After two years of unparalleled business uncertainty, there’s finally a hint of spring in the air and wise technology start-ups are already putting out the feelers to ensure that a weak supply chain won’t hamper their businesses’ rapid growth. Supply chain isn’t their core expertise though, and distributors need to help to ensure that they can get their products into the hands of customers quickly, in line with their business plan.

Vistage, a business performance and leadership advancement organisation for small and medium sized businesses, released its quarterly UK SME CEO Confidence Index for Q1 2022. The report sees the business confidence index hit 99.3 points, a 18% decrease since the last quarter.

The cost of reusable packaging can be up to five times more than single use. However Again, a London-based clean-tech startup, is on a mission to shift billions of units of FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) packaging into the circular economy by building a decentralised network of automated, micro cleaning facilities, called CleanCells.

HOST, the Home of Skills and Technology, is on a mission to drive forward the next generation of MediaCity’s global capabilities and reach as it looks to harness new technologies in the creative digital industries.

Flexible workspace operator, beyond, has launched a new competition for London-based startups born out of the pandemic to win free space within its flagship beyond Aldgate Tower.

Economies around the world are in the throes of sky-high inflation. Interest rates are creeping up. There is a historic crisis in Europe, energy prices are rocketing, and supply chains are clogged. It’s a scary time to start a business. 

The vast majority of London tech companies still have hardly any female or BIPOC representation at board level, according to new research released today by Tech London Advocates.

As 2021 ended, Go North started their journey to become Europe's next unicorn. Amazon's incredible success is partly driven by third-party sellers, and the idea of aggregating these smaller brands under an operational umbrella to increase profitability has shown great success.

Startups face a raft of administrative obstacles they need to overcome quickly and cost-effectively. Adopting a federated approach to system architecture is an excellent example of a solution which is particularly appropriate for fledgling firms.

Ten companies focused on reducing carbon emissions and waste, preserving water and protecting ecosystems have been selected to take part in Microsoft’s AI for Environmental Sustainability Accelerator programme.

Satisfi Labs is the leading conversational AI platform for destinations and experiences. Conversational AI technology should be deployed to fill gaps on an org chart that humans are unable to fill, not step in front of a human who is too busy. We 

Not-for-profit organisation Fair For You has reported a fivefold increase in the number of families making applications for ethical credit after employing a multichannel strategy which makes it easier for customers to get in touch. 

London-based retailer agnostic mobile app Slip announces its £750k pre-seed fundraise to revolutionise the retail experience for both consumers and retailers ahead of its summer launch.

The vision for TestMe was initially born out of a frustration with the state of play in the education sector. We’re living at a time where we are constantly overwhelmed by new knowledge – we receive news alerts on our cell phones instantaneously, and we can source boundless information using search engines. This begs the question: how do we process all of this information? Generally, the sector has struggled to keep pace with these new developments. I believe that the way we share and consolidate knowledge should reflect the needs of the modern world.

Hylo, an athletic footwear startup based in the UK, has raised a Series A round of £2.5m. The round was led by Eka Ventures, with participation from Redrice Ventures and angel investors including Patrick Bamford, Leeds United and England footballer.

I have always considered startups an underutilised asset in manufacturing when it comes to furthering technological innovation. A survey of 100 manufacturing leaders by the Digital Catapult last year found that only 25% said that collaborating with start-ups was a priority in their short- and long-term business strategies, despite 82% reporting that they considered working with startups a way of accelerating digital transformation. In many situations startups offer access to a level of out-of-the-box thinking that is harder to come by in-house, and this is increasingly relevant in my industry.

The second edition of the global FoodTech Challenge, that seeks to find the next wave of technology innovations on the cusp of transforming traditional agriculture practices, efficiently and sustainably, was launched at the EXPO2020 Dubai, and 4th of April 2022, unveils the competition's pooled prize amount of $2m.

Leading Land Rover Defender specialist Twisted has taken the next step in expanding operations in the Middle East, with the opening of a new assembly workshop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Twisted USA-LLC Group division of North Yorkshire-based Twisted Automotive, was launched by entrepreneur and CEO Tom Maxwell in April 2020 and owns the licenses for Twisted North America, Twisted Middle East and Twisted EV. 

On Tuesday 26th April, 2022, Playfair Capital and 125 of the world’s leading venture capital funds, including Accel, Atomico, Balderton, Cherry, Creandum, Dawn, Notion, LocalGlobe, Point9, Octopus and Seedcamp will be holding remote office hours for more than 300 female founders from across Europe.

A common pain point for many SMEs is the misalignment between the Sales, Marketing, and Product functions. It usually grows with time and the company's size: Product Management gets attracted by features and technology, Marketing by social engagement, Sales by "quick wins". The ones who lose are the Customers, with a spiralling effect on the company performance.