The world feels upside down, right? Mankind is not meant to stay locked inside. We need wide spaces, open-air, opportunities and horizons. As the world stopped and placed us in a timeless lethargy we find it hard to remain optimistic. The same question goes round and round in our heads as we stare at the azure of the sky through the window: How is Coronavirus affecting the future of work?

Eleven startup companies from Bristol’s world-leading tech scene have been announced to pitch and demo their innovative products at SETsquared Bristol’s Tech-Xpo 2020.

As spring turns into summer and the fears of lockdown turn into the uncertainties of release, many early stage companies are effectively having to start all over again, either because they have been temporarily closed and have been in something of a coma like state, or because they have pivoted and the business plan has changed from the original. The question being asked by so many, is ‘what do we do and how do we go about it?’ and is focused around the fundamental question that takes all founders back to the origins of their business.

Leadoo Marketing Technologies (Leadoo MT) has launched its new platform to help UK SMEs update their marketing strategy, fight back in the current business climate and set themselves up for future proofing their business.

"In a crisis, beware of the danger- but recognise the opportunity," John F Kennedy. Highlighting the light in the dark, this is perhaps one of the most salient quotes for our times.

Startup Zhiyun, the world’s most popular gimbal brand for cameras and smartphones, has announced the launch of the SMOOTH-X smartphone gimbal. SMOOTH-X is a stylish palm-sized foldable gimbal that weighs only 246g and easily fits into your bag – or even your pocket. With the new dedicated ZY Cami app, SMOOTH-X provides new ways to capture and create stories. Unfold your world with foldable SMOOTH-X – it is a whole new spin on the gimbal. 

Thanks to coronavirus, our working culture has swiftly moved into sharp focus.

OurCrowd, a crowdfunded-venture investment platform, has announced the launch of its Pandemic Innovation Fund. The Fund plans to raise $100m for investment in urgent technological solutions for the medical, business, educational and social needs triggered by global pandemics and other health emergencies.

Law firm Taylor Wessing’s work with the Mayor's International Business Programme, and its work day-to-day with VC-backed tech companies has shown that most UK companies look to the US or Asia before Europe when looking at new markets. However, Europe is on our doorstep, and has its own advantages which shouldn't be ignored. This article by Mark Barron, a corporate technology partner at Taylor Wessing, will cover what you need to think about in choosing Europe as the first stop in your international journey, and a few of the key advantages in doing so.

One World Express has commissioned an independent survey among over 900 decision-makers within UK businesses to explore how they are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alongside a few others, I recently gave a talk to a university conference where I explained my progress in the past year, successes and changes, and my plans. What was interesting, hearing my own answer alongside the other start-ups called in to do the same, was that things have generally 'paused.' We have stopped every financial outgoing we possibly can and are reaching out to investors and clients alike only to be told that they are in the same position – 'expect nothing soon.'

Analyst relations. For many startup founders and marketing teams, it’s still a bit of an unknown. There’s no question that it’s a valuable marketing strategy, but there’s a surprising lack of literature advising startups on how to make it work for them, when to start, and what to do in a briefing. This article looks to state the case for analyst relations in a startup context whilst providing some valuable insight from the analysts themselves.  

Earlier this month, the UN warned of global mental health crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic. As the world is returning to 'new normal', serial entrepreneurs and key figures from the real estate and venture capital industries opened up in a conversation around surviving a crisis and channelling trauma into strength.

Perhaps you know it: the iconic scene from Jerry Maguire where Dorothy (Renee Zellweger) stares longingly at Jerry (Tom Cruise) as he declares his undying love for her, announcing that she completes him, hoping it will win her over but he needn’t have, he had her at 'hello'. She was gripped from the moment he walked in, she wasn’t listening to his fumbled speech, she was mesmerised, and one thing is for sure, she certainly wasn’t thinking about leadership. Nope. That was far from her mind.

Mayku's desktop factory is turbocharging Britain's creative businesses by enabling rapid design, prototyping and high-quality production. Co-Founder and CEO of Mayku, Alex Smilansky, discusses the efforts to support businesses amidst the pandemic, and comments on Mayku's 100% month on month growth in lockdown.

Pioneering smart technology for women with the world's first silent wearable breast pump and the world's smartest and smallest kegel trainer.

Paul Landau, Founder and CEO of Careology, started his entrepreneurial journey back in 2005. Before tracking steps was cool and when wearable technology was just beginning to emerge, he created a healthtech company which tracked its users’ fitness levels, sleep, aerobic steps and calories burned.

Over the last few years, I’ve been teaching business owners and their staff to set up a few simple pieces of equipment to film their own smartphone videos and get comfortable in front of the camera.

Given that up to 50% of any population identify as introverts, organisations with an unbiased recruitment process will have a fair proportion of introverts in their workforce. If their promotion panels are fair and equitable, some will reach positions of leadership. However, many introverts spend much of their working life pretending to be more extraverted in order to fit in and be accepted. This comes with a heavy price tag; overwhelm and burn-out. Introverts need strong, well-defended boundaries and a personal strategy for replenishing.

The Halo Effect is a type of cognitive bias, commonly known in marketing as the tendency for positive impressions in one area to influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas. When it comes to branding specifically, I believe that this effect has been demonstrated to reinforce as well as rejuvenate a brand in the eyes of its fans, it can be utilised to spark conversations around it and thus leading to more organic growth. The question that poses itself is how can we successfully achieve this effect, and why is it necessary to keep a brand alive in the fast paced and media devouring environment that we live in today?