According to McKinsey, more inclusive and diverse organisations are 35% more likely to outperform their competition. Also, they tend to capture new markets more effectively than their counterparts. However, diversity is still an issue in the UK workforce. Almost half of employees feel that their employers are not doing enough to achieve the right balance.

It’s an irony for small businesses that when it comes to finance, the more they need it, the less there is. With interest rates up for a fourth consecutive time in May and inflation forecast to be as high as 10% by the end of 2022 – a 40-year high – the economic outlook is highly uncertain. Traditional lenders are nervous and wary of increasing lending to SMEs, which already saw their debt rise by a quarter during the pandemic, and it’s no longer just struggling businesses that have a hard time securing funding.

Congratulations startup founder: you’ve had the lightbulb idea, built a game-changing solution, developed a killer product and you’re finally market-ready. But now comes the hardest part: getting your solution out of stealth mode and into the waiting hands of your target customers. 

Trustly, the leading global payments platform for digital Account-to-Account transactions (A2A) today announces the acquisition of the UK-based Open Banking Payments platform Ecospend. Ecospend’s strong UK A2A product and full bank connectivity will complement and enable Trustly to deliver a market-leading product in the UK, and further accelerate its UK roll-out – one of Europe’s most rapidly growing A2A regions and a core growth market for Trustly.

The pressure on firms struggling to hire staff is at an all-time high. According to the latest ONS labour market statistics released in May (2022), for the first time since records began, there are fewer unemployed people than job vacancies. Businesses say they are willing to pay more for the right individuals, but finding suitable people to employ seems like an impossible task. Faced with such challenges, how can startups increase their chances of securing the talent they desperately need to grow? 

Being different is no bad thing. But it can be scary – and also pretty unpopular. This is especially true for purpose-led businesses where you may be trying to solve a problem for an underserved community, whether that’s people of a certain gender, sexuality, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, or another underrepresented group.

Sunday 5 June is Cancer Survivors’ Day. This is a timely reminder that cancer is often survivable, given the right lifestyle, screening, diagnosis, and care. All of which are factors that employers are in a position to support.

 

Social media influencers can and regularly do help startups reach new audiences. It’s (mostly) a legitimate form of marketing, with some important caveats relating to disclosure and conflicts of interest. And some influencers get very well paid for doing it. In most cases, they charge a fair fee for introducing startups, new brands and products to new audiences.

VRJAM, a leading multiverse platform for live entertainment, has unveiled the first artists to join its Creator Guild. VRJAM will offer live virtual reality and interactive content across streaming platforms, websites, VR and mobile devices powered by blockchain technology. 

We are thrilled to announce that star of Live at The Apollo, Laura Lexx will be our host for the Hustle Awards. 

A new campaign has been launched/today Tuesday June 7, which offers small businesses across the UK a unique opportunity to grow their business by winning advertising investment worth £100,000.

London-based Future Health Works (FHW), known for its patient engagement platforms myrecovery and msk.ai, has been acquired by Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company (HOPCo).

Tobias Hauser joins Limbic as its Head of Computational Psychiatry.

HumanForest, a sustainable micro-mobility platform, recorded the highest ever usage of its electric bikes in London last month. It is expecting the numbers to continue to grow, as it opens more London Boroughs and launches the first of its cycle training academies.

MORE than ten Blackpool businesses are helping over 8,000 people across the Fylde Coast workforce through a mental health pledge.

The UK Financing Gap report, published today by a leading European venture capital firm, Lakestar, reveals the £1.5 trillion financing gap needed to triple the UK’s GDP growth.

Findable, the Oslo-based startup that automates building documentation using Artificial Intelligence (AI), has raised a €2m seed round led by KOMPAS, with participation by Construct Venture and Malling & Co Venture.

Since the pandemic the workplace has shifted from just a binary space with shiny laptops, desks and meeting rooms to a metaphysical area with its own philosophy. Attention is now turning to the workspace of the future – what will new employees want and need from their company? Let’s dive into the future of offices with the Head of Marketing AdChampagne – Andrew Bobrow.

African business leaders are expecting the entrepreneurial spirit to take off across the continent over the next three years on the back of an improved environment for business and greater political stability, new research for blockchain-based mobile network operator World Mobile shows.

Great developers, brilliant dev tools and even AI help product teams to build – worse apps than ever.