With the COVID-19 crisis leaving the economy in turmoil and more than 800,000 people out of a job, the New Year heralds a fresh start for Britain’s entrepreneurs. Around 56,000 new businesses are expected to start-out this month - which is almost 2,000 a day.

SupplyCompass, the production platform for brands and manufacturers, has unveiled a major product update that now allows fashion businesses to invite and onboard their own factories, and streamline communication via an in-built Slack-style chat feature.

AI has been identified by Deloitte analysts as the technology that is critical to ‘elevate the human experience’ and power successful next-generation customer service. This article will discuss how this advanced tech can help contact centres deliver a consistently high level of customer experience (CX) and ease internal contact centre pain points in a post-COVID world.

The Data & Marketing Association (DMA) has announced a new partnership with not-for-profit organisation, Race Equality Matters, which will seek to achieve racial equality in the workplace.

Call it a New Year’s resolution or call it a business plan, it’s all the same in the world of startups. Setting goals and reaching for the stars is all part of the startup journey as you have to show vision, commitment, and determination in all that you do. The only difference is that it’s not about you, it’s about your business.

Spaceport Cornwall is seeing in 2021 with three new staff appointments. Following the departure of Miles Carden, Melissa Thorpe will be providing an interim solution to the position and will be supported by John Paffett. As well as this, new Cornwall Airport Newquay employee Luke Winfield, will be supporting the Spaceport team as Operations Manager.

Funded by the UK European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), CPI, an independent technology innovation centre and founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, has announced the launch of the PROSPECT programme to assist Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the North East across a wide range of sectors.

Legacy Club is pleased to announce Startups Magazine as its headline partner for 2021. Following Legacy Club’s successful launch in January 2021, this collaboration aims to bring together Startups Magazine’s thriving community of start-up businesses and entrepreneurs with Legacy Club’s extensive offering of support, advice and mentorship.

Digital Catapult’s Future Networks Lab Challenge provides an exciting opportunity for internet of things (IoT) and 5G startups to respond and pitch their solutions directly to industry challenges set by technology partners Siemens and Arrow Electronics.

The UK should take advantage of new post-Brexit freedoms to create a world-leading copyright system, Fixing Copyright, a new report by The Entrepreneurs Network think tank argues. According to the report, modernising copyright would provide a boost to the UK’s artificial intelligence startups.

UK-based EdTech gaming studio, Kuato Studios, has raised £4.5m in a round led by Horizons Ventures and is launching ‘Panic Room’ - its first virtual reality title.

As SME leaders plan for the year ahead, Vistage’s latest CEO Confidence Index has found that more than half (54%) of Small and Mid-size Enterprise (SME) members in the UK and Ireland are optimistic that the economic conditions will improve in the next 12 months.

The growing demand for software development professionals has already resulted in a talent shortage of 40m workers worldwide which is projected to reach 85.2m by 2030. However, no-code solutions will allow anyone in the organisation to code cheaper, faster, and without any prior knowledge in programming.

“If we have learned anything in 2020, it’s that consumers play a pivotal role in their own health outcomes.” - CES 2021. Consumers are now expecting accessible, convenient solutions that allow them to jumpstart their care - from wellness to healthcare - at any moment.

Initial income from digital gift cards in the US stores sampled by Rise.ai jumped by 299% in the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the third quarter of 2020, and by 135% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. Initial income rose by 558% in December 2020, compared to November 2020. Overall, while for the full year initial income more than doubled by 114% in 2020 in comparison to the previous year.

Hong Kong innovation and technology expertise will be on display at CES 2021, with 22 of the region’s leading entrepreneurs and innovators exhibiting at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) 44th annual Hong Kong Pavilion at CES. Held virtually from 11th-14th, this year’s exhibits will showcase why Hong Kong is the ideal incubator and launchpad for tech innovation and global business success.

‘I’ve had this idea…’ It’s apparently ideas that drive entrepreneurs. Spotting a gap in the market, formulating an amazing product or service that will answer it. Why hasn’t anyone thought of it before? Good ideas are everything when it comes to starting a business… That is, until you find yourself blindsided by an idea that doesn’t take you anywhere because it has no data to back it up. Because while ideas are the entrepreneur’s bread and butter, it’s data that powers their production. At least, that’s been my experience.

New data has revealed that Birmingham has been crowned the UK’s regional startup capital for a seventh year running, defying challenges to business confidence posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

British cybersecurity startups raised £651m last year after the start of lockdown in March, but only £11.9m went to companies looking to raise investment for the first time, according to new research released today by Plexal and Beauhurst.

Freehand, a UK-based medical technology company, today launched a crowdfunding round to support international expansion for its pioneering robotic surgical camera controllers. The company is seeking up to £1m in investment via Crowdcube to establish a global team of clinical training specialists and expand its distribution network across Europe, Asia and the Americas.