympics has significantly boosted workplace productivity in the UK. The poll of 2,000 UK workers showed that nearly two thirds (61%) felt inspired by the games to deliver more creative and innovative work.

Impactpool, an AI-powered career platform, has secured $4 million in Series A funding, led by Mediahuis and Fort Knox. This investment will bolster Impactpool's advanced AI matching technology and further its mission to connect one billion professionals with organisations focused on impactful change.

Innovation. That’s the answer you’re most likely to get if you ask Scottish Business Network (SBN) founder Russell Dalgleish what Scotland’s most valuable contribution to the world is. He’s not talking about it in the past tense, either. Scotland’s capacity for innovation didn’t stop with world-changing technologies like the telephone, television, and the ATM.