World’s first passive startup fund from SyndicateRoom which relies on algos has fully invested its £4.5m total March 7, 2018 The world’s first passive Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) fund has fully invested its £4.5m total. The innovative Fund Twenty8, run by investment platform SyndicateRoom, is designed to offer retail investors a low-fee portfolio-based approach to startup investing. Fund Twenty8 relies on algorithms to invest its capital in opportunities which are proving popular with high-net-worth and [...]
Ocado’s tech prowess must be celebrated May 18, 2018 It took a mega deal with a US grocer for Ocado to prove that it’s no basket case. The online grocer saw shares soar more than 80 per cent during trading yesterday after it announced that Kroger, one of the world’s biggest grocery chains with annual sales of $122bn (£90bn), will now use Ocado’s technology to [...]
Minicab drivers protest outside TfL headquarters over ‘institutional racism’ May 3, 2018 Minicab drivers have launched a surprise flash demo at Transport for London’s (TfL) headquarters today to protest against “institutional racism”. The United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) branch of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has accused TfL of pushing policies that have added “crushing new costs” to drivers such as regulations including additional [...]
Creative industries export £46bn worth of goods and services including music and games March 14, 2018 The UK’s creative industries exported £46bn in goods and services last year, new research has revealed today. British music, art, advertising and digital technology all contributed to the value of the sector, according to a report by the Creative INdustries Federation. The research indicates that the value of the creative industries is larger than previous [...]
SoftBank’s Vision Fund backs online car marketplace Auto1 January 14, 2018 Another day, another SoftBank startup investment. The highly active Japanese firm with $100bn of its Vision Fund to spend is backing Auto1, a Berlin-based online marketplace for buying and selling cars. It is investing €460m in the five-year-old startup, one of the most highly valued in Europe at €2.9bn with the fresh investment and already [...]
Stop thinking in straight lines or get left behind by the revolution June 28, 2018 Revolutionaries from the past have a tendency to morph into romantic icons; think Che Guevara, Rosa Luxemburg, Lenin, Robespierre. From the safety of history, it’s possible to admire their determination and dedication without condoning their often destructive and violent tactics. Yet living revolutionaries are not always so popular beyond their immediate following. They threaten the [...]
A million tech jobs? The race is on to define London’s digital future June 11, 2018 London is a city defined by numbers: 11 tube lines whisk us across the capital with ease and efficiency, 22 football stadiums attract spectators every weekend, 40,000 Ubers offer us a comfortable ride home, and 100 languages are spoken in every borough, creating the greatest melting pot in the world. The city must now strive [...]
The UK has been crowned the tech unicorn capital of Europe, home to over a third of the continent’s billion dollar startups June 11, 2018 The UK has established itself as Europe's tech powerhouse, playing home to 37 per cent of Europe’s unicorn-status tech firms and topping the list of global destinations for tech talent. With London Tech Week kicking off today, new figures show the UK claims 13 of Europe’s 34 unicorns – referring to companies with a $1bn [...]
That healthy diet is about to last longer: Deliveroo is down January 21, 2017 Put that takeaway menu away and head to the back of the cupboard: Deliveroo is down. The service tweeted just after 8.30pm that it was "experiencing a small problem at the moment". Almost an hour later, the app was still failing to load for many users. https://twitter.com/DeliverooHelp/status/822907053060538368 Users also complained they were unable to get [...]
London’s tech scene pulls in record £2.5bn in 2017 venture capital bonanza January 5, 2018 London’s tech venture capital investment reached another all-time high in 2017 as firms raked in four times more cash than Paris, the nearest European rival. Venture capital investment into the UK’s tech sector reached an all-time high of £2.99bn, almost double the total invested in 2016, according to figures compiled by data firm Pitchbook for [...]