News
The UK government has said it will invest an additional £21m into Tech City UK in a bid to expand it into a nationwide network and boost the technology sector across the country.
As part of its plans, the government will also double the amount of visas available for high-skilled workers from outside the European Union following Brexit.
Additionally, the Prime Minister and Chancellor have also announced a new £20m fund to enable public services to take advantage of UK expertise in technologies such as AI.
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Fifteen billion and counting. For once, the hype around an emerging technology looks to be justified: the Internet of Things (IoT) already encompasses a staggering number of devices and today’s total of 15 billion worldwide is expected to reach 50 billion by 2020.
Moreover, despite some technical jargon, the IoT is a simple concept. It is simply a network of devices containing technology that enables each of them to send and receive information via the internet. That might be anything from your exercise-monitoring watch to the components of a factory floor assembly line. The power of the IoT lies in the data it generates, which provides constant feedback about how devices and equipment are performing, where they are, and how their owners are using them.
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Being at an early-stage startup is a bit like being in grade school — but in this version, you have to skip a grade every 6 months and still get all As. You learn quickly because you have to. And while you manage to skip grade after grade, there are many times when you fall short. Then, once you’ve graduated, you look back and realize just how much you’ve learned, and how much you wish you could help others have an easier time with their path.
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Trouva, an online marketplace for homeware and lifestyle brick and mortar boutiques, has raised a $10m Series A.
The round was led by BGF Ventures and drew the support of Index Ventures and Octopus Investments.
Trouva has built a proprietary technology platform to enable consumers to discover brands online. The platform also offers real time ‘click and collect’, one-hour delivery.
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UK FinTech firm Flux, winner of ‘Best Pitch’ at UKTN’s Elevator Pitch LIVE competition, has partnered with Barclays to trial instant digital receipts with 10,000 customers.
The pilot will also see both parties work together to allow major retailers to deliver receipts digitally.
Barclays will be trialling the service through its Launchpad app, its platform for testing new features with real customers.
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Amazon is expanding its Influencer Program beyond YouTube to also include Twitter and Instagram, the company announced on Thursday. First launched into beta earlier this spring, the program initially targeted YouTube stars by offering them a way to make money from the products they promoted in their videos through an affiliate-like relationship with Amazon.
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Last night, at the Royal Lancaster in London, 450 leading decision makers from the UK’s vibrant SME investment ecosystem celebrated their stellar successes at the third annual Growth Investor Awards, organised by Intelligent Partnership.
Amid intense competition for the inaugural Best Angel Syndicate award, Oxford Capital Co-Investor Circle came in a very close second as runner-up for displaying how an experienced business angel can work with start-up companies to help them scale up and achieve global reach. Startup Funding Club took the top prize.
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There’s a real energy and passion about the diversity and volume of startups emerging across Europe. From Spotify and TransferWise to Deliveroo, these businesses are totally transforming how people consume goods and services – and the best bit is the level of ambition has gone through the roof. Europe no longer wants to sell out to the US, startups these days dream of world domination on their own terms.
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Today, Deloitte celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Technology Fast 50 program and unveils the winners of its Technology Fast 50, Companies-to Watch and Leadership awards programs. The Technology Fast 50 program recognizes Canadian technology companies for their entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, rapid revenue growth, and world-class achievements. This year, the Fast 50 winners achieved an average four-year growth rate of 4,625 per cent, which represents a 74 per cent increase from 2016.
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Here are Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ tips about inspiration, work-life balance, and how to be an inventor. Oh, and how it felt getting doused with champagne at his rocket landing. The world’s richest person displayed an unprecedented level of candor during an interview at invite-only getaway Summit Series in Los Angeles this weekend.
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