How could we have prepared for 2020? It was the question on the minds of many throughout the early months of the pandemic that affected every aspect of daily life. But now, we know the answer: preparation was impossible. However, our collective experiences in this most challenging year have taught us some valuable lessons. Among the most important is that they way individuals, leaders, and companies respond to new and unexpected situations is the true indication of success.

Cloud-based Customer Relationship Management [CRM] solution, BuddyCRM, has unveiled a sophisticated email marketing module, designed to help businesses drive increased revenue and bounce back from COVID-19.

Christmas this year won’t be the same as every other year. Regardless of where we live and how rigidly we stick to the rules, the gatherings are going to be smaller. It’s been an extraordinarily difficult year for us as individuals, as family members and as entrepreneurs.

Sometimes even after long pep talks and different ways to motivate your employees, you are not able to create high employee engagement. Despite consistent efforts, you are sometimes not able to attract the best productivity in your workers. In such a scenario, do you ever question your understanding of employee engagement?

In part one, we discussed the key planning phase for your podcast including the all-important name, format and topic. In this article we’re going to take a look at the essential factors for recording your podcast, including how to produce a podcast remotely.

Startups using clean technology to recycle CO2 into aviation fuel and creating real-time digital queues to maintain social distancing, are among those joining International Airlines Group’s latest Hangar 51 global accelerator programme.

British Polar explorer, Antarctic scientist and author, Felicity Aston is an established expedition leader who has successfully organised and led numerous global missions. As an ambassador for the First Women project, Felicity has led international teams of women to some of the most remote places around the world. Her expeditions have included the first British Women’s crossing of Greenland, The Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition and The Pole of Cold Expedition.

Fintech business lender, MarketFinance has secured funds from a European bank, through fintech CrossLend, to facilitate lending to UK businesses. The news comes as demand for finance is surging, with MarketFinance research indicating that as many as 84% of businesses will be seeking loans this winter. Already in 2020, MarketFinance has advanced over £342m for institutional investors to meet the needs of UK businesses.

Cosmos Video, the virtual venues platform which allows people to work, hang out and socialise together, has raised £2m in seed funding from Europe’s leading seed investors, LocalGlobe with participation from Entrepreneur First, Andy Chung and Phillip Moehring (AngelList), and Omid Ashtari (ex-President, Citymapper).

London and Berlin have pledged to strengthen business links between the two European capitals by announcing an extension of a partnership agreement signed by both city’s trade and investment agencies last year. The city-to-city agreement has been renewed to coincide with a virtual event marking the 20th anniversary of the twinning of the two cities, involving the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.

A London-based business growth agency has expanded its services to six countries, following double-digit growth in 2020. SME GRO.TEAM now has a range of advisors on hand to provide support to the US, Canada, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. It has tailored its website to the various local markets following both the successful delivery of several ad-hoc overseas projects, and a spike in online traffic and enquiries from across each country.

Tech startup, Isotropic Systems has announced its partnership with diversity and inclusion consultancy, Inspired Human. Perrine Farque, Founder of Inspired Human and diversity and inclusion expert has partnered with Isotropic to help the organisation drive further diversity in the tech sector. An ambitious programme has been agreed involving the CEO’s personal commitment to double female representation in the workforce within the next 12 months, kicking off the programme in Q4 2020 the company is making huge strides to close the gender gap in the tech sector.

On the back of new quantum algorithm breakthroughs, quantum software company Phasecraft has closed a record seed round for a quantum computing company in the UK. Its new £3.7m seed funding round is led by VC firm LocalGlobe with Episode1 along with previous investors.

Europe’s Hottest Accelerator, SETsquared Bristol has announced the six companies that have been awarded their 2020 Breakthrough Bursary. Angel Investors Club, Engineer2Engineer, Latchaid, Lurncampus, FluoretiQ and YelloButterfly will join SETsquared Bristol’s incubation programme in January 2021 to grow their technology startups.

In the fifth part of business mix's series of articles, they harnesses our Associate and Partner network and focusses on learning from those that have walked this path before and getting inside the mindset of the successful challengers. This time White Bear Studio is in the spotlight. 

Startups are all about growth and achieving their potential almost from day one. For any business to succeed, though, it needs to have dedicated employees who put the time and effort into making things happen. Of course, you can’t expect to have that if you don’t do everything you can to make your workers feel valued.

To date, the artificial intelligence (AI) industry has had quite a difficult history with diversity standards. Despite studies probing inclusivity and bias, statistics for gender and racial diversity in the sector are alarmingly low. And given that we are living in an age of strong activism in these spaces, it is high time that the tech industry follows suit with some practical steps.

Fintech business lender MarketFinance has launched a Business Booster Fund that will make grants of £5,000 available to UK small businesses. The initiative forms part of the MarketFinance commitment to SMEs and giving back to the community. These grants are aimed at supporting passionate and driven UK-based entrepreneurs, giving them a kickstart as they head into 2021.

HumanForest is an exciting new mobility startup, committed to you and the planet. Offering Londoners 10 minutes free every day, on a truly green e-bike. Here, Startups Magazine speaks to Agustín Guilisasti, Founder of HumanForest to find out more.

As interest in security continues to be a major issue for motorcycle owners, Monimoto - the smart tracker for motorcycles, has successfully secured €404,400 in total funding from 392 investors.