If you told me four years ago, I’d be running a thriving creative hub in the middle of Yorkshire – supporting nearly 50 local makers, hosting events, and heading to the House of Lords as part of the UK’s SmallBiz100 – I’d have laughed and said nope not me!

“The companies that thrive in this new era will not be the ones that hand over the keys to an algorithm. They will be the ones where leaders treat AI as a force multiplier,” writes Alexander Walsh, Co-Founder and CEO of Oraion

Ask any AI founder what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear many of the same stories. Hidden infrastructure costs that blow up the burn rate without warning. Waiting weeks, or even months, for GPU capacity to come online. Scrambling to navigate compliance requirements that feel like a full-time job. These aren’t abstract problems. They are everyday hurdles that can delay product launches, frustrate investors, and stretch teams thin.

Launching a startup is a balancing act. You’re driving product development, fundraising, sales, and recruitment, often simultaneously. But for many non-technical founders, the most challenging area isn’t fundraising or sales. It’s building the product itself, especially when outsourcing to software consultancies.

Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the national economy, comprising a staggering 99.8% of all businesses. However, despite their importance, the majority of these SMEs are not exporting.

When you run a small or medium-sized business, it’s tempting to believe that building your own technology is the best way to stay in control. After all, nobody knows your customers like you do. Surely the smartest move is to develop the tools you need, tailor-made for your market.

The startup dream is sold as a sprint to success, a flash of inspiration, a flurry of funding rounds, and an eventual big exit. But the reality? It is a long game that will stretch your resilience, test your decision-making, and reshape who you are as a leader.

It is not news that sustainability has become an issue for societies across the globe. To understand the extent of the problem, you only have to consider that the UK alone generates approximately 191.2 million tonnes of waste annually to picture the global crisis at hand.

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is moving at pace, nearly doubling in the past two years. This technology is reshaping everything in the world of work from recruitment and customer service to data analysis and employee experience.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have always impressed me with their agility and creativity. They are the ones who take bold risks, experiment quickly, and often bring real innovation to market first. But there’s no denying that, for years, large corporations had the upper hand in terms of resources, technology, and reach. What I’m seeing now, however, is a real shift. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is giving SMEs the kind of leverage that used to be reserved for the biggest players.

In the world of startups, resilience is often considered to be a key indicator of success, and typically approached as an individualistic trait. Who has grit, stamina, or can persevere?

Demand is growing for the ability to collect and analyse the outputs of Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. These tools, which use Large Language Models (LLMs), are increasingly being used as alternatives to traditional internet search engines. For this reason, professionals working with search engine optimisation (SEO) and its new incarnation, generative engine optimisation (GEO), are keen to understand what sources LLMs draw from and how they present topics relevant to particular brands and industries.

In the startup world, the dream is often framed as a clean, glossy finish: the exit. The big sale. The headline moment.

Here's the thing: voice-enabled building is different from attaching a mic to your app. It's a stack, a series of product choices, and a series of legal requirements that feel inconsequential in a prototype and acutely real the moment you receive your first inbound call. When done right, voice accelerates time-to-value for users, opens up accessibility, and expands your funnel. If you hurry, you send lag, mishear, and trust issues that are difficult to overcome.

One year on from going live, the EU AI Act has moved from concept to reality, forcing businesses, regulators, and innovators alike to confront turning responsible AI into practice. The legislation has set a global benchmark, and its ripple effects are impacting industries, sparking both compliance challenges and new opportunities for competitive advantage.

Innovation has never been more essential, or more misunderstood. As UK businesses race to stay ahead in a dynamic global economy, they’re under mounting pressure to innovate while justifying every pound spent. In these circumstances, redefining what constitutes research and development (R&D) has become a necessity.

The past year has seen small businesses and entrepreneurs face a storm of economic pressures. From rising salaries to skyrocketing energy costs, SMBs are facing a major squeeze. Our recent survey revealed that half of small business owners are concerned that one more major cost increase could force them to close their doors.

Like any business, startups are vulnerable to theft. Whether it’s financial fraud, cybercrime, intellectual property (IP), or physical goods. But while recent data shows a sharp rise in theft-related insurance claims, with tool theft claims alone increasing by 54%, many businesses, including startups, aren’t seeing payouts.

Whilst the UK prides itself on being a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, a striking number of new business startups are failing.

I started Menotracker because of a personal wake-up call. When one of my closest friends was passed over for a promotion simply because her hot flashes during meetings were seen as "unprofessional," I was shocked. Honestly, I didn’t know much about menopause myself at the time. I had no idea how much it could impact women’s lives and careers.