Private equity makes founders uneasy, in startups and in professional services alike. The usual fears come up quickly: loss of control, outside pressure, and culture being reshaped by someone who wasn’t there when the company began. Those concerns don’t come out of nowhere, but they also aren’t the full picture. When investment is structured with intention, capital strengthens the parts of a company that determine its long-term stability.

I’d like to quickly tell you about a female founder I’ve always found really inspiring. Her name is Sara Blakely.

In 1998 she was making a living selling fax machines door-to-door when, one day, she cut the feet off her tights because nothing fit right under white trousers. She wasn’t dreaming of billions. She was frustrated, determined to fix a problem she had herself

Trovr, a recycling technology startup transforming how the world manages single-use drink containers, has launched the QUBE in the UK – a smart recycling unit designed to offer independent retailers support with the upcoming Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) without the cost, complexity, or footprint of supermarket-scale systems.

Deeptech and life sciences startups that have spun out of Europe’s universities have a combined value of $398 billion and an increasingly influential position in the region’s technology ecosystem, according to a major new report.

The sign in big bold letters on the wall at a CEO’s office didn’t mince words: “Nobody cares, work harder.”

“No”. A word that leads many of us to experience disappointment, rejection, frustration, even anger. From childhood it’s often the hardest word to hear.

Europe stands at a crossroads. There’s never been a better time to be a tech founder here: the continent has the talent, ambition, and ideas to lead. Yet Europe still hasn’t realised its full potential on the global stage. That’s why Atomico’s eleventh State of European Tech report sets out a bold roadmap for action, and a rallying call to power Europe’s first trillion-euro tech company.

A recent global risk management survey revealed that macroeconomic volatility, trade disruptions and increasing competition have pushed cash flow and liquidity into the top 10 risks for business leaders – for the first time since 2019.

Emm, the UK-based pioneer in biowearable technology, has raised £6.8 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round, to bring the world’s first smart menstrual cup and connected app to market. Creating a new category of “smart menstrual care”, Emm will equip users to understand their individual menstrual baseline and track key metrics for personalised, actionable insights into their menstrual health.  

A new report from reputation management consultancy Infinite reveals that UK media are up to five times more likely to frame tech unicorns through the lens of failure compared to their US counterparts – a trend that reflects, and may be contributing to, the UK’s struggle to support startups in scaling.

Irish advertising technology innovator, Buymedia, has officially launched its UK operations in Manchester with the backing of Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham. The announcement marks a significant milestone in Buymedia’s international expansion and underscores Manchester’s growing reputation as a hub for digital innovation.

Voltrac has announced it has secured a €7 million seed round. The round was led by Extantia, with participation from FoodLabs, Antler, PUSH, and Prototype Capital. This new round quickly follows its €2 million pre-seed, and enables Voltrac to scale production to 100 units per year in 2026.

A new study by Markel Direct has revealed which UK universities are producing the most business founders and where student-led startups are booming.

New research from Avilio has found that 36% of respondents experienced burnout in the last year which – when applied to the UK working population – means that 11.9 million UK workers would fall into this category.  

Kilo Health, the global health and wellness company, has rebranded to Kilo, to reflect the company’s expansion into new business opportunities in longevity, anti-ageing, beauty, and personal development. This change also demonstrates Kilo’s growing focus on co-founding, venture building, and early-stage startup investments.

Despite being home to some of the world’s most innovative startups, empowered by early-stage R&D, Europe’s startup ecosystem still trails behind its US counterpart in valuation and scale. Valued between 29% and 52% isn’t solely down to capital availability or investor appetite. European founders face critical barriers in the support they receive.

Planet Smart, a London-based biomaterials startup, has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to launch its first product. The company is developing PlanetSorb, a naturally biodegradable superabsorbent polymer (SAP) designed to replace the fossil-based plastics used inside nappies and sanitary products.

Danish fintech Flatplay has become the latest company to reach unicorn status, after it secured $170 million in fresh capital. Co-founder Rasmus Busk said Flatpay became the fastest firm in Denmark to reach the milestone, achieving it within three years.

Female business owners across the UK are working longer hours and taking on second jobs, with 39% saying 2025 has been tougher than last year, a groundbreaking report from Tide, the business management platform, and everywoman, the global organisation dedicated to advancing women’s careers, has revealed.

There’s been a huge amount shared about the EU AI Act in recent weeks, so much so that you’d be forgiven for being pretty confused as to what is happening and when, and whether you need to worry about it at all.