New analysis by the O3 platform, an AI-powered venture classification tool from the University of Oxford and OpenOcean, has uncovered surprising trends in the UK's AI startup funding landscape. Contrary to popular belief, between 2012 and 2021, AI startups outside London received higher average funding than those within the capital.

Social media is one of the leading ways that small businesses can generate customers and sales. In fact, recent research revealed that over a quarter (28%) of small businesses in the UK now generate more sales from social media than from any other channel, including e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar stores.

SMEs often face the challenge of generating quality leads to fuel their growth. Unlike large corporations with vast marketing budgets, SMEs must be savvy and strategic to attract potential customers. Here are some practical and effective strategies SMEs can implement to boost their lead generation.

Almost £1.5 trillion of global economic value is lost every year through poor contract management. Simply put, the way firms manage their agreements is broken. Small businesses should review how they create, commit, and manage documents as part of their agreement processes if they want to reclaim opportunities for efficiency and growth.

South Summit, the benchmark meeting for the entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem, continues to take steps to ensure that innovation and entrepreneurship are available to everyone. In this sense, South Summit has updated its website so that people with disabilities can navigate with full accessibility and without barriers.

Diversity is a word we hear a lot in the context of business and unfortunately, it’s still often used as a tick box exercise for what a company 'should' be doing. This typically means a business and its leaders do not recognise the value a diverse, multicultural team can bring to the business.

A lover of the natural world and a lifelong academic of the quantum field, Sabrina Maniscalco stands at the forefront of quantum technologies as one of its brightest minds. Alongside fellow researchers Guillermo García-Perez, Matteo Rossi, and Boris Sokolov, she founded Algorithmiq to solve life sciences’ biggest questions utilising quantum computing.

Cardiff-based travel platform Lovetovisit, which aids users in discovering and booking local attractions, experiences, and events, has secured £3.2 million in venture capital funding to facilitate its growth. Leading the funding round were Venrex and Redrice Ventures, with participation from Active Partners, Velocity Partners, and angel investors.

The startup landscape in the UK is experiencing a resurgence, with UK startups raising $3.9 billion in Q1 of 2024. This marks a significant recovery, positioning the UK as one of the best scaleups and startup hubs in Europe.

Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly becoming the new black. We are seeing how numerous businesses across the world are racing to win in the AI game by inventing their own solutions or integrating existing ones in operations. But here’s the twist.

At an event in Paris, Alibaba.com announced its partnership as the first worldwide Olympic and Paralympic e-commerce partner to join the Athlete365 Business Accelerator programme's fourth edition. This International Olympic Committee (IOC) led initiative aimed to aid athletes in their dual-career and career-transition phases by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills.

Checkly, a company in synthetic monitoring powered by Monitoring as Code (MaC) and Playwright, has raised $20 million in a Series B funding round led by Balderton Capital. Notable contributions also came from existing investors Accel, CRV, and Paul H. Müller.

Streamkap, a real-time data streaming provider, secured $3.3 million in seed and pre-seed funding led by InReach Ventures, with contributions from TEN13, Haatch Ventures, and Begin Capital. The funding round also saw participation from angel investors with roles at Datadog, Anthropic, and Clickhouse.

Founders and small business owners are burning out at alarming rates. According to a report by Startup Snapshot in April 2023, 72% of startup founders reported a detrimental impact on their mental health.

The flexible working landscape continues to evolve and shift here in the UK. With that comes fresh opportunities, but also challenges for startups and SMEs, says Firmin Zocchetto, CEO at PayFit.

Adyen vs Stripe is a big question when selecting the right payment processing solution for startups and SMEs. These two prominent players both offer robust platforms designed to handle the complex needs of modern businesses.

When selecting a city to open Koba’s fist flex location, Koba @100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester was a perfect place to start with so much growth and activity in the property sector.

Sage, renowned for its accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology tailored for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), recently announced a new collaboration with Virgin StartUp, the arm of Virgin committed to aiding UK founders in their entrepreneurial journeys.

As we navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape, the importance of fostering innovation through structured environments cannot be overstated. As the Director of the recently launched Porto Business School Entrepreneurship Center, I am keenly aware of the transformative potential these centres hold.

Fiverr recently revealed its acquisition of AutoDS, a platform offering a comprehensive subscription-based solution for dropshippers. AutoDS streamlines the dropshipping process with features like product research and sourcing, inventory management, and automated fulfilment.