Augmented reality startup Blue Vision Labs emerges from stealth mode with $14.5m of funding March 15, 2018 A new augmented reality (AR) firm, Blue Vision Labs, has emerged from “stealth mode” today and raised $14.5m of venture capital funding. The London-based firm, which was founded in Oxford, allows multiple users of AR apps on smartphones to share the augmented images they view through the smartphone lens. According to Blue Vision, this was [...]
Skype billionaire Niklas Zennstrom’s Atomico leads $12m round for London startup StreetBees March 15, 2018 London-based tech startup StreetBees has received backing from the co-founder of Skype among others in a $12m (£8.6m) fundraising round. Niklas Zennstrom’s Atomico led the round, with participation from existing investors including LocalGlobe, Octopus and BGF Ventures. The company has a network of global users who are paid to share moments from their lives on [...]
It’s time to take back control of migration – and auction visas March 15, 2018 Crunch time is approaching. As the UK edges closer to leaving the European Union with a commitment to end freedom of movement, home secretary Amber Rudd must set out Britain’s post-Brexit immigration policy. We need a grown-up debate on immigration but too often, instinct instead of evidence has guided the discussion. Read more: More Cabinet [...]
DEBATE: As the future of cashless payment looms closer, is it time to scrap 1p and 2p coins? March 15, 2018 As the future of cashless payment looms closer, is it time to scrap 1p and 2p coins? Abhijit Deb, head of banking & financial services (UK and Ireland) at Cognizant, says YES. There is no doubt that we have seen huge swathes of the British public already gravitate towards cashless payments. Every day we see [...]
Investment banking worst for your health says giant survey of British bank employees March 15, 2018 Investment bankers think their jobs are the more damaging to their health than their counterparts in business or retail lending, according to a massive survey of British bank employees. Some 29 per cent of investment bank employees said their job is having a negative impact on their wellbeing, a poll of more than 36,000 bankers [...]
Q&A: What does the Russia spy dispute mean for UK businesses? March 14, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May today said the UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats as part of a series of measures following the “attempted murder” against ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The diplomatic flare-up raises serious questions for Russian business. Will Russian firms find it harder to list in London? Yuen Low, analyst at Shore Capital, [...]
Theranos and its CEO Elizabeth Holmes charged with massive fraud by US regulators March 14, 2018 The founder and CEO of former tech unicorn Theranos has been charged with “massive fraud” by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Theranos, its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes and its former President Ramesh Balwani have been charged today with fraudulently raising more than $700m (£502m) from investors. Holmes has agreed to settle the [...]
Dignity’s shares have got new lease of life as the funeral business announces a revamp March 14, 2018 Funeral firm Dignity saw its share price rise from the grave today, as the business announced it had roped in advisers to help it battle competitors. Dignity has appointed LEK Consulting as it attempts to hold its own in a funeral service price war – a move which boosted its shares by more than 15 [...]
Demand for office space in Central London grows year-on -year driven by financial services sector March 14, 2018 Demand for office space in London is up by 76 per cent year-on-year, new data has shown. According to data from real estate firm CBRE, office space under offer in Central London rose by three percent last month to 3.7m square feet (sq ft). This stood ahead of the 10 year average of 2.8m sq [...]
Jeremy Corbyn facing Labour revolt over Russia after backbench revolt March 14, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn is facing growing discontent within his own party over his stance on Russia, after he repeatedly called for further evidence before condemning the state for the attack on Sergei Skripal earlier this month. The Labour leader refused to condemn Russia over the attack following Theresa May’s claim that it was “attempted murder” conducted [...]