Global small business platform, Xero has announced it will host a free to watch content series called Xero On Air in September, designed to connect, inspire and share information with its accountant and bookkeeper partners and small business customers around the world.

AIWAYS, the Shanghai-based personal mobility provider, has arrived in Europe following delivery of the first batch of U5 all-electric SUVs in Corsica. The cars join the rental fleet at Hertz Corsica, operated by local company Filippi Auto, and are now available for residents and tourists to rent.

The Coronavirus lockdown has had a huge impact on Britain’s workforce, resulting a the majority of the working population finding themselves homebound, either working from home or furloughed. It was recently reported that 7 in 10 UK businesses have furloughed staff, resulting in millions of people across the country stuck at home with nothing but time on their hands.

Sure Valley Ventures, the venture capital firm that invests in early stage software companies, has announced that it has led a new €1.5m investment round for Volograms. Atlantic Bridge University Fund and Enterprise Ireland have also made follow-on investments as part of this round.

New analysis from Xero, the global small business platform, and AlphaBeta (part of Accenture), have revealed trends relating to the recovery of the UK’s small business economy following the impact of COVID-19, showing tentative improvements in revenue and payment times.

The saving and investing app, Moneybox has raised £4m in just four hours on Crowdcube, the investment crowdfunding platform - smashing the 2020 record for largest number of investors in a single campaign. Over 10,000 investors have taken part in the fundraise so far, which saw Moneybox reach its original target of £1,000,000 in just 20 minutes.

The banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, Curve has announced it has partnered with Onfido, the global identity verification and authentication company, to speed up, simplify, and unify its Digital Identity and Know Your Customer (KYC) processes.

University of Bristol led technology incubator, SETsquared Bristol, is re-launching its Breakthrough Bursary for the second year, continuing its commitment to promote inclusion and equal opportunities in tech. 

New research from Professor Feng Li, Chair of Information Management at City’s Business School has outlined three new approaches that digital innovators can take to reduce the risk of failure and seize competitive advantage in the industry.

Fifty percent of people currently employed are planning on looking for a new job after COVID-19, according to new research released from Hooray Health & Protection. Nearly a quarter (24%) of employees questioned said they were somewhat likely to seek a new job, 13% said they were very likely and twelve percent were pretty positive when they said they were extremely likely to look for a new job post COVID-19.  

SAVORTEX has announced the launch of its ‘Smart’ Hand Sanitiser, a revolutionary hygiene product designed to help restart the office economy in a post-COVID-19 environment. The innovative product uses smart technology to deliver the exact amount of sanitiser required without touching the device, and to ensure maximum use, providing companies with peace of mind as workplaces re-open.

IW Capital has announced the completion of a £10m investment round for Transcend Packaging, providing a boost to the company in its goal to reduce consumer and industry reliance on single-use plastic by providing paper-based alternatives. 

Forty nine percent of employers are planning to stagger return to work based on employees’ own health risks related to COVID-19, whilst 46% will be staggering employees return depending on how critical their role is to the business. The next most popular strategy is the creation of smaller work groups (40%), followed by changing work hours (34%), a voluntary return scheme (33%), and splitting shifts (28%).

Shanghai-based personal mobility provider, AIWAYS has unveiled the U6 ion electric crossover coupe concept ‘in the metal’ for the first time at the Chengdu Auto Show in China. With a focus on aerodynamics, intelligent technology and lightweight design, the U6 ion investigates the exciting future of the AIWAYS brand. The production version will be AIWAYS’ second all-electric SUV set to go on sale in China and Europe, with a direct-to-customer sales model in Europe in 2021.

The Entrepreneurial Sales Institute (ESI), whose mission is to support the professionalisation of the sales function through better sales education, has developed a new Entrepreneurial Sales microcredential, endorsed by Verizon Connect, to help those working in sales navigate today’s complex marketplace and gain in-demand skills.

The Czech marketing startup for home product testing, Testuj.to, for brands and e-shops has proven to be a new way of reaching customers, even during the coronavirus period. Testuj.to not only addresses customers directly, it also acquires valuable reviews for a given product or brand. B2C will never be the same again.

The automated driving technology company, AImotive has announced a new investment round of $20m led by Lead Ventures, a Budapest based scale-up investor. With the fresh capital AImotive has become the largest VC-backed company developing automated driving technology in Europe, with total funding of $75m.

Performance marketing agency, Journey Further, has teamed up with Europe’s first revenue-based finance provider, Uncapped, to offer performance marketing support to entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups across the continent.

Global financial services provider, iBanFirst which delivers solutions across banking borders, has announced that it will continue to expand with the help of venture capital funds Elaia and Bpifrance, through its growth capital fund Large Venture.