Forget the doom-mongers: Investing in infrastructure is as safe as it sounds June 15, 2015 Received wisdom says that infrastructure is a safe and boring haven for long-term investors looking for yield in a low interest rate environment. Recently, however, the asset class has come under attack for being more risky than the low-yielding government bonds for which it is touted as an alternative home for investors’ cash. Even the [...]
London Technology Week: The hunt for London’s unicorn tech startups June 15, 2015 There's no doubting the impressive numbers rolling out of London Tech Week. There’s also no lack of people willing to shout about these impressive feats, whether it be entrepreneurs, investors, economists, or the mayor himself. More than a dozen of London’s tech types today gathered near the summit of the Shard to kick off London [...]
Cultivating London’s next generation of tech entrepreneurs June 15, 2015 Digital technology is changing the world, but the pace of that change is still breathtaking. In three years, Airbnb amassed as many hotel rooms as the Hilton dynasty did in a century. Ten years ago, Twitter didn’t exist – now it has more than 300m users. And Spotify adds around 20,000 tracks to its 30m-strong [...]
Budget 2015: Institute of Chartered Accountants says George Osborne should simplify taxes June 15, 2015 The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is calling upon chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne to simplify the tax code in his forthcoming summer Budget. With the Conservative Budget just three weeks away, the ICAEW said today that the government’s previously-announced plans to cut red tape and reduce costs to British [...]
Grind looks to Crowdcube for £1.5m crowdfunding coffee fix June 15, 2015 Coffee chain Grind is looking to tap up latte and espresso lovers through crowdfunding service Crowdcube for its next phase of expansion, after launching a £1.5m bond issue today. Grind was founded four years ago by Australian DJ and musician Kaz James and entrepreneur David Abrahamovitch, who were unsatisfied with the quality of the espressos [...]
London Technology Week will showcase the UK as a global tech powerhouse June 14, 2015 This week, tens of thousands of tech experts from all over the world will descend on the capital for London Technology Week. It presents an opportunity to celebrate our city’s position as the tech capital of Europe. Inventors and innovators will parade the very latest in pioneering tech and digital thinking. And hundreds of workshops [...]
Forging ahead: Raidla Ellex founder Juri Raidla talks Baltic collaboration, grandchildren and the day the world changed June 14, 2015 At the back end of 1991, the Soviet Union began heaving itself out of Estonia – 60 years after it invaded and illegally occupied it, and shoved in a puppet government. For the former Estonian SSR, independence was a watershed moment – a brighter future for a country reclaimed. But this was a country [...]
How to build a brand for your business – Investec Comment June 14, 2015 Whatever size company you run, your brand is an essential component of your success. If your reputation is the sum of the impressions people have had of your firm historically, your brand describes what your customers and clients can expect in the future. If you want to be distinct, if you don’t want to fade, [...]
As new pension rules take hold, these seven cities are worth a look if you’re planning on investing in global property June 12, 2015 UK pensioners and investors could cash in by buying property in cities such as Miami and Berlin, according to research from IP Global. The company identified seven cities a being ripe for investment, including far-flung locations such as Miami and Melbourne. The government’s pension reforms have freed up savings, and many pensioners have already used [...]
Crowdfunding a bespoke car: Elemental explains how it raised capital for its road-legal track car, the Rp1 June 10, 2015 Elemental's Rp1 is built around a custom-designed carbon composite tub and race pedigree chassis Having received much acclaim for its development car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year, Elemental Automotive Group was ready to find the funding to scale. Established in 2012, its team, all seasoned F1 and super car engineers and [...]
