AO, the online electricals store, and L Marks, leading advisor in applied innovation and experienced investor in early-stage technologies, have partnered in a global search 'for the next digital disruptors who will make online shopping easier and faster for its customers'.

Last week’s article focussed on Business Plans; what should be in them and why you should write one. One of the key pieces of information required is of course sales figures, both actual numbers for historic sales and those forecast for the future. It is also very important to include the assumptions and how you market your goods in order to achieve those sales. It is those subjects that I am going to focus on this time.

Over the last five articles I have tried to set the scene in terms of outlining what help is available to early stage businesses, and certain aspects of finance, including a valuable but often overlooked tax refund. In this article and the next I wanted to focus on two fundamental issues that will determine how your business develops and how you grow sales.

South-By-Southwest is an annual assemblage of conferences and festivals that takes place in Austin, Texas in early March to celebrate the convergence of film, music, interactive and other industries. Created to foster both professional and personal growth across multiple levels, the ten-day event prides itself on truly being all things to all people.

In the last two articles in this series I have looked at various aspects of finance and this time I am going to stay with the financial theme but from a very different angle – tax. But tax is a very broad topic and I wanted to focus on one unusual aspect of the UK tax system, and that is R&D (research and development) tax credits, and it is unusual in the fact that this time it is HMRC giving you money rather than taking it.

If you are an engineering startup and proud raise your hand! It is nearly a year since the first issue of Startups Magazine, and if it has opened my eyes up to one thing, it is that there are a lot of you startups out there – which is a great thing!

There is not enough diversity in the technology sector as a whole. At London Tech Week, Mike Butcher editor at Tech Crunch, said this year’s figures show that in the tech industry 20% is made up by females, and that has dropped from 33% in 2002.

There is a massive stigma out there that certain careers are for boys and others are for girls. But why?

2018 was 'the year of engineering', and arguably a year that allowed more women to make even more of a breakthrough in the industry.

So far in the series I have looked at some of the different types of assistance that is available to a startup and also about what benefits working with a Mentor can bring and how you should be trying to maximise those benefits. 

Founded in 2009 by four graduates, Bare Conductive has already launched two successful Kickstarter campaigns. Startups Magazine talks with with Isabel Lizardi, CCO and co-founder.

15Gifts was started seven years ago by founder, Tom Cox, when he had the idea to create the first intelligent gift finding engine.

According to research from King's College London, over 9,000 Londoners are dying early every year as a result of toxic air.

French startup Electrosmart sets out to increase people's awareness of electromagnetic radiation.

Jane Henry, co-founder of Marylebone Difference Marketing shares some words of PR wisdom for startups.

In 2015, Nicolas Gambini decided to create the world's first autonomous underwater drone. Four years later, meet iBubble.

Has our love affair with our phones reached obsession? Maybe it's time to get some space and find a new phone/life balance with SPACE app.

Launched on Kickstarter, this startup was supported by 3,140 backers who pledged a total of €313,637 to bring this project to life.

Co-Founders and CEOs of Apptimisation, Clara Toombs and Monica Pal first met in Japan whilst indulging in their shared passion for travel and it was there that they realised that they both had complimentary skill sets with which to provide fellow solo travellers with means to connect.

When you’re travelling around the UK and spending hundreds of pounds on train tickets, you expect a good rail service. You expect trains to arrive on time and no unexplained cancellations. Unfortunately, for many travellers it has become something of a rarity to see the 5.34pm train from London to Birmingham arrive on time… if it even arrives at all!

When I first heard the name ‘Tonik', my first thoughts conjured up images of a large gin.

In this, the first of an occasional series, I will be passing on my thoughts and observations in my capacity as a Mentor and how accepting the help that is available to startup business can help transform them.

The French pavilion has dominated the Eureka Park at CES, and 2019 was no exception with the country represented by no less than 414 startups. However this year's CES saw Britain step up to the plate alongside its global counterparts, bringing along over 100 UK companies.

With the recent A-Level and GCSE results being released in the UK, let's look at the statistics  of young women studying STEM subjects. 

A recruitment startup that uses technology to enable people with disabilities to work as effectively as anybody else.

Startups Magazine chats with Magalie Belmo, Head of Marketing at Primo Toys.

We all know the feeling of buying the latest gadget, boasting two years of battery life, only to see it breaking down before the first year is up. 

Senior Associate at Autonomy Ventures in New York; board member of NYVC; advisor at Astia and Yeshiva University Women In Business; as well as the co-founder of Pivt, Lynn Greenberg discusses the opportunities in being a woman in tech.

Ben Hayes, Director of Grasp Brands, exposes the tech industry's big and costly branding problem.