As we approach ISE 2024, we aim to underscore the significance of audiovisual (AV) technology for SMEs and startups, as well as the shifts that have influenced the industry since the onset of COVID. Previously exclusive to large organisations and specialists, AV technology is now indispensable for many growing businesses.

The key task of a leader is to articulate purpose and ambition in a way that speaks effectively to others, building commitment, motivation and action. Every individual you lead needs to feel included and be crystal clear on their contribution to achieving the purpose and goals that have been set.

For startups and entrepreneurs, turning a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) into a marketable product is a complex undertaking requiring technical refinement, business model alignment, and access to capital. A PoC demonstrates an idea’s core feasibility, but lacks optimisation essential for manufacturing, distribution, and support at scale.

Before a startup invests a significant amount of money to enter the market with a groundbreaking and hopefully successful concept, it’s crucial to validate whether potential customers truly need an idea and are ready to embrace it. This is where a prototype of a future product can play a pivotal role. However, there are many potential pitfalls.

The UK’s relationship with Japan continues to grow stronger, as the two island nations’ governments join forces in crucial areas of innovation and economic development, encouraging their businesses to work closely together for mutual benefit.

Private Scottish aerospace company, Skyrora, is dedicated to becoming the first UK private orbital launcher from UK soil.

In the ever-evolving landscape of startup manufacturing, transitioning from concept to production requires astute decision-making and adaptability. 3D printing has proven invaluable for prototyping plastic parts, offering rapid iteration, design flexibility, and a tooling-free process.

The next article in this series of Technology Briefings for entrepreneurs, we show how technology startups can deploy secure IoT devices by carefully considering cyber security at the early stage of the design process, protecting devices and networks by design.

IMRO, the Irish based, international performing rights organisation, has announced a partnership with Audoo, the music recognition technology company on a mission to revolutionise public performance royalty distribution.

Finnish hyperspectral satellite and AI insights company Kuva Space has secured a €1.8 million contract to join the European Space Agency's (ESA) Civil Security from Space (CSS) programme. The company will provide advanced hyperspectral situational awareness information to monitor and address civil security and crisis situations.

Over the past few years, health and wellbeing support has become increasingly important to potential employees when choosing a company to join, as reported by 34% of employers in the latest study from Towergate Health & Protection.

That’s a wrap on another edition of SME XPO, with the 2024 event attracting nearly 4447 visitors over two dynamic days of networking, learning, and collaboration.

Lipstick on a pig – a phrase used for decades to describe “making superficial or cosmetic changes to a product in a futile effort to disguise its fundamental failings”, according to Wikipedia. This applies to a scary amount of marketing out there.

About:Energy, an innovator in battery development software has announced its partnership with McMurtry Automotive, an innovator in electric vehicles, to further enhance the battery technology for their McMurtry Spéirling and Spéirling PURE customer cars.

South Summit Startup Competition Madrid, 2024, co-organised by IE University, is growing globally. The hundred startups that have entered the final phase of the competition have been chosen through a rigorous selection process from more than 4,700 applications from all over the world, a figure that reflects the global profile of the competition. In fact, 81% of the applications come from outside Spain.

Showerkap, a UK-based tech startup, has developed a water management system that allows organisations to monitor and conserve water usage while encouraging users to adopt more sustainable habits that decrease water consumption, carbon emissions, and costs.

Insurtech firm PeppercornAI has successfully secured £3.25 million in its recent funding round.

In the fast-paced landscape of entrepreneurship, where competition is fierce and success is hard-won, startup leaders must heed a crucial call: it's time to discard the façade and embrace the unvarnished truths essential for thriving in this demanding arena.

NatWest has recently extended its inaugural mass-market Intellectual Property-backed loan to Sci-Net, a rapidly expanding software enterprise located just outside Oxford, in Chipping Norton.

AstroLabs, the Gulf’s leading business expansion platform, is pleased to announce the launch of Najm, the first AI-powered Saudi expansion consultant chatbot. The AI technology is designed to offer customised assistance by providing timely, accurate insights, allowing users to tap into vast knowledge repositories related to various aspects of business setup processes in Saudi Arabia, ranging from licensing and softlanding to regulatory frameworks.