From flights to philanthropy: Ebookers founder Dinesh Dhamija talks luck, Romania and why Britain’s entrepreneurs shouldn’t be too bothered about the General Election April 12, 2015 We often hear that the startup landscape of today lacks funding opportunities: the banks still aren’t lending to small businesses, and despite pockets of cash existing, unless you’ve got the inside track, it’s difficult to know how to access them. But Dinesh Dhamija, the multi-millionaire son of an Indian diplomat who, in 1999, founded online [...]
George Osborne likes to think the unthinkable: Now he should abolish the Budget March 16, 2015 It’s a well-known saying that “turkeys don’t vote for Christmas”. So calling for George Osborne to take to the despatch box tomorrow and announce that he’s abolishing future Budgets – in turn, greatly diminishing the Treasury’s power – might seem a fanciful plea. In truth, it’s about as likely as Ed Miliband offering journalists the [...]
GrubHub targeting $2bn New York Stock Exchange valuation April 1, 2014 GRUBHUB, the US food delivery service similar to Britain’s Just Eat, has raised its expected share price range up to between $23 and $25 ahead of its listing on Friday. The price range will raise GrubHub about $176m from its initial public offering (IPO), with a top end valuation of around $1.9bn (£1.14bn). GrubHub, backed by [...]
Selection dilemma for Pochettino as trophy bid looms for Spurs February 25, 2015 TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted the conundrum of juggling resources is preying on his mind as his side prepare to face Fiorentina in the second leg of their last-32 Europa League tie tonight. Spurs have reached the last 16 in the past two seasons but face a potentially difficult assignment having travelled to Florence [...]
Hungryhouse serves up £50m fundraising April 23, 2014 THE OWNER of online food delivery company Hungryhouse has raised $85m (£50.5m) of new funding to help it compete with recently floated rival Just Eat. Delivery Hero said yesterday it will use the funds to strengthen Hungryhouse’s position in the UK and invest in Lieferheld, its sister site in Germany. The funds came from a [...]
Forging ahead: Raidla Ellex founder Juri Raidla talks Baltic collaboration, grandchildren and the day the world changed June 14, 2015 At the back end of 1991, the Soviet Union began heaving itself out of Estonia – 60 years after it invaded and illegally occupied it, and shoved in a puppet government. For the former Estonian SSR, independence was a watershed moment – a brighter future for a country reclaimed. But this was a country [...]
Mix it up: There’s something fishy about Nobu’s new Caviar Martini December 16, 2014 Plenty of people like their Martinis with a thimble or less of dry vermouth. I've never understood the pleasure of sipping on a couple of shots of ice-cold vodka or gin, myself. But it's not just vermouth; I'm always liable to get itchy tastebuds without a suitable garnish, which is why one desperate evening, [...]
Flying off the scale: Fever-Tree’s Tim Warrillow talks malaria, crane strikes and private equity May 25, 2015 We're seeing a renaissance; it’s incredibly exciting. People are better educated and the market is growing and growing – and quite right too, it’s a great English invention.” Tim Warrillow is talking about the gin and tonic – something the co-founder of maverick drinks company Fever-Tree knows a fair bit about. The gin and [...]
Barings’ collapse: The reflections of rogue trader Nick Leeson, the man who crashed a bank February 25, 2015 Twenty years on from the collapse of Britain’s oldest merchant bank Barings and the rogue trader responsible for its demise is perched opposite me on a sofa in the rarified Palm Court tea room in the Langham Hotel, sipping tea and eating biscuits. Dressed in a pink shirt, blue jacket and jeans, the Nick Leeson [...]
FTSE reshuffle promotes UK’s new listed firms June 3, 2014 SIX NEWLY-LISTED companies,including Just Eat and AO World, are set to join the ranks of the FTSE 250 index as part of the index’s quarterly reshuffle. The overhaul is a sign of the radical reshaping of the investment landscape sparked by this year’s stock market stampede. The two stocks will join Pets at Home, Poundland, [...]