UK artificial intelligence startup FiveAI lands £14m series B from Lakestar Capital, an early Facebook and Spotify backer September 6, 2017 The venture fund set up by an early backer of Facebook, Spotify and Skype has invested millions in a UK artificial intelligence startup that is planning on getting driverless cars on the road. Lakestar Capital has led the £14m series B round into FiveAI, the company working with Mclaren technologies and Transport for London on [...]
Let there be light: The business partnership training women to illuminate the developing world September 6, 2017 How can we help women in the developing world rise out of poverty and achieve gender equality? For Barefoot College and law firm Hogan Lovells, the solution lies in “solar mamas”: the women setting the world alight one solar panel at a time. Founded in 1972, Barefoot College is the first and only college built [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone’s delve into the world of cryptocurrency in Dubai apartment complex September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]
Bell Pottinger faces client exodus: Top firms seek to distance themselves from disgraced PR firm | City A.M. September 5, 2017 Bell Pottinger is facing an exodus of clients as companies seek to distance themselves from the disgraced PR firm. The iconic company, which was kicked out of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) on Monday, is now scrambling to regroup. City A.M. understands Bell Pottinger wants to name a new boss this week, following [...]
Free-mium research: ING gets around Mifid II by giving away its analysis September 5, 2017 While several banks and brokers have been worrying about how much to charge for analysis under the new Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid II) rules, Dutch bank ING has decided to give a load away for free. ING today launched a website called Think, which offers research on “key economic and financial news and [...]
Three new driverless cars hitting UK roads: A Range Rover Evoque, Ford Fusion and Mondeo unveiled by Oxbotica and Transport for London group Driven September 5, 2017 Three fresh prototypes for driverless cars have been unveiled by a top group with ambitious goals of getting the vehicles onto Britain’s roads by 2019. A self-driving Range Rover Evoque and two Ford – a Fusion and a Mondeo – will be part of a fleet of six vehicles that will form part of trials [...]
China’s President Xi Jinping says emerging markets are ‘main engine’ of growth as services sector surprises September 5, 2017 Chinese President Xi Jinping today described emerging economies as the “main engine of global growth”, as economic indicators portrayed an economy making strong progress ahead of a crucial Communist party congress next month. Xi told fellow world leaders that emerging markets must “jointly seize the historical opportunity arising from the adjustment of world economic structure”, [...]
Ofo and Urbo are the latest dockless bike-sharing startups to hit London’s streets after oBike and Mobike September 5, 2017 Mobike, obike, o not another bike… cycle-sharing is about to get even more crowded in London. Ofo is the latest bike-sharing startup to launch in the capital, bringing 200 cycles to the streets of Hackney without the need for docking like the capital’s Boris Bikes (or Santander Cycles as they’re officially known). It follows a [...]
Donald Trump is right about the UN – and the UK should follow him September 5, 2017 As Britain leaves the EU, is it time to re-examine our membership and funding of another international institution – the United Nations (UN)? Asking such a question will no doubt rile those who see the UN’s existence as inherently virtuous. A genuine forum for sovereign nation states to discuss international affairs and cooperate is a [...]
Let’s show the world that sexism has no place in the UK’s thriving tech industry September 5, 2017 Silicon Valley has reached a turning point. Companies in the world’s predominant technology hub pride themselves on purpose: changing the world for the better. But the wave of recent scandals, from accusations of sexual harassment at Uber to a Google memo which appeared to promote sexist stereotypes, have showcased a dark underbelly to the world [...]