Tech sector activity gets a boost despite falling optimism April 30, 2019 Business activity growth in the UK technology sector has recovered to its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2018, while optimism fell to a 10-year low. The strength of business activity rose to 54.4 in the first three months of 2019, up from 52.3 at the end of last year, according to data from [...]
Perkbox gets a £13.5m pick-me-up from Revolut-backer Draper Esprit April 30, 2019 Employee rewards platform Perkbox has raised £13.5m in a funding round, led by London-listed fund Draper Esprit. Some of the company's long-term angel investors also participated in the round. Perkbox, which is hired by companies to provide their workers with rewards and benefits for both their personal and professional lives, will use the funding to aid [...]
Extra large order: Beyond Meat hikes offering ahead of float April 30, 2019 A vegan burger startup sent signs of confidence through Wall Street today after raising the price range and size of its initial public offering (IPO). Read more: Vegan startup Beyond Meat brings plant-based burger to the UK In a move that could value the group at almost $1.5bn (£1.15bn), Beyond Meat is set to price [...]
Government moves to take UK fintech startups global April 29, 2019 The UK’s fintech startups are set to get a boost from the government towards expansion across borders, international trade secretary Liam Fox announced yesterday. Building on the so-called fintech bridge agreements signed by the UK and other nations in recent years, a cohort of startups have been selected for two pilot programmes that will provide [...]
Top banks inject $9m into London fintech startup Mosaic Smart Data April 29, 2019 The venture capital arm of Commerzbank and London investor Octopus Ventures have co-led a $9m (£7m) funding round into fintech startup Mosaic Smart Data. Existing backer and client JP Morgan also participated in the round, adding to its minority stake in the startup. The bank signed a multi-year deal to use Mosaic’s technology – which [...]
Has the government’s £1bn artificial intelligence sector deal made any difference? April 26, 2019 One year on, has the government’s £1bn artificial intelligence (AI) sector deal made any difference? Dr Jeremy Silver, chief executive of Digital Catapult, says YES. A year after the announcement of the government’s sector deal, investment is at an all-time high. AI startups in the UK raised nearly £1.3bn in 2018, very nearly eclipsing the [...]
The UK’s young ‘tech for good’ startups provide £2.3bn boost to British economy April 24, 2019 The UK is a burgeoning hotspot for socially responsible technology companies, forming a sector valued at billions of pounds to the UK economy. So-called tech for good businesses were worth £2.3bn in 2018, with a turnover of £732m, according to data published today by Tech Nation. It tops the amount produced by the consumer manufacturing [...]
City Moves for 23 April 2019 – Who’s switching jobs at Onfido, Freedom Finance and Ropes & Gray? April 23, 2019 Today's City Moves includes Onfido, Freedom Finance and Ropes & Gray. Onfido Onfido has announced that Kevin Goldsmith and Thomas Ammirati have joined its growing global team as chief technology officer and chief revenue officer will lead Onfido’s 240 expert technologists as it continues its rapid international expansion. Chief revenue officer Thomas Ammirati brings over 25 [...]
London AI startup Cytora raises £25m from Swedish backer EQT Ventures April 17, 2019 Cytora, a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to transform commercial underwriting in insurance, has today closed a £25m series B funding round led by EQT Ventures. Existing investors Cambridge Innovation Capital and Parkwalk also participated in the round, as well as a number of angel backers. Read more: Startups eye bigger slices of the [...]
It’s time to write the next chapter in the City’s story of technological innovation April 15, 2019 When I travel across the globe, there is an issue I get asked about time and time again: what is it about London that makes it such a successful global financial hub? And what is it about the UK that makes us stand out from the crowd? A key part of the answer is innovation. [...]