Phos, the fintech behind the software-only Point of Sale (SoftPoS), and Stanchion Payment Solutions, a global specialist in payments systems and integration, have announced a partnership to enable payment processors and banks to accelerate the time to market of innovative contactless payments acceptance solutions for European merchants.

Startup founders and investors, especially in Silicon Valley, often talk about scratching your own itch as a way to reach the highly sought-after product-market fit, which will then accelerate your company to greatness. It’s likely that your problem isn’t unique, the theory goes, so by solving it you could stumble upon an idea for a product that could help thousands or even millions of people.

Xero has announced improvements to Xero Tax as it continues to transform the compliance landscape in the UK. Xero Tax is a cloud-based tax and accounts production solution. Designed by accountants for accountants, it provides increased visibility and efficiency when filing for clients.

I always thought that nothing would take priority over my career. Even during pregnancy, I was certain that I’d be itching to get back to work. Back to my routine, back to what I’m good at and have worked so hard to progress and refine over many years.

A new study, commissioned by business bank, Allica Bank, shows that the practice of regular training correlates strongly with high performance in SMEs and will be vital to businesses’ prospects of a swift recovery post-COVID. The study analysed data from over 1,000 companies and ranked their success on a scale that evaluated factors including productivity, growth, consistency and outlook.

In the current turbulent economic climate, many startups will be faced with financial challenges. In many sectors and industries, employers have not seen a return to pre-lockdown customer demand. That being the case, the starting point is to think about what your structure will look like for this new normal?

W2 is Wincanton’s digital innovation programme for developing products and services across all sectors of the Group to drive sustainable value in the supply chain. Under the W2 umbrella, W2 Labs aims to reach out to both startups and existing partners to bring fresh thinking to the supply chain, help us respond intelligently to business change and develop agile, flexible and potentially transformative solutions that improve Wincanton's customer offering.

One thing that every early stage business should produce is a pitch deck, whether they are looking to raise external funding or not. A pith deck is typically a 15 to 20 page very simplified business plan set out in a PowerPoint type format. Its purpose is to succinctly outline all aspects of the business to any outsider. Just like a business plan, producing a good pitch deck is a good exercise for any founder in refining the business itself, and considering all aspects clearly and objectively.

Sewio, a UWB-based real-time location system (RTLS) vendor, is giving away three Digital Hero Enablement Kits for free to evangelise ultrawideband (UWB) technology and its advantages to the wider market.

Xero has announced that it is increasing the limits on its Starter plan, alongside improving the functionality of payments and insights tools, to help sole traders and new small businesses get started, manage their cash flow and grow during and beyond the pandemic.

Sustainable fashion app, Nuw has announced the expansion of its services across the UK and Ireland to empower people to reduce their environmental impact of fashion, and give love to the clothes that already exist in our own wardrobes.

When should leaders invest in homegrown talent or go headhunting? Is there a place in a team for driven but disruptive employees? Is leading with transparency always the right way? These questions and more are tackled by former England football manager, Kevin Keegan OBE and BigChange founder, Martin Port in a new series of video interviews launched today.

As a startup, taking the first steps into marketing can be daunting. Where should you start? What activity will be the best use of my time? If you’re limited on time or budget - and even if you’re not - a great place to start is content marketing.

Tech Nation has today announced the launch of the Fintech Pledge with support from HM Treasury (HMT) and the Fintech Delivery Panel, to accelerate the growth of the UK’s fintech sector by enabling enhanced collaboration between banks and leading fintech firms.

For years, if not decades, being a ‘woman in tech’ has been seen as the exception to the rule and for many, a career path that’s littered with challenges. According to a Women in Tech report from PWC, only 5% of leadership positions in the tech sector are held by women, a paltry 3% of females say a career in tech is their first choice and only 16% of females have had a career in tech suggested to them (vs 33% of males).

New research, commissioned by meeting provider, PowWowNow has revealed only a quarter (25.9%) of companies provided information about Shared Parental Leave (SPL) without it being requested first, suggesting a lack of transparency around the existence of the initiative is preventing its uptake.

Founder of early digital success story, Online Galleries, and former Managing Director of 1stdibs’ international region, Carmine Bruno has announced his new venture: an international marketplace that will set a new standard for dealing antiques and furniture online.

As the Government’s CBILS initiative draws to a close this month, two British fintechs Ebury and MarketFinance, have joined forces to ensure SMEs across the UK are able to quickly access the emergency lending. MarketFinance will offer both its CBILS loans and revolving credit facilities to Ebury’s UK SME base to support them with their business finance needs.

Connected Brits admit to spending hours getting ready for work-related video calls during lockdown and struggling to get back into the zone once the call is over, leading to millions of hours of ‘wasted’ work time since lockdown.