The pandemic ushered in a new shift to video conferencing services, with Zoom emerging as the winner of this segment despite competing against established brands

The team behind www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk – the largest independently-owned small business organisation in the UK with over 350,000 members – have conducted a snap poll to 762 business owners and senior management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gauge their reaction to the latest episode of Dragons’ Den.

As the UK moves towards its net zero goals, it faces a myriad of skill shortages across all industries and sectors, as the government puts pressure on businesses to decarbonise for the future.

Employers should demonstrate their commitment to cultivating a diverse workforce by offering inclusive employee benefits, according to digital health app, Peppy. 

Towergate Health & Protection releases the details of research into the recruitment plans of over 500 companies from across the UK. The findings reveal that one third (33%) of employers have increased their employee headcount over the last 12 months, and 42% are looking to increase employee numbers further over the next 12 months.

Startups and SME’s are being told to switch to VoIP telecoms systems to support the growing demand for flexible working patterns or risk losing key staff.

Reskube the British startup behind its eponymous remote-working resilience solution, has announced the launch of a new round of crowdfunding.

There’s no question that UK small businesses are feeling the strain right now. These SMEs are contending with a cocktail of rising overheads, while customers have less cash in their pockets to spend.

ShipStation, a cloud-based e-commerce shipping solution, today announces that UPS is live on its carrier services platform in the UK.

tapeeno - the first mobile card reader to use Faster Processing payments has launched in the UK.

Food company Paleo has closed a Series A funding of €12M to scale up production of key ingredients for plant-based meat and fish alternatives through precision fermentation technology.

Leading AI company Bear Robotics is launching Servi, an innovative new robot set to revolutionise the food service industry.

Blackfinch Ventures has bolstered its portfolio with a £625k investment in Tangle, a flexible, scalable, enterprise-grade platform that delivers best in class apps 10-20 times faster than with traditional development methods. 

Biotechnology company Maxion Therapeutics (‘Maxion’) today announced the completion of its USD $16 million (GBP £13 million) Series A financing.

The online tutoring platform evulpo has closed a 7.7 million Swiss franc deal in a seed financing round.

Latvian SaaS Trace.Space has raised $1.5M in pre-seed funding to build AI-enabled, API-first software for complex engineering product development.

As Brits tackle the rising cost of living, new data released from Sky Connect - Sky’s B2B telecoms business - reveals that the majority (87%) of freelancers and remote workers are concerned about the impact working from home is having on their energy bills.

The list of challenges facing industry is long: climate change, energy shortages, disrupted supply chains and a shortage of skilled labor. The solution to these challenges lies in the targeted use of technology. At the same time, governments need to get their economic policy right. HANNOVER MESSE 2023 covers not only technologies for connected, climate-neutral industry, but also provides a forum for a global policy discussion among industry, government, science and social representatives.

Inspired and engaged employees are often the people who perform best. By fostering a work environment that motivates a team to perform at the top of their game, push boundaries, and challenge the status quo, business leaders can have a real impact on the quality of work their company produces.