Why the future of Britain’s startups hangs in the balance March 30, 2020 Britain is blessed with one of the healthiest technology industries in the world. We are creating more tech unicorns – companies valued at over $1bn – than anywhere else in Europe. Globally, we are only behind giants America and China. Over the past decade, Britain created a veritable paddock of 63 unicorns. Our tech scene [...]
Book closes on bargain retailer amid fierce competition December 17, 2019 The Book People, one of the UK’s largest booksellers, has been forced into administration in the run up to Christmas. PwC has been appointed to manage the insolvency process, Sky News reported. Read more: Amazon’s Deliveroo investment raises competition concerns, watchdog finds The accountancy firm was handling an auction for the bookseller, as its private [...]
London startup Zego gains first ever licence for UK insurtech November 12, 2019 An insurance startup aimed at the gig economy today said it is the first insurtech firm in the UK to secure an insurance licence. Zego, which offers flexible insurance to freelance workers such as drivers for Uber or riders for Deliveroo, said it was awarded the licence by the Gibraltarian regulator. Chief executive Sten Saar [...]
Hungry? Now you can order from Deliveroo restaurants via Google Maps August 23, 2018 Deliveroo is now firmly embedded in Google Maps, giving London’s workers even less reason to leave their desks at lunchtime. The food delivery firm’s integration with the desktop, mobile web and mobile app versions of Maps means hungry City staff scanning restaurant details online can choose to have their meal of choice delivered directly to [...]
City Moves for 4 February – Who’s switching jobs at Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion? February 4, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion Saatchi & Saatchi Saatchi & Saatchi London has announced the appointment of Andrew Kay as managing partner on its prominent BT account. Andrew takes on the new role after three years as managing director at BETC. He began his career with account management roles at [...]
London investor in Peloton and Goop raises third fund at $300m January 15, 2020 Venture capital firm Felix Capital has today revealed its third fund at $300m (£230.3m), targeting startups at both early and growth stages across London and beyond. The firm has previously invested in the likes of Deliveroo, Peloton and Mejuri, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop. The new fund is double that of its [...]
Competition watchdog risks ‘killing’ British tech firms, startups warn March 3, 2020 The UK competition watchdog risks “killing” rising British tech companies by launching lengthy investigations while global rivals are free to pull ahead, startups have warned. In a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak, seen by City A.M., industry body the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) said the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) “eleventh-hour interventions” risked [...]
Prosus and Takeaway.com trade blows in battle for Just Eat November 20, 2019 The two companies competing to take over food delivery firm Just Eat were locked in a war of words today as they vied to win the favour of shareholders. Prosus said the bid made by rival Takeaway.com represented “significant risks” and underestimated how competitive the British market was. Read more: Takeaway.com boss has no plans [...]
London’s legal tech status burnished by $5m US investment in startup Juro January 7, 2020 London’s status as a hub for legal tech was boosted today by the investment of $5m (£3.8m) in contracts startup Juro in a funding round led by a US firm that backed Twitter and Kickstarter. Juro is an end-to-end contract management platform with customers such as Deliveroo and Skyscanner. The company today announced it has [...]
Delivery Hero takes a bite out of Asian market with $4bn Woowa deal December 13, 2019 Delivery Hero has agreed a $4bn (£3bn) deal to purchase South Korea’s biggest food delivery app and form a joint venture, driving up competition in the rapidly-growing Asian market. The Berlin-based group today signed a deal to take over Woowa Brothers, the startup behind the Baedal Minjok app – more commonly known as Baemin. Read [...]