No one ever said launching a startup was easy. As such, founders want to employ the best professionals to spearhead various functions as companies get their footing. However, some roles are more essential than others. These are 10 positions they should hire for first.

Bower, the AI-driven waste sorting app helping users correctly recycle everyday waste, and VARTA, the European battery manufacturer, have announced their new AI-powered scanning feature, which allows consumer batteries to be immediately recognised and sorted for recycling without the need of a barcode.

Tenity, the global fintech innovation ecosystem and early-stage VC, releases its third Climate Fintech Report. Drawing on data from 750 startups worldwide, the report highlights the subsector's resilience to economic challenges and its leading position in gender equality in venture funding, with female-founded or led companies achieving funding parity at pre-Series B rounds.

Revolver Therapeutics is pleased to announce its new funding is from UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund (UKI2S), managed by Future Planet Capital, and from o2h Ventures to progress its transcription factor inhibitors. 

DeepL, the global Language AI company, has announced the launch of its first voice translation solution DeepL Voice, with the first two products unveiled: Voice for Meetings and Voice for Conversations. DeepL Voice makes it possible to conduct virtual meetings across several languages as well as real-time translation for in-person conversations.

This international hub on cybersecurity, co-funded by Instituto Nacional de Ciberseguridad (INCIBE), an entity under Ministerio para la Transformación Digital y de la Función Pública, through Secretaría de Estado de Digitalisación e Inteligencia Artificial, and Universidad de Salamanca continues its activity connecting Spanish companies with international investors by attending the Finnish event from 20 to 21 November.

A newly released report has named London the number one city in Europe and number three globally for life sciences, behind Boston and New York, and ahead of Amsterdam, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, and Singapore.

In a momentous cooperation signalling a new era of industrial progress, KAOUN International, in strategic partnership with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), announces the World Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics Summit & Expo Saudi 2025 (WAM Saudi). During the WAM Summit 2024, a significant cooperation agreement was signed, marking a landmark commitment to advancing Saudi Arabia's status as a leading global industrial powerhouse.

Workspace Design Show (26 – 27 February 2025, BDC, London) is proud to announce the launch of the “Workspace Wellbeing Hero” initiative, recognising and celebrating exceptional individuals in the workspace design industry who go above and beyond to support the wellbeing of others through acts of kindness and resilience in their work environments. This initiative shines a spotlight on those who make a tangible difference in workplace culture through selflessness, compassion, and perseverance.

Sage Foundation, the social impact arm of Sage, the accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) firm, has launched a new, three-year partnership with Village Capital to support 165 impact-creating startups across Europe, UK, and the US. 

In a strategic move set to reshape the industrial Augmented Reality (AR) landscape, Almer Technologies has announced its acquisition by RealWear, a company in wearable computing for industrial applications. This strategic acquisition, financially backed by TeamViewer marks a significant leap forward in the mission to empower frontline workers worldwide with cutting-edge AR technology.

AshGrove Capital an independent pan-European specialty lender, has announced the final close of AshGrove Specialty Lending Fund II at the hard cap of €650 million, surpassing its target of €500 million.

The upcoming E-commerce Berlin Expo 2025 defies expectations by transforming into a two-day powerhouse of insights, networking, and innovation. For the first time ever, the event will stretch across 2 days, doubling the opportunities for attendees to learn the latest trends and technologies shaping the industry.

Sustainability in the electronics industry has become of paramount concern in recent years due to the sector's significant overall environmental footprint and the growing awareness of the need for responsible business practices.

Cubo is a provider of bespoke flex offices and co-working spaces, boasting 12 sites across the UK, including Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

Workflow, a company building AI software for design, marketing, and product teams has announced it has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding in a round led by early Revolut-investors, Venrex. Investors in the oversubscribed round included 8VC, backers of Asana, and scout funds from Sequoia, Octopus, and Index Ventures. The round saw investors back exited founders Will Taylor (Rota.com), Allis Yao (ex-Instagram, Spirito AI), and Paul Sangle, (Mailwiz.app, ex-Yelp product lead).

What do you think of when it comes to entrepreneurship? For many, thoughts of an individual building something entirely new – a disruptive product or new innovative business – comes to mind.

Female Foundry expands its Visionaries AI Incubator with seven game-changing female-founded startups to drive innovation across Europe.

Due to overwhelming demand, the entry submission portal for the Hustle Awards 2025 is NOW OPEN!

British prosthetics manufacturer, Open Bionics, is on a mission to make bionic arms accessible to people with limb differences, and is set to accelerate its expansion in the US and DACH markets thanks to an innovative high growth lending solution offered by NatWest.