Momentum keeps building for Birmingham Tech Week, running digitally 12-16 October, as big-name partners and speakers are formally announced today (6 October 2020) from across the tech, business and political spectrum.

As we enter the last quarter of 2020 I thought that it would be useful to take a look back at this extraordinary year and see what lessons can be learned from these truly remarkable circumstances. It has, after all, impacted on every business around the world in one way or another. Indeed, the impact has been so great that business, and the way that business is done, will never be the same again.

According to research from flexible office specialists, Workthere, 25-34-years-old are most likely to expect more flexibility in their typical working week in a post COVID-19 world.

To mark the start of the new academic year, OVHcloud is launching its 2020 Startup Program with applications open now.  Created in 2015, the programme has already supported more than 1,800 young companies around the world (including Ant Media and Global Data Sentinel) through an investment of over £5.5 million in infrastructure credits and development support. The launch of the 2020 programme reaffirms OVHcloud’s commitment to supporting young companies that put the cloud at the heart of their business model.

The unprecedented impact of the coronavirus pandemic has caused major disruptions between businesses, and those waiting for invoice payments have been left in the lurch. 

Workers would gain back an average of £4,168 of their time if they switched to home working permanently for a year, according to a new study from money.co.uk.

We are in an unprecedented time on a global scale. The Coronavirus pandemic has altered our way of life and caused anxiety to sweep across the nation. Not only in the population concerned with the health of themselves and their loved ones, we are in the middle of an employment crisis of its own merit.

Opening a new business during a period of economic and social crisis, such as the current pandemic, may seem like a risky venture and for certain sectors this may certainly be true. However, for those looking to launch a new tech project, particularly one that supports remote working or artificial intelligence, then there may have never been a better opportunity.

Allica Bank, the business bank dedicated to empowering small and medium-sized businesses to succeed, has continued its recent growth with a trio of senior fintech hires, strengthening its commitment to deliver expert banking for business Britain.

Nu Quantum has raised £2.1m in Seed funding in a round led by Amadeus Capital Partners. Ahren Innovation Capital, IQ Capital, Cambridge Enterprise and Martlet Capital have also followed-on from the company’s pre-Seed investment round last September, with Seraphim Capital joining as a new investor.

Global aerospace and defence accelerator, Starbust has announced its expansion into India to engage directly with vibrant local aerospace and defence startups and facilitate communication between aerospace and defence corporates and innovative startups within domestic and global landscapes.

Weather Flare is gearing up for their debut launch of their one-stop health app dedicated to supporting those suffering from chronic pain through immediate, tailored, and expert support. The intuitive app makes tracking and communicating chronic pain symptoms in relation to specific weather conditions easy, simple and accessible.

People all over the world are spending more time online and brands have quickly shifted their strategies to adapt to this new normal. However, all that time online means that consumers are now facing a barrage of visual clutter from competing companies. 

Red Bull Basement 2020 is a forward thinking initiative for student innovators in all areas of study to innovate, collaborate and help improve student life. The program, expanding to more countries than ever in its third year, encourages student entrepreneurs across the UK to take a look at all aspects of life on campus and in their communities, and imagine creative ways to do things better.

For the first time, an insurer in Spain – Admiral Seguros, the Spanish subsidiary of global insurer Admiral - is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create damage valuations and to generate an offer of immediate payment on damaged vehicles. 

Will working from home become the new normal? Yes, according to The Case for Remote Work, a new report from think tank, The Entrepreneurs Network, by innovation economist, Dr Matt Clancy. Reviewing a wide range of research from across economics and social science, it argues that the business case for remote work has improved significantly over the past decade.

Huboo, the UK full-stack, software driven fulfilment provider, has announced that it has raised £14m, led by European technology VC Stride. Founded in 2017, Huboo uses unique ‘micro hub’ technology to enable online retailers of all sizes - a £27bn market - to access a complete end-to-end fulfilment operation within minutes.

At Relative Insight, we’ve always held the conviction that language provides a critical source of insight that’s often overlooked, and our mission is to help our customers drive value from all those language data sources that they’ve got floating around in their organisations, not doing much.

It is estimated that less than one percent of all UK venture funding is awarded to all-female teams. A figure which Fund Her North -  a collective of 28 women with a combined investment power over £250m - just won’t accept for the 51% of women in the UK.

A London-based business growth agency is celebrating after recently scooping two prestigious awards in a week.