New research from HR and people management platform Employment Hero shows a worrying lack of support for staff by UK small and medium sized businesses since COVID. 

YouPic is a free-to-use social platform from Sweden transforming photography-sharing by enabling a global community of over 3.7 million users to build an audience, gain insights about their portfolio, and share their passion for photography.

It has been a challenging year for the small business community, with many companies having to reduce staff numbers or pause operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the forthcoming holiday season, owners have an opportunity to try and rebuild their businesses.

With one month to go until Christmas, social impact accelerator and mentor network, Impact Central, has released its top fifteen picks for ethical Christmas gifts for this season - from planet-friendly stocking filler snacks to sustainable menswear staples.

First Office Hub, the global workspace broker, which has just helped a tech company to expand from a traditional leasehold property into a 20,000 sq ft managed office space, describes the London office scene as extremely active with companies of all sizes and across all sectors researching offers and looking to secure the right deals ahead of 2021.

The 14 founders have been chosen to join Hatch’s Impact Accelerator Programme. The latest programme cohort were drawn from businesses all across the UK and specifically those that are producing maximum positive impact across underserved individuals, their communities, and the broader environment.

The government-backed Start Up Loans scheme has partnered with distance-learning provider, The Open University to give its customers - and other small business owners across the UK - the opportunity to take free Open University business learning courses.

Natural intelligence startup, Opteran has raised £2.1m in seed funding. Opteran will use the funds to pioneer its radical lightweight, low cost silicon-based approach to autonomy called Natural Intelligence and expects its technology will significantly expand the potential addressable market for autonomy in machines and robotics.

Tech is now Bristol’s dominant industry, boasting the most jobs and higher-than-average salaries across the board according to new data by Tech Nation, the UK network for ambitious tech entrepreneurs, and job search engine Adzuna.

Mobile phones have become a basic necessity for everyone. With more than 3 Billion smartphone users in the world, equating to 4 out of every 10 people being equipped with smart technology, apps have become one of the fastest-growing markets in the IT industry. This creates infinite opportunities for businesses looking to break into or expand into the mobile realm.

The Really Good Idea Test offers seven practical steps to test an idea and find out if it really is worth pursuing. It might be an idea for a new business launch, a development to an existing product or a major life decision, but the simple process will help you understand what people really want and spot potential downfalls before you commit (or waste) time and resources on them.

The New York, Berlin and Tel Aviv-based startup, Dynamic Infrastructure is expanding its pilot project with the Public Works Department of New York’s Suffolk County using the world’s first deep-learning solution which allows bridge and tunnel owners and operators to obtain visual diagnosis of assets they manage in order to reduce direct and indirect maintenance costs.

Cleantech startup, Sunswap has successfully secured two Innovate UK grants worth £376k, working in partnership with the Clean Energy Processes (CEP) Laboratory at Imperial College London and Cenex, to develop their zero-emission transport refrigeration technology.

The Tampliner, the period-care innovation created by UK-based B-corp Callaly, has been recognised in TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2020 - its annual list of the 100 Best Inventions that are making the world better, smarter and even a bit more fun. Callaly is one of only eight British companies to make this year’s list.

Bristol-based immersive training company, Virti have been included on TIME’s prestigious annual Best Inventions list.

New research involving 150 HR leaders has found that 3 in 5 UK workers have experienced mental health issues since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The report authors, Accountancy and Finance, HR and Data Analytics recruiter, Wade Macdonald, and workplace law specialist, Doyle Clayton, have raised concerns of an increase in known incidences as a result of the current lockdown measures.

Deloitte has announced the winners of the 2020 UK Technology Fast 50 awards. The awards recognise and rank the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the UK, based on the last four years of revenue data, and are sponsored by DLA Piper and Oracle NetSuite.

Navenio, UK healthcare scaleup, has announced a $1.1m investment from Future Planet Capital to help revolutionise healthcare efficiency worldwide.

Tech Nation, the growth platform for tech companies and leaders, has launches a new report, which reveals changes in the international talent landscape and growing interest in the Global Talent Visa.