Software giant SAP to buy Qualtrics for $8bn days before unicorn’s planned IPO November 12, 2018 Software giant SAP has agreed to buy Qualtrics for $8bn (£6.2bn) just days before the survey software firm's planned IPO. German software group SAP said its enterprise software and cloud services and Qualtrics' experience management platform would combine to be a “game changer” for companies to measure and act on feedback. US-based Qualtrics, a rival [...]
Stop blaming Brexit for a brain drain November 12, 2018 Brain drain. Talent drain. The only thing that is truly draining ahead of March 2019 is hearing tech leaders use Brexit as an excuse for not being able to build a great team. As any founder knows, staff are the beating heart of the company and the most vital asset that you have. Tech Nation’s [...]
European Union’s technology tax edging closer, says French finance minister Bruno Le Maire November 12, 2018 The European Union’s plan to tax internet giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook is nearing completion, according to the French finance minister. The proposed three per cent technology levy would target multinational companies with global revenues of more than £660m a year, in a move that could raise £4.4bn a year across Europe. Bruno [...]
Embracing digital technology will help the City to shape the future of the UK November 12, 2018 As the 691st lord mayor of the City of London, I follow a long continuum dating back to 1189, before the Magna Carta. My focus over the next 12 months will be on how the City can help shape the UK’s future. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, British innovations such as railways, cotton mills and [...]
Peer-to-peer currency exchange Weswap to list on Aim as it targets international expansion November 11, 2018 Peer-to-peer currency exchange platform Weswap will float on London’s AIM next month, the company announced today, as it targets international expansion. The UK fintech firm is aiming to raise between £15m to £20m, upping its market capitalisation to around £45m, to expand into the European and Asian market. It is also seeking to develop new [...]
Amazon to stock iPhones for Christmas after promise to clamp down on fake Apple products November 10, 2018 Parents or partners of Apple fans will be able to turn to Amazon this Christmas to buy the latest iPhone for their loved ones. In the next few weeks, the online retail giant will start selling iPhones and iPads in the US, Europe, Japan and India, expanding its previously limited range of Apple products. However, customers [...]
Apple pledges to repair iPhone and MacBook models with faulty screens and hard drives November 10, 2018 Apple has said it will service some products for free after discovering faults in iPhone X and MacBook Pro models. The company said the touch screen on some iPhone X devices will intermittently not respond to a user’s touch, or even react despite not being touched. The California-based producer said a part in the display [...]
It’s make or break for the telecoms sector’s shot at reform November 8, 2018 One of the great ironies of the telecoms industry is that, for a sector that is primarily focused on technological innovation and future infrastructure, certain aspects of it are decidedly backwards looking. There’s a clear divide between, say, the gathering momentum in the roll-out of ultrafast broadband and the distinct stasis when it comes to the [...]
Satellite firm Inmarsat shares fall as it says full-year revenue will come in at bottom end of guidance November 8, 2018 Shares in British satellite firm Inmarsat fell eight per cent as markets opened this morning, as it narrowed full-year revenue guidance despite achieving a solid third quarter. Revenue for the three months to 30 September rose 3.7 per cent to $369.3m (£281.7m), while profits after tax doubled to $227.7m compared to the same period in [...]
Pitch at Buckingham Palace: Meet the startups in the Duke of York’s tech accelerator November 8, 2018 Startups, entrepreneurs and business leaders will gather at Buckingham Palace tonight to hear from the twelve finalists of the Duke of York's Pitch@Palace startup accelerator programme. Coming from across the spectrum of biotech, accessibility, construction and video, these UK startups will be given a chance to pitch the room with their specific "ask", whether that's [...]