Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, today announced the results of its annual Tech M&A Survey, which reveals dealmakers are cautiously optimistic about 2023 and view 2022 as a year of reset. Through the first three quarters of 2022, tech, media, and telecom (TMT) deals announced worldwide were worth a combined $887.4 billion, which is behind 2021’s historic run but well ahead of 2020 and the years preceding. The new Morrison Foerster survey report, Cutting Edge: Tech M&A Is Powering Deal Markets, in conjunction with Mergermarket, also shows that the top driver for tech M&A deals over the next 12 months will be keeping pace with technological advances, mitigating risk through joint venture and club deals, and addressing concerns around antitrust, ESG, and shareholder activism.

Today (2nd November), cloud-based business phone system, CircleLoop, releases the ‘Recession-proof Index’, a new ONS data analysis which finds that businesses launching within the Health industry are likely to have the best chance of surviving the current recession, according to trends uncovered during the 2008 recession.

Plexal, the innovation company and co-working space, has opened a new office space in Shoreditch to support the growth of Hackney’s local business community. 

With many UK singletons looking to ‘reset’ their relationship and dating lives, amongst a sea of challenging online behaviour, fake profiles, and inauthentic connection, ZiP Video Dating app has launched with a promise of ‘what you see, is what you get’ - via in-app video profiling designed to combat ‘catfishing’, inaccurate imagery and promote inclusivity and safety.

Darwinium, a pioneering new Customer Protection Platform, has today announced a seed funding round of $10 million USD led by Venture Capitalist firm Blackbird alongside Airtree. The initial funding round, raised to elevate the global launch of the company into the security and fraud sector, will be targeted towards both product and customer expansion. Additional funding was supported by several prominent angel investors including Naval Ravikant and Jeff Fagnan.

Europe’s largest business show is back for 2022, returning to London’s ExCeL on the 16th & 17th of November! The Business Show is a deep-dive course in how to grow SMEs and Startups, equipping you with all the industry knowledge and tips that are available. The unmissable 44th edition of the show will get you a step closer to success, giving you access to like-minded individuals and limitless networking opportunities. Don’t miss out on the 750 exhibitors, 200 seminars and masterclasses that we have on offer.

Admiral Money - a subsidiary of Admiral Group PLC, a specialist in car insurance, home and travel insurance, insurtech, personal loans and legal services - has chosen OCR Labs Global as its digital identity verification provider to enhance and accelerate its onboarding process.

We have just come out of a period where anything sexy... was, well sexy. All sorts of new tech was getting funded. Think metaverse, NFTs, socks that pause the TV when your pizza arrives, you name it, if it was disruptive then people wanted it.

It’s no secret that women have been underrepresented in tech for some time, and this trend shows no sign of slowing. A 2022 EY survey reveals that only 56% of women in fintech feel that their firm is diverse. Some progress has been made in this field, but it’s clear that there’s still a long way to go. EY calls for better support for female founders; more inclusive working environments, and targeted recruitment drives.

Harper, a company pioneering new science in mental health, from identification to personalised care, is launching Tune by Harper. The first of its kind, Tune’s wellness kit uses a lollipop to test saliva for multiple evidence-based markers of health, providing an accurate and objective measure of wellbeing when combined with digital assessments.

After growing a business, there will come a time when any founder must build a team to take the company to the next level. However, it can be difficult to recruit and to know what to look for in candidates at such a crucial stage. In addition, building a team requires entrepreneurs to become leaders, an evolution that can be as difficult as knowing who to hire.

Curating content to optimise leads is a cost effective tactic for lean marketing budgets. And what’s more, Google’s recent core web vital update has placed engaging, relevant and quality website copy as a major factor in its search criteria. 

Thirty-one per cent of employers have no plans to offer fertility support, according to new research1 undertaken during September 2022 by digital health app, Peppy. Peppy believes this approach may have a detrimental impact on an employer’s ability to both attract and retain staff of child-bearing age, as well as reflect poorly on their overall brand.

After celebrating and showcasing the founders of two incredible survivors of domestic abuse at her sell out personal and business development event at Manchester United earlier this month, (local) entrepreneur, Dani Wallace, is now opening her doors to other survivors, having officially launched her lifelong passion project, The Fly Anyway Foundation.

Collctiv, a group payment app that allows friends, families, businesses, charities, and community groups to collect money together, has launched today in  the USA.   

: More than a quarter of Brits now make the majority of their purchases online - an increase of 18% when compared to shopping pre-pandemic, according to new data. 

Venture Capital firm, QVentures announces key management hires and appoints Andrea Acerbi as Partner. New senior hires to the QVentures team are Ranjeet Sandu, joining as Chief Operating Officer and Nick Hill, joining as Principal to expand QVentures’ footprint of working with Family Offices.

Nineteen extraordinary women from across the country have been unveiled as the 2022 finalists in the UK’s leading programme for female entrepreneurs. Now in their 20th year, the everywoman Awards in association with BGF, celebrate female entrepreneurs from all walks of life, providing a platform for them to share their achievements, challenges, and stories of success. From the founders of multi-million-pound empires to those spearheading social enterprises for the greater good, this year’s finalists are the role models whose success will inspire future generations of female entrepreneurs. Selected from nearly a thousand entries, the finalists’ stories tell of success in the face of adversity, innovative ways to solve business challenges and an appetite for business growth.

If you’ve recently started a business and you’re now looking to grow, the time will soon come where you may look to expand your team and your collective skillset to improve your chances of success.  

Whilst 2022 has seen large falls in asset values across global financial markets – a consequence of persistent inflation and rising interest rates – clean energy infrastructure remains an attractive destination for investors, with record-high inflows year-to-date, according to industry executives from United Renewables and National Energy Holdings.