UK FinTech Growth Partners will launch the FinTech Growth Fund, the first investment fund of its kind focused on supporting growth stage fintechs as they scale.

Phasecraft, a startup led by top academics developing quantum algorithms, has raised a £13 million Series A funding round led by Silicon Valley deeptech VC, Playground Global. AlbionVC also joined the round along with participation from existing investors Episode1, Parkwalk Advisors, LCIF, and UCL Technology Fund.

Integrated drug formulation and clinical trials company, BDD has secured a further round of investment for £2 million to aid the company’s expansion in response to growing demand for both its patented drug delivery technology and specialist clinical trial services.

Simply Business, one of the UK’s largest providers of small business insurance, has announced the launch of its annual Business Boost competition, which will award a £25,000 cash prize to the winner.

Rodez Aveyron Football (Rodez AF) has entered into a strategic collaboration with Wiremind to upgrade its ticketing management and operations. This partnership heralds a new era for the club's ticketing system, as they integrate the all-encompassing ticketing management platform, EVENTORI, into their existing system.

Brite Payments has announced that it has expanded its product coverage with the launch of open banking-powered instant payments and payouts in Denmark.

Small Business Saturday has revealed the twenty-one towns and cities it will visit on its next national roadshow, as the campaign gears up to highlight the nation’s most loved independents and calls on local business owners to get involved.

Global hygiene and health company Essity has partnered with FemTech Lab to support startups in the area of women’s health, hygiene and wellbeing this Autumn 2023. 

UK-based bio-tech business Clean Food Group has announced a further £2.3 million in funding to accelerate the commercialisation of its sustainable oils and fats technology. International investment has come from industrial food specialists Doehler Group and Alianza Team as the global food industry looks to invest in healthier and more sustainable food choices for future generations.

Quinas Technology, the spinout from Lancaster University formed to commercialise ULTRARAM memory, has been named as Best of Show in the Most Innovative Flash Memory Startup category at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, CA, the world's largest independent storage and memory conference.

Carbominer, a startup with a novel Direct Air Capture (DAC) approach, has announced completion of a pilot demonstration of their innovative 1-ton Direct Air Capture machine in collaboration with a prominent corporate partner. The demonstration took place in Vienna, Austria, and showcased improved results.

Momentum, the pioneering business event that bridges the gap between business needs and mindset support, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated return of "Momentum - A Night At The Museum." Building upon the resounding success of their inaugural event in January, Momentum is set to deliver an even more extraordinary experience for entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals seeking inspiration, growth, and valuable connections.

Elite Business, the business publication dedicated to inspiring Britain's SMEs, continues its nationwide tour broadcasting live for free at the UK's best expos.

Ukrainian-Portuguese startup HotBall aims to reduce inequality and make entrepreneurial knowledge more affordable by launching an AI consultant that helps create a comprehensive business plan in minutes. The team believes that students, aspiring founders, and small businesses will benefit from this tool.

Plastics are super-versatile and an essential part of our everyday lives, yet even today they often end up being incinerated. A more sustainable plastics economy is needed. Global plastics specialist igus is pursuing this goal with its “chainge" recycling platform, which recycles used energy chains. Now igus has invested in the startup company cirplus to pursue the common vision of closing the plastics loop and initiating a revolution in the trade of technical and standard thermoplastic recyclate or recycled plastic stock.

A survey conducted by Open Energy Market of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) at small businesses in the UK has shed light on a significant shift in the business landscape. CFOs are increasingly recognising the importance of sustainability projects and the positive impact they can have on both financial performance and long-term success.

While it may seem wise to cut back on spending during a business cycle contraction, counterintuitive moves can prove to be the most profitable. During economically uncertain times, as a demand shock occurs and spending drops to a minimum, businesses tend to cut their budgets, especially their marketing expenditures.

BlackDice, an emerging player in cybersecurity, is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to combat evolving cyber threats. The firm, headquartered in Leeds (UK), has recently expanded to Malaga (Spain), and is poised to reshape the cybersecurity scene with its innovative solutions.

HiBob, the company behind Bob, the HR platform transforming how organisations operate in the modern world of work, today announces it has been named to the Forbes 2023 Cloud 100. The list is the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

Blueshift Memory, designer of a novel proprietary high-speed memory architecture, has announced the successful completion of a 13-month R&D project to demonstrate the performance of its Cambridge Architecture, which was funded by an Innovate UK Smart grant.