Starting a company and being a founder is stressful - especially in the current COVID-19 environment. Last year, 19% of all European founders said starting a company had a negative impact on their wellbeing, and a global pandemic will not bring that number down. However, mental health issues are not widely discussed in the startup ecosystem and beyond.

‘Homepreneurs’ are emerging across Britain during lockdown, as time at home and changing employment conditions have encouraged many to consider new opportunities and think creatively about the future.

Capita plc (‘Capita’) today announces the launch of Retain Cloud, a software-as-a-service workforce planning and management solution, for small and medium-sized (SME) companies.

The Dutch Fintech that already checks over 90% of Dutch payments with the IBAN-Name Check, SurePay, has announced the successful implementation of its UK Confirmation of Payee solution. NatWest Group chose SurePay as a vendor and partner to implement Confirmation of Payee. The service is already checking 25% of UK online Payments.

UK software company TAAP is helping companies small, medium and large businesses get up and running post lockdown with the TAAP Visitor Book app.  

Remote, a self-serve platform for global employment, announced that GitLab will use Remote to employ the best talent in the world with full local legal compliance.

International Supply Chain (ISC) platform transforming the global supply chain by connecting global supply with global demand, Mercado Labs has closed a $2.5m funding round led by Ironspring Ventures and joined by new investor Supply Chain Ventures.

Many businesses in the UK are both getting paid - and paying - later, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing a surge in late payments. According to the latest independent research from Close Brothers Asset Finance, three in five UK SMEs have experienced delays in receiving payments, while a significant number of business owners have admitted to being forced into delaying paying invoices.

A new index by Business Fibre has analysed 34 of the world’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) capital cities to find 2020’s best cities to be a tech student. The index has analysed each city according to metrics such as the number of universities offering technology and engineering courses, total tech companies and employees in each city, the monthly living cost and the top cities investing in tech-related research. An infographic is available here.

In light of the business loan scheme statistics out today, Stephen Kelly, Chair of Tech Nation has shared his thoughts.

New research from Santander UK reveals that a third (32%) of the UK’s SMEs who implemented changes plan to make their COVID-19 adaptations a permanent feature post-pandemic as almost half found they not only survived, but actually grew their customer base during COVID-19. The study – which polled 2,050 senior leaders in UK SMEs – suggests that the pandemic has driven long-term change to the way businesses operate.

With the acquisition of eSoftThings, an expert in the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), based in Cesson-Sevigne (Rennes metropolitan area, France), LACROIX Group has consolidated its R&D division already present in Brittany in the area and strengthened its positioning in the industrial IoT and AI, particularly in the field of connected vehicles.

Israeli medical startup, NanoVation has been awarded a €2.5m grant as part of the European Union’s prestigious Horizon 2020 EIC Accelerator program. The Haifa-based company is developing a new respiratory monitoring device, based on its proprietary nano-sensor technology.

Creator Fund, the university-focused venture capital fund, has released its “State of Student Startups” report, which gives a comprehensive national picture of what the UK’s best young minds are starting, and how to best support them. The report found that more than half of UK campus ventures have a foreign student founder.

Edinburgh-based startup, Boundary is preparing for the official launch of its smart home security system in August, and will use the funding to complete product testing and for its post-launch operations.

Ag-tech startup, Consumer Physics, is introducing SCiO Cup - according to the company it is the world’s fastest, portable, lab-grade forage dry matter analyser. The smartphone-operated device transforms feed analysis by enabling frequent dry matter analysis. SCiO Cup enables on-farm decision making ensuring consistent dry matter intake and reducing feed leftovers. In addition, SCiO Cup can be used on-field for planning silage harvest timing at optimal moisture levels.

With businesses across the world seeing the tangible benefits of a mobile workforce over the last few months, returning to the office may become temporary as working from home potentially becomes a new way of working, according to research collated by Instant Offices. 

Moneybox, the award-winning saving and investing app, today announces it has secured £30m in Series C funding earlier this year from existing investors including Eight Roads, and new investors Breega and CNP. Moneybox also reveals it now has £1bn in assets under administration, and announces plans to bring customers closer to its growth journey through an upcoming crowdfund.

Roundups is a new donation app that helps charities with their fundraising whilst the economy continues to battle through challenging times. The app links with users’ payment cards in order to round up their payments and donate pennies to their chosen charity as they spend.

White Castle has announced a planned pilot with Miso Robotics - creators of the autonomous grilling and frying kitchen assistant, Flippy - to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and robotics in the restaurant industry.