In June of 2020, the US Supreme Court handed down a ruling that barred employers from discriminating against queer and transgender employees. This was the latest of many fights happening worldwide to introduce or strengthen legislation to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace.

Ally.io, a hypergrowth technology company specialising in goal-setting and business execution software, has announced a $50M (£36.5M) Series C funding round led by Greenoaks Capital. Tiger Global, who led the company’s Series B round, and Madrona Venture Group also joined the round, as well as previous investors Accel, Addition Ventures, Founders’ Co-Op, and Vulcan Capital. 

Vinehealth, a platform to improve the quality of life and survival of cancer patients through highly personalised patient support, has secured a £1m Biomedical Catalyst grant to deliver their innovative cancer companion app to four NHS trusts within a randomised controlled trial, thus generating robust evidence of the platform’s clinical and cost effectiveness in improving patient self-management and data collection.

Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) has raised $9.5m in Series A funding. The investment was co-led by IQ Capital, Parkwalk Advisors and BGF, and includes investment from Foresight Williams, Cambridge Enterprise, Martlet Capital, Cambridge Angels and Cambridge Capital Group. The funding will be used by CGD to expand its product portfolio of energy-efficient power devices and to double the size of its team.

A cloud-based CRM provider has announced another instalment of their successful virtual event series, designed to help UK businesses tackle 2021 and set strong foundations following a challenging 2020. BuddyCRM’s Build Back Better - Sales Masterclass will commence on 18th March 2021 and is free for delegates to attend. 

Social impact startup OX has successfully secured three grants with a total project value of £1.2m in the past four months. The grants, awarded by Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre, will see OX work on separate projects with Potenza Technology and Penso to expedite the delivery of the world’s first clean transport ecosystem. 

Over half (54%) of UK workers say they are more open to taking on a side hustle or freelance work since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Fiverr. Over 2 in 5 (44%) agree they are more open to it, due to the flexibility that working from home has given them.

Launching a new startup is always a huge risk, but with effective user research and testing, product leaders can gain valuable insights from end users to reduce risk from the outset and build a culture of learning from their customers. We recently held a virtual event titled ‘From Idea to Launch: How startups succeed with UserTesting’ and we were joined by product and startup experts, including Arielle Kilroy and Justin Berkovi, to get their top tips for ensuring success.

In this article, Andrew White, Partner and UK & European patent attorney at intellectual property firm, Mathys & Squire discusses how building a strong Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio puts you in a better position to secure business investment when you need it and why linking your IP strategy to your business goals - including investment plans - is crucial for making it all come together effortlessly.

PatchAi and Roche Italia aim together for the digital transformation of the Italian healthcare system with an innovative solution for patients affected by oncological diseases.

Job discovery platform, DirectlyApply is celebrating its second birthday after enjoying its most successful year to date. Despite lockdown and the fall in available jobs, DirectlyApply experienced rapid growth over the last 12 months, seeing revenue jump by 1,400%.

Two-thirds (66%) of UK companies have admitted to commissioning market research in 2020 which has never been used due to the disruptions and delays caused by COVID-19. This is according to new research from Stravito, a provider of knowledge management software for insights.

Some unique ideas sound awkward but have continued to thrive in today’s world because they are rendering services that other traditional businesses are not. Below are some of the top unusual businesses that you can choose to explore:

It’s still common that businesses use manual and time-consuming processes as a force of habit. If you have never been exposed to the benefits of technology, then how would you know any different?

Creative industries are under huge pressure caused by the pandemic. For the SMB sector, there’s never been a greater need to cut costs and futureproof themselves against further economic uncertainty in the coming months.

With the shipping and logistics sector rapidly growing due to the growth of the e-commerce industry, the need for optimal packaging solutions is becoming more important than ever. The primary single use material used to secure pallets across Europe is stretch wrap but most businesses are moving towards more environmentally friendly and reusable packaging solutions.

A plurality of thought is one of the many wonderful benefits of the UK’s democratic system, but in recent times, a feeling that goes beyond plurality has emerged; it is a feeling of division – on a political, economic and - most worryingly - social level.

Side hustles continue to gain popularity. Whether it’s for a personal challenge or you want another source of income, starting a side project makes a lot of sense. After all, we’ve witnessed so many side projects evolve into million-dollar companies in the 2010s.

A UK-based digital professional has warned that as many as 70% of British businesses don’t fully understand SEO, or the methods employed by Google’s algorithm to analyse, rank, and display relevant search results. This is a particularly troubling statistic as many firms struggle to stay afloat during COVID-19 and risk squandering their budget on SEO campaigns that simply won’t deliver.

Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business. Setting up business in an existing market has been done many times before. It comes with its own risks and challenges, but you’ll be able to find some good advice and guidance to steer you down the right path.