If you were chancellor, what would be in your Budget? November 6, 2019 Today was scheduled to be the first Budget of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The chancellor announced the Budget last month, saying: “This is the right and responsible thing to do – we must get on with governing.” Unfortunately, to misquote a phrase, the best-laid plans of chancellors and Prime Ministers often go awry. The Budget has [...]
Startup entrepreneurs are seeking more advice than ever before November 1, 2019 As a nation, we’re not great at admitting when we need help. We like to soldier on with a stiff upper lip, while often heading for a fall. It was therefore interesting that in a recent poll among our Enterprise Nation adviser community, we found that more than half of them say that small business [...]
Top tips for National Mentoring Day October 27, 2019 We all know that having a mentor can make a huge difference to entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders. The most successful people surround themselves with those they learn from, so it’s no surprise that many of our aspirational clients ask for a mentor. I’d like to think that we know a thing or two about [...]
Founders, change with the times as your startup scales up September 17, 2019 You’ve had your brilliant idea, and others are backing you by working for or even investing in your startup. Your role as founder is clear: you need to make sure that all your people pull together to make your vision a reality, but the buck stops with you. It will take all your energy and [...]
The next dimension – bringing 3D advertising graphics to the masses September 2, 2019 What’s the most visually stunning advert you can think of? Perhaps it’s one of the John Lewis Christmas campaigns, or maybe it’s an ad by Apple or Samsung that shows their phones in incredible detail as they float across the screen. Whatever you imagined, it was likely made using computer-generated imagery (CGI), or other 3D [...]
Banks aren’t keeping up with the rise of the intangible economy August 30, 2019 Innovation is the key to growing the economy and creating prosperity. It creates new industries, transforms old ones, and often generates well-paid jobs. Today, innovation usually relies on the investment in and the growth of intangible assets, such as software, data, networks, and design. But the financial system has failed to keep pace with innovation. [...]
Meet Par Hedberg – the godfather of Sweden’s tech startups August 27, 2019 If you were asked where the most tech innovation comes from, you’d probably answer Silicon Valley – the home of Google, Amazon and Facebook. And you’d be right. But what you might not know is that Stockholm is a close second. The Swedish capital produces more billion-dollar companies per capita than any other region in [...]
Female founders, here’s my advice for starting a business July 30, 2019 To any female founders reading this: your existence is statistically remarkable. Female tech founders are, simply put, unlikely. A report from the venture capital firm Atomico found that 93 per cent of money invested in European tech startups in 2018 went to all-male founding teams. Only seven per cent went to startups with a single [...]
Fintech firm Revolut leads list of UK’s top 100 startups of 2019 July 1, 2019 Challenger bank Revolut has claimed first place in a list of the UK’s top 100 startups of 2019, it was revealed today. British fintech startup Revolut topped Startups.co.uk’s Startups 100 list for 2019, as it counts 5m customers around Europe and the UK. Energy startup Igloo placed second, while retail startup Trouva took third place. [...]
Beyond Meat shares surge a day after debut results June 7, 2019 Shares of plant-based burger startup Beyond Meat surged 27 per cent in pre-trading, a day after it debuted its earnings as a listed company. The company estimates that it will double its sales this year as consumer interest in plant-based meat alternatives peaked in the first three months of the year. Shares rose to $131.50 [...]