Just Eat delivers new chatbot “coach” to advise customers on takeaways September 14, 2016 Takeaway giant Just Eat will launch a Facebook Messenger chatbot food "coach" as part of an ambitious, tech-focused rebrand in which it is attempting to create "the world's greatest food community". Just Eat's chatbot will be on hand to customers to "bring food discovery to life by engaging with customers to coach and inspire their food choices", the company announced [...]
Giving Uber drivers “worker” status is bad news for passengers, the gig economy and the drivers themselves October 28, 2016 Friday's decision to grant two Uber drivers worker status is bad news not just for Uber, but for its drivers, its customers, and the future of the “gig economy” as a whole. It is primarily bad for Uber drivers. We know for a fact that, by vast margins (five to one), they don’t want to [...]
Uber needs to sort out public concerns about its workers’ wage worries to stimulate UberEats’ growth September 21, 2016 The food delivery sector is booming and Uber is getting on board with its newly launched UberEats service. Competing with rivals such as Deliveroo, Uber’s bosses will be hoping that those that have got on board with the company as a taxi service will be attracted to its new venture as well. YouGov Profiles data [...]
Meet the tech foals to watch if you’re looking for growth June 23, 2016 London is home to 14 billion-dollar valued tech firms, or unicorns. It is the digital capital of Europe, a hub unrivalled in Stockholm, Berlin, Paris or Tel Aviv. But long-term growth doesn’t come from high profile valuations, but the next generation of emerging businesses. In this year’s European Unicorn 2016 report, our analyst team has [...]
Foodie predictions for 2017: top chefs, writers, restaurateurs and food producers give us their thoughts on the year ahead December 7, 2016 Vivek Singh Executive chef of The Cinnamon Club, cinnamonclub.com Butter is back and fats will be in vogue. Masterclasses will also become key to true foodies, with as much focus on drinks as on food. We will continue to want to know more about the ethics behind our food and its provenance. Shaun Clarkson Interior [...]
What’s holding back The Leap 100? August 9, 2016 The Leap 100 are bullish about the future. “Nothing can stop us,” says one founder, echoing the optimism of fellow members. Nearly a quarter are targeting revenues of £100m and above in the next three years, with two thirds aiming to hit between £10m and £50m. An impressive 47 per cent say that they expect [...]
Theresa May appoints Blair policy expert to review employment law October 1, 2016 Theresa May has appointed one of Tony Blair's top advisers to lead a new review into employment rights across the new economy. Matthew Taylor, who was head of the influential Number 10 Policy Unit between 2003 and 2006, will be tasked with creating a new framework of employment rights and protections for the millions of [...]
The tech revolution – not Brexit – will reshape the face of London December 16, 2016 London's office market will change more in the next five years than in the 15 years since the 2001 dot-com crash, as a combination of factors much bigger than Britain’s exit from the EU come into play across the capital. While there has been so much discussion on the future of London’s banking cluster since [...]
London restaurant app Velocity lands millions more pounds in funding August 29, 2016 A restaurant app founded in London which lets diners pay their bill with their phone has landed millions of pounds in new funding. With some of London's top eateries on board such as Hix, Sketch and Gymkhana, as well others in New York and Los Angeles among other cities, Velocity has bagged £17m in a series B round [...]
The government wants “flexibility but fairness” for Uber and gig economy workers November 1, 2016 Flexibility as well as fairness must be considered when it comes to workers rights in the wake of the landmark Uber driver employment ruling, the government’s digital minister has said. “Technology is changing employment patterns and it's important we keep up with that and it's important that employers take their employment law responsibilities seriously,” said Matt [...]