Combining cutting-edge thin-film technology with a commitment to eco-friendly production, BTRY, a Swiss-based venture founded by Dr Moritz Futscher, Dr Abdessalem Aribia, and Dr Yaroslav Romanyuk is seeking to reignite how batteries are made and used by taking a novel approach to design and sustainability.

Uncaged Innovations, a biomaterial startup company co-founded by CEO Stephanie Downs and Dr. Xiaokun Wang, is taking on the challenge of changing people’s perception of leather and sustainability – redefining what luxury means with its durable, plant based biomaterial. 

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is gaining recognition among many businesses serving the EU market as a key driver of circularity and sustainability. 

With landmark initiatives announced to forge new frontiers in Europe’s digital sovereignty, including the €200bn AI pledge and unprecedented emphasis on quantum, cloud, semiconductors and data storage, a sense of urgency is sweeping across the continent to reimagine the status quo and reshape critical tech infrastructures.

Vinted Group, the parent company behind Europe’s well-known C2C second-hand marketplace, Vinted, has opened a new chapter in its growth story with the launch of Vinted Ventures. This is a dedicated investment arm backing the next generation of startups to accelerate re-commerce and reshape consumer behaviours in favour of second-hand.

A major new survey, from legal intelligence platform Robin AI, has revealed a severe lack of trust in the legal industry. Just one in 10 people across the US and UK said they fully trust law firms, but while increasingly open to AI-powered legal services, few are ready to let technology take over without human oversight.

Onstage (previously known as Focal), the hub for early-stage fundraising, has new data showing the top traits VCs look for in founders when investing. Although youth entrepreneurship remains strong, with 60% of European Gen Zs planning to start a business in the next 3-5 years, founders who were serial entrepreneurs or had prior product or investment experience were more likely to attract VC attention than those who didn’t.

In collaboration with Infineon Technologies AG, startup Geomorphing Detection (GMD) has developed a system that uses radar sensors to continuously monitor streams and rock movements in the Alps. The innovation has the potential to reduce the impact of extreme weather and climate-related events and protect people and infrastructure.

The Pharma Partnering US Summit 2025 is scheduled to take place on May 14–15 at the San Diego Marriott Del Mar. This premier international event aims to bring together senior executives and professionals from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries to engage in discussions on business development, licensing deals, R&D collaborations, investments, fundraising, alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and other deal-making opportunities within the broader pharma-biotech ecosystem.

Five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, new research from Funding Circle reveals the lasting impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain.

Vanta has announced new ways to help organisations confidently demonstrate AI security and evaluate AI risk across their ecosystem.

KETS Quantum Security has completed development of a security-hardened and scalable quantum key distribution (QKD) prototype.

Ulla Technology has secured £500,000 in private investment to unveil Ulla, an AI-powered assistant designed to revolutionise meeting management. The innovative tool transforms how businesses in law, government, accounting, and corporate services manage meetings, enhancing productivity while prioritising data security with a privacy-first approach.

As major corporations reinstate return-to-office mandates, smaller and more agile companies are taking a different path. While Amazon, Apple, and other large employers ask workers to resume full-time office presence, startups across Europe and beyond continue to embrace remote and hybrid models, not as a short-term fix, but as a deliberate growth strategy.

Large companies like Google are pulling employees back to the office in hybrid arrangements, requiring staff on-site at least three days a week. Many corporate leaders fear that productivity or culture will suffer if people aren’t physically together.

Risk management has long been the Achilles’ heel of business strategy. Even with sophisticated forecasting models, businesses have often struggled to identify and action potential disruptions before they have impacted performance.

Elevating a business from startup to scaleup is something research widely suggests will only be achieved by around one in 200. That means, of the 900,000 companies which launched in 2023, only 4,500 will reach that next level of success.

UK SME confidence in growth opportunities is currently riding high. Today, more than three-quarters (87%) of SME decision-makers plan to invest in their businesses in 2025 and two-thirds (66%) expect their sales to rise over the next six months – a notable uptick in sentiment.

GITEX ASIA x Ai Everything Singapore showcased Southeast Asia’s position among the world’s fastest-rising and most vibrant innovation hubs for a third time on Friday as this year’s critically acclaimed first edition concluded in thrilling fashion. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and KAOUN International in affiliation with GITEX GLOBAL, the Asian inaugural edition of the world’s largest show took centre stage at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 23-25 April.

South Summit, the global platform that brings together all the players in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem at a global level, and Genyus School, the pioneering company and methodology in entrepreneurial education for children and young people, have formed an alliance to promote children’s entrepreneurship through the South Summit Kids Competition.