Graphcore lands $30m from top AI experts Demis Hassabis from Deepmind, Uber’s Zoubin Ghahramani and more along with Atomico and others | City A.M. July 20, 2017 Some of the world’s leading experts in artificial intelligence are among fresh investors to plough $30m into a Bristol-based chip startup. Google DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis and Zoubin Ghahramani, Uber’s chief scientist and Cambridge university professor, are among new investors in Graphcore, which makes chips that can process machine learning faster and more efficiently. It [...]
The pension pitfalls of the gig economy July 19, 2017 Our work lives are becoming increasingly malleable as millions of us turn our backs on steady nine-to-five jobs and choose to go freelance instead. Yes, we can now mould our job into a shape that fits neatly into our personal or financial lives, but this workplace revolution is by no means perfect, and has [...]
Artificial intelligence is our chance to shoot for the moon July 19, 2017 A common criticism of the recent election has been that the campaigns failed to address many of the big issues that will affect the futures of most people. It’s a fair point. I don’t recall hearing one politician talk about the rapidly changing world of business and work, and what this country may look like [...]
Hot UK cyber security startup Darktrace raises $75m series D at $825m valuation July 11, 2017 One of the Uk’s hottest startups has millions of pounds in fresh funding, pushing the firm’s valuation surging past the half a billion dollars mark. Cyber security startup Darktrace has raised $75m (£58m) in a series D round of funding, valuing it at $825m, almost double of what it was when it raised $65m this [...]
Britain is a tech powerhouse leading the global revolution July 7, 2017 In every era, when a big new technology is invented we are challenged to think fresh about how to make it work for us, in a way that improves the quality of people’s lives. Just as new technologies can bring great benefits, they also can throw up risks. It’s no different with digital technology. Britain [...]
Cyber attacks are prompting a boost in cybersecurity M&A, figures from Hampleton Partners reveal July 6, 2017 Both strategic buyers and private equity firms are showing a renewed interest in cybersecurity acquisitions, new figures from technology-focused merger and acquisition (M&A) advisor Hampleton Partners reveal. After 2010, following the period when software-based cybersecurity systems were being hoovered up in massive deals such as Intel’s $7.68bn takeover of McAfee, the value of deals done [...]
How regulation and market priorities drive fintech focus globally June 28, 2017 The interest in fintech worldwide shows no signs of abating, as illustrated by the strong attendance at each stop on our recent CFA Institute speaker tour throughout Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. But even more interesting is the regional variation in what 'fintech' means to local entrepreneurs. Talking to investors, company founders, [...]
Global cyber attack hits UK firms as WPP reports hack June 27, 2017 A massive cyber attack which has hit a number of institutions in Ukraine appears to be spreading across Europe. Several firms, banks and government offices in Ukraine began to report attacks earlier today caused by ransomware named “Petya”. London-based advertising giant WPP has reported problems with its IT systems caused by a “suspected cyber attack”, [...]
Brokers beware: The UK’s first ever no-commission share trading service launches today June 22, 2017 For the first time in the UK’s history, anyone wanting to dabble in shares can trade away without having to pay commission as Trading 212 launches its share trading platform today. The fintech firm behind the project is hardly a new kid on the block – its online commodities and forex trading platform has been [...]
Meet Charlie Muirhead and Tabitha Goldstaub from Cogx, preparing London (and the world) for our AI future June 19, 2017 In the last few years, gradually, and despite lamentations from the old guard, the world has started to accept the reality of a new economy. It’s the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” “The Data Economy”, the “Information Age,” or a “Digital Epoch”. Whatever nomenclature one denotes the phenomenon, it is clear that it is here to stay. [...]