Aura Funerals, the digital end-of-life planning and funeral service, has announced a successful £750,000 funding round through Angel Investment Network, the online angel investment platform. This marks Aura's third successful raise through the network. The funds were raised as part of a larger £3.2 million growth funding round.

The year 2025 started with a shockwave for the AI community. Launched by a relatively obscure Chinese startup, DeepSeek not only challenged the rules of the AI game by sending NVIDIA's stock plummeting 17% in one day and becoming the most-downloaded app on the App Store and Play Store, but also showed the persisting security problems by accidentally exposing its database and leaking sensitive data including chat histories, API keys, and backend operational details.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has welcomed the first businesses to join its new 5G Ecosystem at Daresbury Laboratory, designed to support and accelerate innovation among businesses. 

According to GRiD, over the next 12 months, nearly a third (31%) of employers intend to increase their investment in employee benefits to provide support for staff. However, almost the same number (29%) of employers are looking to increase investment into funding support directly, which the industry body for the group risk sector believes is a concern.

We've all experienced how online shopping has transformed retail. But this digital revolution comes with an inconvenient truth: every package delivered to our doorsteps has an environmental cost.

StructureFlow, the visual modelling platform designed for navigating complex corporate structures, transactions, and processes, has acquired Blue J Diagramming, a visualisation tool widely used by accountancy and tax professionals. This move aligns with Blue J’s broader strategy to concentrate on its generative AI solution for tax research, marking a shift in its business focus.

Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD), a startup working in gallium nitride (GaN) power devices, has successfully closed a $32 million Series C funding round. The investment was led by a strategic investor with participation from British Patient Capital and supported by existing investors Parkwalk, BGF, Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC), Foresight Group, and  IQ Capital.

Defying today’s challenging funding landscape, healthtech startup Level Zero Health has announced a £5.5 million pre-seed funding round spearheaded by European VC, redalpine, to enable remote and continuous hormone monitoring using first-of-their-kind DNA-based sensors. HAX (SOSV), Entrepreneur First, and industry experts also contributed to the round.

How employers support the health and wellbeing of employees will play a crucial role in the recruitment and retention strategy of 61% of organisations over the next 12 months, according to the latest research from Towergate Employee Benefits.

In 2025, many businesses have come a long way in their acceptance and understanding of the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace. Reports show, of the UKs top companies, around 96% now offer some type of mental health support to their employees. Alison Bromley, Head of Partnerships at Onebright, discusses assessing your workplace mental health strategy for 2025.

For years, ADHD has been framed as a disorder: a problem to be fixed. Schools and workplaces are built for neat, structured thinking, rewarding people who can sit still, follow rules, and stick to routines. But for many entrepreneurs, ADHD isn’t a weakness – it’s their superpower.

The upcoming Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES) taking place from 18–21 February in Cape Town has garnered high-level institutional and private sector support, including, amongst others, Sanlam Investments, the African Union, SA Tourism, African Development Bank, DBSA, Standard Bank, Gauteng Department of Economic Development, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the UNDP.

WinWayLab is a free two-month online accelerator for zero-stage startups (you don’t even need an idea at the beginning) in the wine tech industry. The programme kicks off on March 4 2025, offering participants the chance to turn their ideas into successful businesses with expert guidance, funding and resources from Winno.

Augmetec, the legaltech startup founded and led by Kritin Sundaram, announces that it has raised over £2 million in seed funding to turbo charge its growth. The round is led by UK-based early-stage investors Fuel Ventures, with participation from Swiss fund 14Peaks Capital, and three industry angel investors, including the Founding Partner of one of the world’s largest law firms, the family office of a $1 billion+ legaltech organisation, and the Head of Fraud at Asia’s largest law firm.

Ori, a UK-based provider of cloud infrastructure for AI, has secured a key strategic investment from Wa’ed Ventures, Saudi Aramco’s venture capital arm, as it eyes up explosive growth in the Middle East market over the coming 12 months. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

FOUNDRY, the community focused co-working provider, has launched its latest location at New Acres in Wandsworth, South West London.

Latest research from The Global Payroll Association (GPA) reveals that UK PAYE employees paid £252 billion in income tax in 2024, Meanwhile, businesses paid £114 billion in employer National Insurance Contributions, a total which is set to grow significantly in 2025 following changes set out in Labour’s Autumn Budget.

We're now in February 2025, and the challenges from last year for businesses and individuals are still lingering. Geopolitical tensions, the rising cost of living, and general economic uncertainty are still causing turbulence for businesses and individuals.

Pricing your startup’s products correctly can make or break your business. Overpricing can scare off buyers, whereas underpricing may lead to financial challenges and hinder long-term profitability. Choosing the right pricing strategy requires a mix of market research, financial analysis and strategic decision-making.

According to the British Chambers of Commerce, business confidence across the UK in 2025 has dropped to its lowest level since the aftermath of the Autumn 2022 mini Budget. Compounded by the looming threat of potential tariffs under President Trump’s new leadership, and the upcoming Spring Forecast in the UK, businesses are grappling with complex challenges and significant uncertainty in an already tight economic landscape.