The business landscape in 2024 is fraught with challenges, including economic uncertainty, technological shifts, and evolving consumer preferences. SMEs are struggling to keep up with the dynamic market. As a result, many risk falling behind.

According to iwoca’s latest Q2 2024 SME Expert Index, nearly three-quarters (73%) of SME finance brokers are optimistic about the future of small businesses. The survey reflects a positive shift in outlook among brokers for the UK’s 5.5 million SMEs, with optimism up 3 percentage points from Q1 2024 and 6 points from Q4 2023. Only 8% of brokers express pessimism about the business environment.

Opportunity North East (ONE) has teamed up with Barclays Eagle Labs and CodeBase to launch the EnergyTech Bridge Programme, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at supporting businesses in expanding into new markets, scaling internationally, and driving innovation in the transition to cleaner, greener energy through digital technology.

iDenfy, a Lithuania-based RegTech solutions provider best known for its variety of KYC tools, has launched a new Face Authentication service. The new technology is designed to detect fraudulent biometrics and add extra protection without unnecessary friction to the end user.

To commemorate the reunion of British 90s music legends Oasis, we take a look back at the British companies that were founded alongside Oasis in 1991, and the impact they have made on the technology sector.

Wayve, a startup specialising in Embodied AI for autonomous driving, has announced a strategic partnership with Uber, the global mobility and delivery platform.

Cue, a provider of customer service software, has launched its highly anticipated AI Agents. Following its $2 million raise earlier this year, this innovation by Cue empowers businesses to automate routine inquiries, personalise customer interactions, and deliver exceptional service at scale. 

Any startup can strategise extensively, but it will never grow without increasing sales. There are effective ways to achieve this, but also many pitfalls to avoid along the way. Let’s focus on those pitfalls.

When a startup grows, the way that data is handled needs to evolve with it. At the beginning, when just starting to build the business, it is easy to set data responsibilities aside, however, the responsibilities will grow as the business develops and someone will need to be in charge of this.

According to recent forecasts from Gartner, global cybersecurity spending is expected to surge by over 15% in 2025, reaching an unprecedented $212 billion. This substantial increase is primarily fueled by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and a growing demand for cloud and consultancy services.

It was a cold and stormy night, in the economic climate, and all those entrepreneurs sat in small houses with big dreams were debating whether or not this was a good time for them to START their business.

Cultivating a wealth mindset is essential for business success if you want to achieve your worth and charge what you deserve to earn. I work with clients who have, for years, undervalued and undersold themselves, but by practising manifestation techniques and determining their value I have helped them skyrocket their incomes and turnover.

British FinTech, Lemon, which specialises in SaaS finance for SMB’s has announced a strategic partnership with WiserFunding, a pioneer in alternative data for credit risk assessment.

Latitude59, the premier startup and technology event in the Baltic States, is expanding its global footprint by hosting a satellite event in Nairobi, Kenya. This move comes after a record-breaking event in May that drew over 4,000 participants from more than 60 countries to Tallinn, Estonia.

Ampersand, one of Africa’s electric vehicle energy tech companies, has secured additional equity funding, bringing its total raised in the past year to $21.5 million. This strong financial backing highlights growing investor confidence in Ampersand’s mission to electrify Africa’s vast motorcycle market.

Google Cloud is collaborating with Spoon Guru to bring AI-powered insight to shoppers who suffer from allergies and food intolerances.

A recent study has highlighted a significant gap between the enthusiasm for AI innovation and the infrastructure needed to support it. Despite 91% of tech leaders recognising AI as a crucial opportunity to transform their organisations, many are unprepared for the demands it will place on their systems.

Capgemini has announced an agreement to acquire Syniti, a provider of enterprise data management software and services, including platform and migration solutions with a global presence. This acquisition will strengthen Capgemini’s data-driven offerings, particularly in large-scale SAP transformations, such as migrations to SAP S/4HANA.

DeSci Labs has secured $6.5 million in seed funding to develop the infrastructure for a traceable digital version of the scientific record. Supported by prominent investors, this software engineering startup has reached key R&D milestones to launch DeSci Publish, the first open-source, peer-to-peer platform for scientific publishing.

In this article, Lauren Neal discusses her journey as a woman in STEM, and the ways that companies can foster equality.