Growing ‘valley of death’ funding gap could scupper UK tech ambitions, industry bosses warn February 22, 2023 A growing ‘valley of death’ funding gap facing the UK’s tech sector could scupper the government’s Silicon Valley ambitions as firms struggle to raise cash and fuel growth, tech investors have warned. Venture capital funding into the UK faltered last year amid a global slowdown as soaring inflation and market volatility caused investors to pull [...]
UK public procurement reforms could create £4bn ‘accountability gap’, campaigners warn January 8, 2023 Plans to overhaul the UK’s public procurement processes risk creating an “accountability gap” around the use of public funds, anti-corruption campaigners have warned. The plans, which aim to make it easier for small businesses to win contracts from the UK government, seek to simplify the country’s procurement processes and make them easier to navigate. The [...]
Closing the gap: gender lens investing and the future of finance May 31, 2022 Public perception of gender equality issues runs in a repetitive cycle. We’ve all seen it. A scandal breaks out, or a study discovers yet another damaging disparity. Think pieces are written, hands are wrung, and companies promise to do better. Then the public’s attention moves on until another cycle starts. Actual change comes very slowly, [...]
Next steps: Gap builds on UK return with re-introduction of Banana Republic and Athleta brands November 21, 2022 Gap has added a pair of apparel brands to its joint venture with Next, after the fashion firm left the high street amid the pandemic. The e-commerce retailer said it will re-introduce Banana Republic and Athleta products to the UK via Next’s Total platform. The US retailer shut its 81 stores in the UK and [...]
Pandemic widened gap between Premier League and European rivals, says Deloitte August 18, 2022 The pandemic saw the Premier League increase its financial advantage over its rivals in European football, according to a report published today by Deloitte. Despite the almost total absence of ticket revenue as supporters remained locked out of stadiums, Premier League clubs grew revenue during the 2020-21 season and, unlike their competitors, reported improved operating [...]
Age hits equally, but the gender pension gap doesn’t May 19, 2022 According to Amazon’s rankings, the best selling products for sixty-plus Brits are elevated toilet seats, pill organisers and pain relief creams. As elderly age affects the population regardless of gender, Amazon’s pensioners’ insights don’t take into account whether the buyer is a man or a woman – raised toilet seats are so far yet to [...]
A bank to bridge the gap November 12, 2021 Eleven months after the announcement of a new national infrastructure bank it made its first investment. Can this new institution follow the success of its predecessor the Green Investment Bank and have a real impact on a green future. Our Green Finance Forum panel discusses. Level up On October 25th this year, the UK National [...]
Venture’s gender gap: Top tech investors still don’t trust female founders, researchers find January 3, 2023 Tech investors still do not trust female entrepreneurs due to the prevalence of male founders and the popular perception that top tech tycoons are all young white men, researchers have found. In a new peer reviewed study, researchers at Vienna University of Economics and Business found that investors backing tech start-ups seek out certainty in [...]
L&G report: Inflation is widening gap between rich and poor with ‘pay cut’ for 95 per cent of UK households March 27, 2023 Legal & General’s Rebuilding Britain Index (RBI) found that 95 per cent of working UK households have experienced a real terms pay cut over the last 12-months as rising inflation makes its way felt into nearly all households. UK inflation has surpassed forecasts and stayed in the double digits and the rate of price increases [...]
As winter tightens its grip, businesses can’t afford to ignore the disability pay gap a second longer December 22, 2022 If a job description had mentioned that you would have had to work the final 54 days of this year unpaid, you would have likely turned it down. But this is the reality that people with disabilities in the UK have been facing in 2022. The disability pay gap works out to the equivalent of [...]