The third edition of South Summit Industry & Energy, co-organised by South Summit and Bizkaia, will return on 21 and 22 November to the international entrepreneurship centre B Accelerator Tower (BAT) in Bilbao. The meeting for the entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on Industry 4.0, Energy Transition, and Mobility will bring together the most prominent leaders, startups, and investors in these sectors in the capital of Bizkaia to discuss the future trends, opportunities, and challenges they face.

As an entrepreneur, you will face many obstacles on the road to success in your field, and it is crucial that you are passionate about your product or service so that your startup can take off and build a solid customer base.

French space startup Skynopy, specialising in satellite connectivity, has announced a new partnership with satellite IoT operator Kinéis to launch its own network of antennas and enhance its turnkey satellite connectivity services. This collaboration addresses the increasing demand for space industry solutions.

Rare Founders Demo Day wasn't just an event; it was a celebration of entrepreneurial energy. Organised for the second time this year by entrepreneur Vasily Alekseenko, Rare Founders, London’s Largest Demo Day has quickly become the highlight of the UK startup calendar.

Startups working to strengthen trust in carbon markets across sectors such as farming, ocean health, and cotton have been selected for the second year of an accelerator programme run by BSI and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

autone, the AI-powered platform helping retailers transform their business through optimal inventory management, has raised a $17 million Series A funding round led by General Catalyst.

UK-based spacecraft propulsion startup, Magdrive, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Orbit Fab, a specialist in spacecraft refuelling. The partnership, announced at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, aims to develop satellite refuelling technologies that promise to reshape space sustainability.

eBay has announced the global expansion of its Circular Fashion Fund (CFF), aimed at helping fashion startups scale circular solutions across the entire lifecycle – from production to disposal, including rental and repair services. Applications for the fund are now open and will close on 15th November 2024. Eligible startups and small businesses can apply via eBay's website.

A San Francisco-based AI startup, has launched Tattoon, an innovative app that allows users to “fit” tattoos onto their own bodies with just a tap. The app’s mission is to bridge the gap between art, tattoo artists, and aspiring tattoo enthusiasts by enabling people to experiment with different tattoo designs on their body photos.

TravelPerk, a global business travel management platform, has released new findings on how UK professionals feel about the potential use of AI avatars in the workplace. Despite some reservations, 91% of respondents said they would be open to delegating meeting tasks to an AI avatar.

The duty on employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled job applicants and employees was introduced by the Equality Act 2010. More commonly now termed as ‘workplace adjustments’, these refer to making changes to the way someone does their job to help remove the barriers they may experience.  

Zerve, a platform designed for data science and AI development, announced a seed round of $7.6 million, led by Paladin Capital Group. Other backers included existing investor Elkstone and notable angel investors like Rob Hickey, former Executive Vice President of Engineering at DataRobot.

Keep, a Y Combinator-backed open-source AIOps platform, has raised $2.7M in a Pre-Seed funding round led by Runa Capital, with additional support from key industry entrepreneurs and venture firms. Participants include Firestreak and Y Combinator, as well as prominent angel investors like Shay Baron (Elastic CTO and Founder), Andrew Miklas (PagerDuty Co-Founder), David Cramer (Sentry Co-Founder), Maxim Konovalov (NGINX Founder), and Nizam Shapira (Epsagon Founder).

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announces Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO of Volvo Group, as a keynote speaker for CES 2025, along with several influential guests. Volvo Group will highlight its vision for a 100% safe, 100% fossil-free, and 100% more productive transportation and infrastructure.

Intuit’s September 2024 Small Business Index has revealed a slowdown in the UK job market, based on data from 25,000 small businesses with one to nine employees. The report shows a decline of around 1,400 jobs and fewer vacancies across the sector, indicating a cooling labour market.

Estonian startup Symmetrista has unveiled a bra specifically designed for women who have undergone breast reconstruction after breast cancer treatment.

Mollie, a rapidly expanding European financial services provider, has unveiled its new integration with HubSpot, the customer platform for growing businesses. This integration allows UK businesses to initiate and track payments directly within HubSpot, streamlining CRM payment processing and significantly reducing time spent on administrative tasks.

Fintech startups are a very hot topic among investors of any kind. Reports state that over the past nine years, they have been ranked as one of the top sectors for investing, especially for VCs. Numbers show that 12% of all VC investments go to fintech startups.

With the Autumn budget just days away, investors and entrepreneurs are waiting nervously for news on the “painful choices” that are being made to plug a £22 billion gap in public finances.

Where You At (WYA), a female-founded app that enhances nightlife safety using indoor mapping and offline mesh technology to help users stay connected in crowded venues, has raised significant funding which has helped it make a huge impact in a short space of time.