A host of small businesses from across the country have been crowned winners at this year’s  Small Awards, which celebrates the smallest and greatest firms in the UK, across all sectors.

Re-skilling Britain’s workforce for the economy of the future has acquired a new urgency post lockdown, as COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated long term trends towards digitalisation and distance working.

Tractive, a company which has designed a GPS tracking for cats and dogs, has announced the launch of a new activity monitoring feature, allowing pet owners to ensure that their pets stay fit, as well as safe.

A team of entrepreneurs just awarded $16.9m in Business Scholarships to help local entrepreneurs and small business owners across North America and Europe, and they’re not stopping there.

Bagboard, the creation of former credit trader Ben Ayres, and advertising executive Ashleigh Bishop, are launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the first sustainable rewards scheme that marries major brand campaigns and environmental impact, with a mission to make sustainable shopping the norm. 

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, SMEs need to look into engaging potential customers immediately in order to drive sales and awareness in the difficult months ahead. As the majority of the public continue to live and work remotely, however, companies must seek out new methods of marketing in order to attract better engagement. The online space has, thus, become crowded with brands attempting to cut through noise to truly make an impact on consumers. 

Fashwire is a mobile and web marketplace for discovery where you can shop directly from over 300 fashion brands from over 33 countries you know and love and discover new ones from all over the world. Fashwire is changing the way we shop on our phones. By connecting consumers directly with brands all in one app, and it also allows brands to curate, create, and control all product and content in their profiles, which is different from a traditional retail model.

It’s always refreshing when policymakers break with the status quo and do something genuinely left-field and unexpected. The current pandemic has certainly produced its fair share of bold initiatives. In the UK we’ve just had the announcement of Government-subsidised meal deals throughout August to boost the ailing hospitality sector. And, sitting slightly higher on the impact scale, earlier this month the French Government announced that it was making tax credits available to any citizen prepared to take out a subscription to a current affairs newspaper or magazine.

As Sunak prepares to announce £2bn support package to combat youth unemployment, new research has unveiled the extent to which young professionals can contribute to the economy.

Sage has launched new research revealing 62% of Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) have made or are planning to make redundancies following the COVID-19 pandemic. This equates to 1.4m jobs at risk if the Government fails to take decisive action now.

The technology industry is growing at a massive rate, and especially within hardware startups, there is such a large number of tech products coming onto the market every year. So how do you stand out and make sure you are seen above the rest?

Beekeeper, the first communication and operations platform designed specifically for frontline workers - announced a $10m extension on their series B round today. The extension brings the round’s total to $60m.

Former Capita Travel and Events CCO, Trevor Elswood has joined meetings management platform, Wizme as non-executive director.

Wyld Networks has launched a new mobile mesh technology to help get the manufacturing industry back to work safely, improve operational efficiencies and re-boot the economy. The innovative mesh technology can be built into mobile apps and IoT devices and uses virtual geozones to manage access, collect data, deliver location-aware content or safety information, and monitor social distancing.   

To celebrate the launch of its new financial training platform, Yorkshire-based finance management specialist Mellor Financial Training is offering businesses the chance to win free access to the site worth almost £2000.

To find the right individual for the job will be a challenge for employers as well as hiring managers. With several companies intending to enhance their hiring efforts this year, it's necessary that you put extra effort and time into how you attract the most effective prospects feasible. With more possibilities for talent comes even more competitors for you, as well as making the ideal hire currently is crucial to strengthening your firm today as well as into the future.

An exciting new business growth and innovation programme called BRITE launches today to support ambitious businesses located in the Coast to Capital region. The programme is led by a dedicated team from Plus X Brighton, in partnership with the University of Brighton. BRITE will be located at the brand new Plus X Brighton innovation hub, designed to help business and communities collaborate, innovate and grow.

Plus X innovation hubs transform areas, adding vibrancy and productivity, helping businesses scale with innovation support and unlocking partnership potential with global corporations, education partners and local communities. Plus X innovation hubs are designed to create impact at both a global business and local economic level.  

London-based ETF Partners has closed its third Environmental Technologies Fund (ETF3) at £167m, to grow the most innovative companies in the UK and Europe that help deliver long-term and sustainable economic prosperity.