Osu, the payment app for the UK’s self-employed, has announced the close of a £2.25m seed round, led by early-stage experts Creandum, to fund further growth to reach 10,000 customers this year. 

LawtechUK, the government-backed initiative within Tech Nation, to help transform the UK legal sector through technology, today brings to a close the Pilot stage of the first Lawtech Sandbox - a research and development initiative for lawtech scaleups - following a successful three month trial period.

The ATI Boeing Accelerator is a three month programme for world-class startups building industry 4.0 and sustainability enabling technologies, with the potential to bolster the growth and competitiveness of the UK aerospace industry.

The ranks of the self-employed have swelled over the past two decades, rising from 3.4 million (12.9% of the workforce) in 1998 to 4.8 million (15.1%) in 2017. Yet over the same period, the proportion of self-employed workers paying into a private pension has fallen from 48% to just 16%, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Beautystack Founder and CEO, Sharmadean Reid has launched her latest venture, a new media platform called The Stack World that will bring together content, community and commerce and put intelligence at the core of the women’s media landscape. 

Like Minded Females (LMF) Network joined efforts with online business school Jolt and technology venture firm, Balderton Capital to grant five Future Leaders scholarships to rising female tech talent from LMF’s community. The full bursaries will allow them to attend Jolt's Switch course, a programme designed to create pathways for those who want to begin a career in tech. 

We have a sense that more companies are starting this year investing energy in considering their brand purpose, their brand’s reason for being, beyond making money. It is incredibly rare, in fact I couldn’t tell you the last time, someone came to us to launch a business they created solely as a money-making endeavour. Startups are born out of a desire to fix a problem and make a change. That is their brand purpose.

The UK is widely regarded as one of the greatest places to start an innovative tech company. This shouldn’t come as any surprise given the world-class academia we have to offer, the legacy of innovation and, importantly, the funding opportunities available to entrepreneurs.

As a content writer, my job is to tell stories. I use the power of narrative to sell via digital storytelling. Digital storytelling uses long-held storytelling techniques in combination with digital tools such as blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media. 

The next Mayor of London’s TechInvest, taking place 27th April, will celebrate 10 of London’s pioneering HealthTech startups. This upcoming TechInvest instalment will seek to identify industry leaders that are converging technologies with medicine and healthcare to improve the efficiency and delivery of prediction, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.

Civic Tech platform, CitizenLab has announced a move to open up the core version of its community engagement software, in an effort to equip smaller organisations and communities with the tools to democratise policy-making by involving more citizens.

Cancer Research UK and Capital Enterprise, together with Roche UK, have launched the Cancer Tech Accelerator programme. This new initiative will help researchers translate their ideas and lifesaving discoveries into innovations that will improve the lives of cancer patients.  

Creative workspace and accelerator, Huckletree has announced international law firm, CMS to join as their first sustainability programme partner alongside Silicon Valley Bank, and A/O Proptech - Europe’s largest proptech VC firm. All three will provide support and services to Huckletree’s educational programmes, members and events.

A unique digital skills powerhouse is set to transform talent diversity in the North West’s tech sector, by breaking the barriers faced by those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds and fast-tracking 450 people into careers in digital technology every year.

The quality of your onboarding strategy can either define, or undermine, your startup. New talent is the lifeblood for a business that craves marketplace competitiveness. Without key people priorities, your business might struggle to access the right knowledge and expertise.

Creative technology studio, Appetite Creative Solutions, has released results from its first ever B2B Marketing Survey. With 82% of respondents viewing B2B marketing as a vital driving force for new business. Despite COVID-19, uncertainty over two thirds (65%) of marketers are looking to increase their digital marketing spend in 2021.

For all businesses, especially startups, to prosper systematically, sharing feedback effectively is essential. When functional feedback sharing is made a part of the company culture, it turns out to be beneficial for everyone. Even the most talented and passionate employees need a sense of direction from their superiors.

We are excited to announce the ten startups selected to join the ABN AMRO & Techstars Future of Finance Accelerator, virtually in these pandemic times, in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the birthplace of many financial innovations over centuries past that continue to influence the world of finance today.

Chelsea Football Club has launched a unique offering to help support local businesses get back on their feet, by inviting small companies with a London postcode to apply for free advertising space on matchdays.

Oxford Medical Products (OMP) has raised £1.2m in seed investment to develop a safe and affordable weight loss capsule, which uses the same mechanism of action as a gastric balloon, but can be taken at home. The funding will be used to complete pre-clinical testing, upscale and outsource manufacturing and grow the team.