The charitable venture that grew into a thriving firm October 6, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to the founders of Hire Space – London’s online venue rental business THE PUBLIC has grown increasingly comfortable with the notion of sharing assets – homes, cars, hairdressing skills – and buying second hand products through websites like eBay. Airbnb, the San Francisco-based holiday rental website and sharing pioneer, for example, was [...]
Innovation Diary: Why economic revival has its own challenges for UK entrepreneurs October 6, 2013 FOR BUSINESSES weathering a difficult economy, hoarding cash has been the order of the day. Research by Capita Asset Services found that FTSE 100-listed UK firms increased their cash holdings by 34 per cent in the five years since 2008. But as the economic pendulum swings, investors are grumbling. Apple, which according to Moody’s holds [...]
Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur: Wikipedia for wingers: Back up your banter with smartphone smart Alec October 6, 2013 I SAT there with the ignominy of defeat hanging over me. Even though I tried to keep the shame and sorrow off my face, and to adopt the good grace of a good loser, I was indeed a loser. A bunch of us were on our way to a Fleetwood Mac concert and really chirpy [...]
Foodie who hit the ground running September 29, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to David Moore, the restauranteur behind London’s Pied a Terre THE GLOBAL restaurant industry is forecast to increase in size by 7.2 per cent over the next three years, rising from total revenues of $2.45 trillion (£1.53 trillion) in 2011 to $3.48 trillion by the end of 2016. And in the UK, [...]
Two former City workers who built businesses out of the financial crisis September 29, 2013 Adam Taylor and Lexi Tamasan’s pet food subscription service is taking a sizeable bite out of a large market PET FOOD is not the first product most think about when founding a company. But when Adam Taylor saw his mother, who suffers from arthritis, struggling with a large bag of dog biscuits, it struck him [...]
Innovation Diary: Startup collaboration isn’t new – but it’s increasingly intentional September 29, 2013 ROYAL Mail’s privatisation is certainly an expression of confidence in the company, with investment set to speed up the pace of restructuring away from its declining letters business. But the future may not be so rosy. Writing in City A.M., the futurist Ian Pearson suggested that Royal Mail’s profitable package business could itself be challenged [...]
Tea expert who’s found a new blend September 23, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to Mike Brehme, who is transforming hot drinks for the second time WHAT do you do when you’ve already transformed that most British of pastimes – drinking tea? That was the conundrum facing Mike Brehme – co-founder of Clipper Teas, whose newest venture FruitBroo has recently come onto the shelves at Sainsbury’s [...]
Turning up the heat: Former trader taking on the Big Six September 22, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks tariffs and talent with Stephen Fitzpatrick, who switched the City for the Cotswolds to found energy company Ovo EXPERTS are predicting another gloomy winter for Britain, with power firms expected to raise tariffs in November and December by up to 10 per cent – pushing annual average bills to over £1,500 for [...]
Beat the competition to golden accelerator and incubator places September 22, 2013 But picking the right fit for your company is vitally important THE THRIVING London startup scene is set for another boost. Microsoft recently announced plans to launch a new gaming-focused accelerator programme, while Tesco is due to fund the Rainmaking Loft – a tech incubator in St Katherine Docks. Incubator programmes provide startups with business [...]
Innovation Diary: Why designing the right marketing strategy could ultimately cut costs September 22, 2013 WHILE the digital economy has vastly increased the ability of startups to upscale in a cost-efficient way, attracting customers has not necessarily become any easier. In research published in the Sloan Management Review last year, for instance, David Bell, Jeonghye Choi, and Leonard Lodish noted that, although internet firms theoretically have “‘unlimited’ trading areas”, and [...]