New research from Hilton shows that two thirds (66%) of those with a learning disability say their employers have not asked them what they need to succeed in their roles. As a result, nearly six in 10 (57%) feel like the company they work for isn’t equipped to support them.  

Gumtree, one of the UK’s most popular online marketplaces, has partnered with Mangopay to power its transformation from a traditional classifieds site into a fully transactional C2C marketplace.   

Marketing success has traditionally favoured big budgets and large teams. With the right strategy, small and midsize businesses can now build powerful, data-driven marketing engines that grow with them, using AI effectively to operate at scale. Valuable marketing starts with thinking, not tools. In this piece, Stephen Rumbelow, fractional CMO at The Marketing Centre, explores what this looks like in reality.

Any startup founder will tell you that the early years of building a business are defined by financial uncertainty. Cash flow is inconsistent. Revenue doubles one year, halves the next: that's just life in the startup trenches. You run lean, you hoard cash, and you survive on adrenaline. Your business is your baby, and every spare penny must be reinvested to fuel its growth.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare. From diagnostic imaging to patient monitoring, AI systems are being deployed to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and access to care. But in a field where lives are at stake, innovation cannot come at the expense of safety. This is why regulation in AI health technology is not a bureaucratic obstacle, but a foundation for trust and sustainable adoption.

Change isn’t easy. But here’s a secret: it isn’t rocket science either. In fact, the biggest obstacle isn’t technology, process, or even funding.  It’s people and sometimes, the loudest messages about how people are responding to change come not in words, but in silence.

octonomy, the German-founded AI company building agentic systems for complex enterprise support and service workflows, has announced the successful completion of a new seed round totalling $20 million, led by Macquarie Capital Venture Capital, with participation from Capnamic, NRW.Bank, and theTechVision Fund. This brings octonomy’s total funding to $25 million since its founding 15 months ago.

In a world where AI is rewriting the rules of work, Beyond School is launching to meet the moment. A new platform designed to equip young people with the skills, confidence, and connections they need to thrive.

Global manufacturing strategies are undergoing a fundamental shift. Tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions have exposed vulnerabilities in traditional manufacturing hubs, particularly in China. As a result, companies are increasingly looking toward Europe, not just as a market, but as a strategic centre for high-tech 
manufacturing.

Small businesses are embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI), utilising its accessibility to optimise processes and unlock efficiencies. Resource-intensive and time-consuming tasks such as Research and Development (R&D) can be fast-tracked, shortening time to market and accelerating growth. However, entrepreneurs and innovators need to tread carefully if they want to maintain a competitive edge.

Just three years after Open AI captured the world’s attention with the release of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing the way that scaleup companies innovate, operate, and compete. Despite this, one area has so far avoided serious discussion, namely how AI could transform corporate governance and provide a competitive edge.

Vanta, the AI-powered trust management platform, today released its third annual State of Trust Report, an in-depth analysis uncovering trends in AI, security, compliance, and trust from a survey of 3,500 IT and business leaders across the US, UK, France, Germany, and Australia.

Most founders signing their first office lease are thinking about desk layouts, internet speeds, and how the space will look on Instagram. What they're not thinking about is the stack of legal obligations that comes with those keys. Beyond sorting out insurance and fire certificates, there's a surprisingly easy requirement to miss: workplace safety signage.

Simon Sansome, the creator of Snowball, a startup mobile app that describes itself as ‘the Trip Advisor for the disabled community’, secured backing from all five moguls on the hit BBC show, Dragons’ Den.

Frankie Bridge, CEO and Founder of Faves, began her career in the spotlight at just 12 years old. She never imagined her passion would evolve into a long-standing pop career. From her early days in S Club Juniors to continued success in The Saturdays, Frankie has remained a familiar face in the public eye.

The NatWest Accelerator programme has undergone a significant transformation, building on a decade of success supporting entrepreneurs across the UK. As part of its evolution, the bank saw an opportunity to modernise the programme, making it more accessible and relevant to a wider audience of founders.

Honest Mobile, the UKʼs top-rated B Corp challenger mobile network, will appear on Dragonsʼ Den at 8pm on Thursday 30th October 2025 on BBC One and iPlayer.

Many founders overestimate launch day. They spend months on building, testing, polishing – and expect that when they finally hit publish, people will notice it straight away. But they usually don’t – not because the product is bad, it’s because no one has a reason to care yet.

For UK business leaders, the outlook for 2026 is cautiously optimistic yet undeniably complex. Growth forecasts hover just above one percent, while global tensions, high costs and the relentless advance of AI keep many plans in flux.

Small business sales and jobs are still growing but losing momentum following a reasonable start to the year, according to the latest Xero Small Business Insights (XSBI) data from Xero, the global small business platform.