Pact Coffee’s Stephen Rapoport: Why our mission is central to our growth May 17, 2016 Coffee culture is having a renaissance. We are aping London of the eighteenth century, when our ancestors couldn’t get enough of the brown stuff. But while their caffeine fuelled debates about politics, fashion and philosophy, we still mostly use it to get us out of bed each day. One entrepreneur hopes to add an additional [...]
How to follow the Leap 100 in 2016 April 20, 2016 The Leap 100 isn’t a passive programme. Every month the pages of City A.M. and this dedicated section will be ablaze with stories about the trials and tribulations of the founders we’re following. Readers can discover what inspired them to start the business, how they overcame their biggest challenges, and what they attribute their success to. These profiles will [...]
The only way is up for Leap 100 companies April 20, 2016 THE Leap 100 is a list of 100 of the most exciting, fast-growing companies in the UK. But it’s more than a list: it is a cohort of founders whose fortunes we will follow and whose ambitions we will support over the next 12 months; founders with the talent to help secure Britain’s place as the best place [...]
High Court dismisses application from Mishcon de Reya over KPMG’s handling of Barclays’s mis-selling of interest rate swaps compensation scheme February 25, 2016 Britain's biggest banks narrowly avoided a major legal challenge today, when a High Court judge dismissed a case relating to the mis-selling of rate swap products. The case could have had far-reaching implications for a multi-billion pound scheme to compensate victims of mis-sold interest rate swaps. But the High Court today dismissed an application from Mishcon de Reya to look [...]
British banks face landmark legal challenge over mis-selling of interest rate swaps January 24, 2016 Britain's biggest banks are set to face yet another legal challenge tomorrow, when a hearing relating to the mis-selling of rate swap products begins in the Royal Courts of Justice. The hearing, which is expected to last no more than three days, could have far-reaching implications for a multi-billion pound scheme to compensate victims of [...]
The Leap have flourished in pro-entrepreneur Britain December 16, 2015 THE year in politics has been nothing short of astonishing. Defying predictions, we now have a Conservative majority government and Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, and the gulf between the two main parties is widening faster than thought. Yet there has been one subject on which all parties have been agreed: that entrepreneurs are good [...]
The challenging landscape for the UK’s serial entrepreneurs November 25, 2015 Gone is the job for life; the portable career is a thing of the past too; even owning your own business is no longer what it used to be. These days, it’s all about scaling fast, exiting and starting again – welcome to the world of serial entrepreneurship. The energy, innovation and determination which [...]
Entrepreneurs need a stable tax policy landscape to thrive October 28, 2015 THE cut and thrust of politics may not matter all that much to entrepreneurs. But policies certainly do – particularly those related to tax. Some have been a boon for businesses: Entrepreneurs’ Relief and the Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) have been particularly welcome. The former grants entrepreneurs a 10 per cent tax rate on [...]
TalkTalk cyber attack: What to do if you’re a customer and you’re worried about personal data being hacked October 23, 2015 TalkTalk has been hit by a massive cyber attack that could affect as many as four million customers. The investigation into the hack, in which personal data such as names, dates of birth and credit card numbers may have been stolen, is still ongoing – by the company itself, police and the data regulator. But what can worried customers do while [...]
The UK is superbly placed for the scaleup challenge September 23, 2015 UK entrepreneurs have never had it so good. We have a favourable tax regime, stable political system and a culture of innovation. And we’ve come a long way in 30 years, with a litany of success stories inspiring this enterprising generation of young entrepreneurs. There will always be risks on the horizon – as the [...]