Freepik has announced the appointment of Jose Florido as Chief Market Development Officer, United States, effective immediately, and the opening of its first U.S. office located in San Francisco.

DigiKey, a global commerce distributor offering a large selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, has partnered with GroupGets to launch the “Get MADE” crowdfunding initiative, a collaboration that promotes and funds hardware creators. This program will allow startups to get hardware funded, produced and sold on DigiKey’s website.

KNOT has unveiled its universal docking station for e-scooters and, for the first time, e-bikes, addressing the growing demand for sustainable urban transportation. This docking solution will transform how shared micro-mobility services operate.

Swave Photonics, a forerunner in the implementation of true holography for augmented reality, has announced the successful closure of its seed round expansion. This additional investment of €3M catapults Swave's total funds raised to €10M.

With an estimated 582 million entrepreneurs in the world today, new research conducted by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) – a non-profit membership network of 18,000+ business owners across 76 countries – shows that founders of small to mid-size companies (SMEs) are more focused on driving positive change for their local communities today compared to 2013, and nearly half feel a responsibility to support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

The three-day event of WMF - We Make Future, the International Trade Fair and Festival, held from June 15th to 17th at the Rimini Expo Centre, has come to an end. Organised by Search On Media Group, it brought together the world of innovation in Italy, with over 60.000 attendance from 85 countries, more than 670 exhibitors, 2.000 startups and investors, over 1.000 speakers, and more than 130 institutional, national, and international guests. This solidifies and emphasises the important role that WMF has always played as a platform for building the future and as an accelerator of education, culture, and innovation in service of global society.

As part of a slate of activities promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in robotics, finalists for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics Award (IERA) presented their projects to a panel of judges at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), held in London 29 May – 2 June.

IQ Capital, the London-based deep tech venture capital firm, continues to strengthen its senior team with the promotion of two new partners. Archie Muirhead and Alex Wilson join existing general partners Kerry Baldwin, Max Bautin, Simon Hirtzel and Ed Stacey. 

Oracle Red Bull Racing, the Formula One (F1) team, and its official Team Partner Rokt, a global player in ecommerce technology, has announced that they are launching a global talent search for female F1 sim racers.

The digital staffing platform’s AI text-generation tool has been trained to create job descriptions using ‘deep learning’, helping companies save time when recruiting.

The latest research from money.co.uk business insurance discovered that over four in ten (44%) small and medium-sized enterprises are not covered by any commercial insurance.

The UK economy could secure a £31 billion boost from the widespread adoption of generative AI, according to new research from KPMG.

Dexory has secured $19 million in Series A funding led by European VC firm Atomico, with participation from existing investors Lakestar, Kindred, Capnamic, and Maersk Growth, the investment arm of the global logistics and container shipping company, Maersk. As part of this investment Atomico Partner Ben Blume will join Dexory’s board of directors.

London-based Weavr has announced the launch of Embedded Finance Cloud. The new solution will allow banks and other financial institutions to create and distribute embeddable financial products. Weavr believes that to do this efficiently and safely, this new type of orchestration platform is required.

Jargon, buzz words, and constant technical developments can leave businesses overwhelmed with choice when it comes to selecting a communications system. In a digital age, using a comprehensive phone system is crucial to remaining competitive. But how do businesses decide which one is right for them?

Upfront Diagnostics, a healthcare company focused on discovering novel biomarkers that can be applied to medical diagnosis, has announced a seed funding round of £1.6 million. The investment was led by APEX Ventures’ Medical Fund, following grant funding from SBRI Healthcare in partnership with Stroke Association, for Upfront Diagnostic’s patented blood-based diagnostic LVOne.

The highly anticipated Workspace Design Show is set to take place from October 11-12, 2023, at the RAI in Amsterdam. This premier event offers a fantastic opportunity for professionals to explore the latest trends, innovations, and ideas in workspace interiors. With over 2,500 workplace professionals expected to attend, this is an event you won't want to miss.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch of the AWS Global Fintech Accelerator programme.

Playdate, the UK’s first dating app aimed solely at single parents has strengthened its team with three major new appointments.

Nothing, the London-based consumer technology brand, announces a $96 million fundraising round led by Highland Europe, with participation from existing investors GV (Google Ventures), EQT Ventures and C Capital, alongside house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia.