For any startup founder one of the hardest stages of the whole journey is developing a product to the testing phase, and then finding out if what you created can achieve what you had envisaged, and if not what changes need to be made.

It seemed only fitting that three year old startup, Florence, an online platform and app that connects care homes directly to nurses looking for extra shifts, be named after the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, otherwise known as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’.

Futrsm.pl is a tech-for-good platform designed to empower purpose-led entrepreneurs to do marketing better through a series of online tools and affordable expert support. It is an online Saas platform designed to empower purpose-led entrepreneurs to develop and deliver their own marketing strategy through a series of online tools and affordable expert support. The core package focuses on supporting socially-minded businesses that are bringing in a junior marketer as their first marketing hire. Providing a framework for both the company and the new start based on 90 days plans. The two inclusive monthly support sessions with a dedicated marketing expert to provide director-level practical strategic guidance throughout. A helping hand to get community changing businesses the brand presence they deserve.

Father and son duo, Liam and John Murphy have created mindfulness products for children with ADHD, after Liam’s family member developed it, and as a family they didn’t want to put him on the standard medication doctors usually prescribe to treat the problem.

Konglomerate games is a video games company specializing in providing healthcare and other serious game development or gamification services. What that means for us, is taking the best bits of video games and applying them to other non-video game scenarios like education, where the main focus isn’t only entertainment. Our current project is a video game designed around the physiotherapy care of children with cystic fibrosis.

As part of our 'Women in Tech' focus we got the chance to speak to Lisa Krapinger, CMO at breathe ilo, who started working in marketing at Red Bull, leading the sampling and promotion team in order to combine her passion for sports with her career. Krapinger then moved to Heineken in brand management, where she was responsible for promoting the cider brands in Austria through sponsorships and events. Krapinger said: "What I realised from these two roles was that I loved working to build new brands and products up from scratch - hence why Carbomed Medical Solutions GmbH was the perfect next step in my career path."

Startups Magazine recently spoke to Tsewang Wangkang and Frederick Szydlowski, Co-founders of Embargo, a loyalty platform that allows restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to recognise and reward their customers through the use of pioneering technology.

Hydration and fluids are argubaly not spoken about enough, and can be really serious issues relating to humans. Aquarate has been designed and founded by Rebecca Taylor, to redefine the way fluid balance is monitored within care to reduce hydration related illness and improve wellbeing.

It’s been a tough year for many sectors, and perhaps none more so than retail businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have accelerated what many considered inevitable: the move away from traditional, physical store shopping to online-only models. With once High Street stalwarts such as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Harrods announcing closures and job losses, it seems that the retail sector is about to undergo a huge shake-up - one where businesses will need to be innovative to survive. We caught up with The Shirt Society, a Manchester-based startup, which is the brainchild of local businessman Matt Bird, and has already been backed by renowned tech entrepreneur Scott Fletcher MBE.

As we carry on focusing on female founders and women in tech, we decided to catch up with Kristy Chong, CEO & Founder of Modibodi, a femtech startup that provides people of all ages and body types all around the world with access to reusable and sustainable underwear, swimwear, active wear and maternity wear.

These days, most businesses rely on just a few short, daily peaks to bring in most of their money. In order to do that, customer service needs to be top-notch. This starts with having great people and enough of them on the floor when things pick up. That is where Stint comes in, it helps companies to work smarter by connecting students with high street and hospitality businesses needing to fill shifts at peak times. We caught up with the two co-founders and learnt some more about the startup! 

Arguably one of the most difficult industries for a startup to break into is health tech, but often it is new ideas and solutions in the medical sector that end up being the most revolutionary.

With the upcoming issue focusing on Women in Tech and Female Founders, we decided to speak to a few females in the industry on their journey and experiences. Starting with Franziska Kirschner, Research lead at Tractable. "When I was a child, I wanted to become a dog when I grew up. I genuinely believed that science would progress far enough that I could change species by the time I reached adulthood. Unfortunately,  the world’s scientists had other ideas and their endeavours focused elsewhere, such as on making computers reason like humans. 

Here, Startups Magazine’s Lanna Cooper speaks to former NHS surgeon, Dr Owain Rhys Hughes, who handed in his stethoscope after 18 years in medicine to tackle the UK’s broken referrals system, which he noticed was costing the NHS valuable time, money and resources and was contributing to long waiting times.

A German-Dutch startup is testing a unique business model in Mbita, a small fishing town in Kenya. Torqeedo electric motors are hired out to the local fishermen for a monthly fee that includes training, maintenance, and a solar powered battery charging service.

We are in the year 2020, which means a lot of things. However, one major transition more people are turning to is sustainability and a meat-free world. Not just giving up meat as a food, but all animal based products, however, this can prove difficult when it comes to clothing and the fashion industry.

Your face can be developed in a natural way from the comfort of your couch. It is no longer determined only by genetics! 

A new wellness and health startup has set out to tackle sleep disorders and anxiety with a new product known as the weighted blanket.

With heat-based illnesses such as heat stroke, current medical care often consists of an immediate emergency ice bath. However, an ice bath is anything but portable, and so Matt Anderson, Founder of Cryogenx, came up with a solution to help aid heat stroke or similar illnesses by essentially transporting the ice bath to you, which turns out can be lifesaving.

It's no secret that the fintech sector is booming. Here, Startups Magazine speaks to David Nicol, CEO and Co-founder of fintech startup, LedgerEdge, which is providing a new ecosystem for the exchange of data and assets in the corporate bond market, on the challenges of launching a new firm in this sector.