For yet another edition, Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) has held the world's largest entrepreneurship competition in the tourism industry. More than 400 startup companies have applied as candidates for the Touristech Startup Fest 2024, of which 40 have been the finalists and have presented their business models in front of investors in Travel Tech in Seville, Spain. This year, the international participation of entrepreneurs has grown with projects from countries such as Spain, Argentina, the United States, Slovakia, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Mexico, Bhutan and Italy.

HP commissioned a survey via YouGov, polling around 1,200 UK workers to understand what keeps them busy at work, and how often they’re able to take lunch breaks. It found that 2 in 5 (40%) surveyed never take an hour-long lunch break, and almost 1 in 3 (30%) would skip lunch to catch up on admin tasks such as compiling meeting notes and filling in time sheets.

70% of UK professionals are struggling to ‘switch off’ from work, an issue which is leaving many unable to relax and even lose sleep over. 

Entrepreneur, early-stage investor and philanthropist Dr Ewan Kirk has called on the Government to introduce a blanket 10-year visa for all STEM graduates in a move to boost entrepreneurship, drive growth, and encourage more of the world’s brightest and best to choose the UK for their graduate and post-graduate STEM education

Auquan, an AI innovator for financial services, has announced a $4.5 million addition to its seed round, led by Peak XV with continued participation from Neotribe Ventures, bringing total seed funding to $8 million.

Fintech startups in recent years have garnered quite a reputation for being the major drivers of financial transformation on the global scale. However, the reality is that far more startups collapse early on then achieve success and make any lasting impact. Even if they survive their first year, around 70% of ventures fall through before reaching the half-a-decade mark.

As an industry analyst and thought leadership advisor, I find that most startups share a form of purposeful myopia – a belief in the inevitability of a product or service. If only buyers and investors understood the vision, they would put their money behind it.

With 51,017 new tech businesses registered in the UK last year, Britain has emerged as a leader of innovation in Europe. In fact, government data from 2021-2022 positions our country as the second-leading nation for startups, preceded only by the US and potentially, by China.

Legacy Compass launches a new crowdfunding campaign to help kick-start its mission to redefine end-of-life planning and support. Harnessing the power of story-telling through an innovative online platform, this Legacy-Tech startup can streamline and unburden end-of-life planning for individuals and families.

ekko and Market Harborough Building Society (MHBS) have joined forces to launch PlanetSaver in a first-of-its kind move for building societies and sustainability focused financial products.

Logical Biological, a provider of biological critical materials for diagnostics, therapeutic research, and IVD reagent manufacture, has settled into larger, upgraded laboratory space at Discovery Park, marking its third move within the science and innovation campus. This expansion reflects the company's remarkable growth, which has seen a 170% increase in international trade over the past three years.

The UK business landscape has a significant number of small and medium-sized businesses. They may not be household names, but they are the invisible hand driving growth, innovation, and productivity. Why, then, do they often miss out on the opportunities offered by global markets?

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) welcomes back Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, as a keynote speaker for CES 2025. On stage at Sphere, the next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining live experiences, Bastian will take the audience on an immersive journey highlighting Delta’s vision for using technology to enrich human experiences. This will mark the first CES keynote ever hosted at the groundbreaking venue.

Improved diagnosis and treatment for eye diseases affecting the sight of millions across the globe has taken a major step forward, after Bristol-based health technology startup Siloton became the first commercial organisation in the world to take a sub-surface image of a human retina using photonic chip technology.

Semble, an integrated clinical system and innovator in healthtech, has raised $15 million in a Series B funding round led by Mercia Ventures, with participation from Octopus Ventures, Smedvig Ventures and Triple Point.   

Dojo, a payment technology provider, has announced a major milestone in its mission to support SMEs across the UK. Through its long-standing partnership with global embedded financing platform YouLend, Dojo has extended over £1 billion in flexible funding since 2020.

'In Motion' will be the theme of South Summit Madrid 2025, the annual meeting for the global innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, co-organised by IE University taking place from June 4 to 6, 2025 in Madrid. This slogan reflects a global movement connecting technology, the planet and humanity to drive entrepreneurial innovation.

Origin, a defence technology company specialising in advanced autonomous systems, has closed €4 million in financing. The funding comprises €2.4 million in venture capital, led by Change Ventures with participation from Silicon Roundabout Ventures, and €1.6 million in EU grants and support from the Latvian Ministry of Defence.

CybaVerse, a rapidly advancing player in the cyber security space, has secured over £1.1 million in funding, fuelling its vision for growth and innovation. Backed by FSE Group, Haatch, Founder & Lightning, and several angel investors, including FSE angels and the University of Sussex Business Angels group, this milestone highlights CybaVerse’s momentum as it redefines the future of cyber security with its SaaS platform, CybaVerse AI.

UK startups need more support in understanding an increasingly complex early-stage funding process. A new survey from Angel Investment Network (AIN),  an online angel investment platform, reveals that less than half of respondents (44%) said they had a good understanding of the fundraising process when dealing with investors. Less than one in seven (15%) described this as very good.