Flexible jobs market helps UK startups as more British businesses survive first year June 9, 2015 New British businesses are more likely than European firms to survive their first year, consultancy Rousseau Associates said yesterday, as rules on hiring and firing staff are more flexible. Of the 234,000 firms launched in Britain in 2011, 93 per cent lasted at least one year. By contrast only 83 per cent of those in [...]
Startups in Soho and Clerkenwell rival those in Shoreditch and the City June 9, 2015 London startups are moving outside the Shoreditch bubble for their office space, new research has suggested, with Soho and Clerkenwell proving popular with tech firms just starting out. The area known for Silicon Roundabout and Tech City remains the most popular place for startups, but online searches for office space suggest that the majority of [...]
Merger for UK music startups Songkick and Crowdsurge June 4, 2015 Two UK-based music platforms said they were teaming up yesterday, as concert app Songkick and ticket sales website Crowdsurge announced a 50/50 merger. In an announcement on its website, Songkick said that the combined company would keep the name Songkick and become the “largest artist-ticketing service in the world.” According to Songkick, the company aims [...]
Deutsche Bank eyes FinTech startups with innovation labs in London, Berlin and Silicon Valley June 4, 2015 Deutsche Bank is the latest big lender to turn to the startup world for business innovation, eyeing FinTech startups to help kickstart its €1bn (£735m) digital strategy with the opening of three new innovation labs in Europe and the US. The bank will partner with HCL, Microsoft and IBM to open centres in London, Berlin and Silicon [...]
UK tech startups will create 20,000 jobs this year as VC investment rockets June 1, 2015 Rocketing venture capital investment is set to boost hiring at tech startups in Britain, with the creation of 20,000 jobs expected this year. Tech startups across the country are currently advertising 12,000 positions, 40 per cent growth in the last six months and 80 per cent on last year. London and the south east, home [...]
Umotif Digital Health looks for more investors: Startup firm that helps Parkinson’s sufferers seeks to fuel growth May 31, 2015 A Digital health startup firm that helps patients connect with their doctors is looking to raise up to £2m from investors to help spur growth. Umotif Digital Health, which offers an app for people who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease and other illnesses, launched about three years ago in London and helps patients with their condition, [...]
These are the FinTech startups being backed by Citi May 29, 2015 Four FinTech startups have won $100,000 (£65,400) backing from Citi after a search for new technology and innovation to transform banking and business. London-based Swave, an app that encourages users to monitor spending and make saving easier, trading platform Trade It, a supply chain solution created by Umati Capital and textbook subscription app Kytabu were [...]
£6m loan for London startup notonthehighstreet.com from Silicon Valley Bank May 26, 2015 The London-based tech startup notonthehighstreet.com has won a £6m loan from the Silicon Valley Bank. The website, which was founded by Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish, brings together lifestyle products from over 5,000 small businesses and makes them easy to buy. It will use the money from the new loan to expand the business further. [...]
Playground broker Alex Fenton pulls in £5m for new startup GapCap May 17, 2015 They say you can spot talent early, and so it was with Alex Fenton. The now-26-year-old’s first foray into business was in the playground, where he acted as a broker for collectible stickers. Fast-forward a couple of decades and Fenton, who used to work in private equity, has secured £5m in funding for his startup. [...]
FinTech payment startups least likely to get acquired by banks April 23, 2015 Financial technology startups shaking up the payments industry are least likely to be acquired by established banks, despite the increasing efforts by financial institutions to become more innovative. The most likely end-game for a successful startup developing innovative new ways for making payments in the rocketing FinTech sector is being acquired by a major technology firm such [...]