When people talk about startup success, they usually mean billion-dollar valuations, viral growth, or a big exit. But that version isn't helpful for most founders – it's too far in the future. There's another kind worth talking about: the work-in-progress kind. When you're learning and adapting – and both you and your investors see real reasons to keep going.

The Hustle Awards is back for 2026, and will be better than ever. The awards are the perfect opportunity for startups and businesses to showcase their achievements, gain industry recognition, and celebrate all of the great work they are doing! Entries open on the 12th January, so take some time to explore the categories, and decide which ones you want to enter.

Determined problem solver Natalie Dowsett is about to supply thousands of off-road vehicles to Africa, to support a new transport service arrangement she has helped to introduce for farmers and traders.

IVFmicro, the University of Leeds spinout improving the success rate of IVF treatment by enhancing the quality and number of embryos in a cycle, has raised £3.5 million in pre-seed funding. The investment is led by Northern Gritstone, with support from Innovate UK Investor Partnerships Programme, and will be used by IVFmicro for its next verification and validation phase, leading to trials on human embryos in fertility clinics.

Gracia AI, the London-based company building the first production-ready infrastructure for 4D Gaussian Splatting (4DGS), has announced $1.7 million in funding from a group of top-tier funds and angel investors, including EWOR and one of the original pioneers behind NeRF. With this new round, Gracia positions the company as one of the fastest-growing players in an industry that barely existed two years ago.

European small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are rapidly integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their operations, driven by economic pressures, competitive demands, and the promise of greater productivity. However, new research from Sharp Europe, a leading provider of business technology products and services, reveals that while 72% of UK SME owners now trust AI more than they did a year ago, concerns remain about the workforce’s ability to keep up.

The org chart as we know it is obsolete. We’ve entered an era where creativity, code, and content are no longer separate skills, they’re part of the same toolkit.

With the news that Tim Cook will step down as CEO of Apple, the debate about choosing a successor has sparked a wave of opinions. Whether you are running a Fortune 500 company or leading a team of 50, the core principles of succession planning stay the same. Yet many founders never think about it until they have to, or the idea feels too overwhelming to tackle. I have broken down how to approach this in a practical way, how to ensure a smooth transition, and why putting values at the centre of the decision will always set you up for long term success.

The UK and Canada have agreed a deal to strengthen technology ties at a G7 Ministerial meeting, accelerating digitalisation for public services through tackling outdated technology, cyber threats, and driving growth with AI adoption among SMEs.

Even with the right timing and planning, expansion can fail without disciplined execution. Entering a new market isn’t about opening an office and hoping for the best. It’s about legal preparation, founder-led leadership, carefully chosen hires, smart partner choices, and a tailored GTM war plan.

Let’s be clear: you’re not invisible. You’re showing up on social media, you’re emailing your list, your clients and customers love what you do. You’re being seen.

December has a funny way of reminding us that speed doesn’t always equal progress. As founders, we often sprint toward the end of the year, trying to squeeze in every unfinished task, every last-minute goal, every ‘quick’ job that we meant to do months ago. But rather than hurtling toward the end of December at full speed, sometimes the most powerful, productive move you can make is to pause, plan, and realign before stepping into the new year. And for many startups, that moment of realignment starts with one pivotal decision – learning to delegate and onboarding the right support.

Mollie, one of Europe's fastest-growing financial service providers, has signed an agreement to acquire GoCardless. The strategic combination creates one provider serving over 350,000 businesses that integrates card payments, local methods, and bank payments into a single solution. 

2025 is coming to a close, and what a year it has been! The end of year brings with it reflections on the year just passed, and what better way to wrap up the year than with a list of our top podcast episodes this year.

Imagine trying to crack a complex code – but you’ve got no map, no hint, and no idea whether you’re even working on the right puzzle. That’s how many people feel at work today.

Imposter Syndrome is rife, and startups can feel the impact more than most.

Markets are breaking down, technology is shapeshifting beyond recognition, and ‘business as usual’ is becoming an increasingly unviable path. The fuels that once propelled businesses to success, scale above all else, mechanical efficiency, and unconditional growth, are now liabilities disguised as virtues. The next five years will demonstrate that the biggest threat to a healthy, functioning business isn’t competition, but irrelevance.

When people hear I went from founding Whisk.com (a recipe-tech startup that I sold to Samsung) to GitLaw (an AI legal startup founded recently with $3 million funding), they usually ask how those two things are related.

2026 is set to be a busy year for UK SMEs, bringing some of the most significant legal and regulatory shifts in recent times – including tighter payment rules, new transparency standards, and digital-first tax and reporting reforms.

A 15-year Impact Study of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) UK programme reveals alumni have created approximately £2.7bn in additional revenue and 41,000 additional new jobs across the UK.