Google to open $100m startup fund in London July 10, 2014 GOOGLE’S startup investment fund has picked London to base its new $100m (£58.4m) European investment arm. Google Ventures has more than $1.5bn invested in 250 startups, which until now have mainly been based in the US. “Google, alongside many other global investors, recognises the incredible skills and opportunities to be found here,” London mayor Boris [...]
Eating lunch at your desk again? Here’s how the City does delivery September 23, 2014 Eating al-desko isn’t just about showing your boss you’re the keenest worker-bee in the office. As winter draws nearer it’s also a way of eating your sandwiches without getting frost bite. The latest lunch-break craze in the City allows hungry employees to select, buy and eat their lunch without leaving their office at all. Delivery [...]
BuzzFeed valued at $850m as company plans international expansion August 11, 2014 BuzzFeed, the viral news and content website famed for its "listicles", has been valued at $850m after it secured $50m of investment from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The online media company currently reaches 150m people a month, has expanded from its New York base to offices in Los Angeles and London, and now [...]
From Threadneedle Street to the corridors of power September 28, 2014 Business minister Matthew Hancock tells Kate McCann he’s on the side of new challenger firms IF CONSERVATIVE MPs spent the weekend nursing a Ukip-induced headache ahead of their party conference, business minister Matthew Hancock showed no evidence of it yesterday. “It’s relatively cheerful here, in the circumstances,” the former Osborne advisor says with a wry [...]
Our prosperity depends on embracing disruption – but don’t forget the losers June 17, 2014 HERE is your starter for ten. What do the Uber app and David Ricardo have in common? “Ricardo?”, I hear you ask. Scarcely known outside academic economics, he ranks equal with Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes as the greatest ever British economist. His classic Principles of Political Economy was published in 1816, and he [...]
London welcomes £100m Google Ventures fund as boost for tech investment July 10, 2014 Google’s venture funding arm is setting up a £100m investment fund in London to invest in tech companies in the capital and elsewhere in Europe. London is the first location outside the US for Google Ventures which has already funded more than 250 startups, including well known success stories such as taxi business Uber, genetics [...]
Gatwick Obviously didn’t Bank on a week of major Tube strikes April 28, 2014 THERE are plenty of Londoners hoping that TfL could still cut a deal with union leaders and halt the current Tube strikes, but Gatwick’s ad men might well be crossing their fingers more tightly than most. The airport has staged a week-long advertising takeover in both Bank and Westminster Tube stations but with the Tube [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 23 May 2014 May 22, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Corrupt companies face higher fines British companies that bribe foreign officials to win contracts, commit fraud, or launder money, face fines of up to 400 per cent of their illicit profits, under new penalty guidelines. In the most serious cases companies will pay fines comparable with those meted out in the US, where [...]
PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel talks quarter-life crises and how to tackle the state November 2, 2014 It's not every day that you get to speak to Silicon Valley royalty. And Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, first outside investor in Facebook, fund manager, and leader of multiple firms, is a dynasty heavyweight. Having just published his new book, Zero to One, he’s keen to talk about some of his latest ideas. [...]
Why I’m backing Maaxi – to launch a new black cab ride-sharing revolution October 1, 2014 GPS-enabled smartphones and apps have transformed urban commutes more than any technological advancement in the last 100 years, as former mayor Ken Livingstone outlines in a remarkable letter (see below), calling for action to ensure the controlled adoption of disruptive technologies in transport. While trains, buses and cars have evolved in speed and comfort, these [...]