Lessons from New York: Bigger is no longer better in the new world of ambitious scaleups May 17, 2016 Every business is a hypothesis based on a bet. And if you want to bet big, grow small. That’s the lesson I learned on a recent visit to New York to meet the scaleup businesses aiming to become tomorrow’s titans. Of course, think New York and you think big. The Big Apple, big business and [...]
The UK stock market is an “over-leveraged disaster” according to Societe Generale May 16, 2016 The UK equity market has been a "disaster for the best part of a decade" and is dangerously "over-leveraged" according to analysts at Societe Generale. The investment bank issued a hard-hitting note this afternoon warning that firms may be paying out dividends at an unsustainably high rate, and said this was coming at the expense of [...]
Warren Buffett gives Apple a much needed bump, disclosing billion dollar stake via Berkshire Hathaway May 16, 2016 Warren Buffett has snapped up millions of shares in Apple, giving the tech firm a much needed bump after a tough quarter for iPhone sales. The sage of Omaha has disclosed he had 9.81m shares in the firm as of 31 March in a regulatory filing for his investment firm Berkshire Hathaway on Monday. Share in [...]
How traditional banks can keep ahead of their fintech noisy neighbours in innovation race May 16, 2016 There have been plenty of reports about fintechs being bad news for banks, but in actual fact they may be the best thing to happen to traditional banks and the banking sector for a long time. No, really. Many have warned that the introduction of digitally savvy options into the retail banking sector will prove [...]
Why design is finally having its day and being recognised as distinctly different from advertising May 13, 2016 This year so far has been a big moment for brand stories. A number of high profile rebrands have been hugely successful, while others have faced public scorn and confusion. On the positive side, Airbnb’s transformation from its name to a symbol was radical, but clearly reflected the meaning behind the brand and was easily [...]
Apple just ploughed $1bn into this Chinese taxi startup May 13, 2016 So now we've found out exactly what Apple was planning to do with (some of) the vast amount of cash it has sloshing around its bank account. Overnight Didi Chuxing, a Chinese rival to Uber, which describes itself as "the world's leading one-stop mobile transportation platform", issued a rather gleeful statement overnight saying it had made [...]
Uber extends London service with wheelchair-accessible vehicles May 10, 2016 Uber has launched its first wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) option in London. Since 4pm today, wheelchair users have been able to request the vehicles through the new uberWAV option on the app. In its announcement, Uber said one in four Tube stations are wheelchair-accessible and the uberWAVs are on average 30 per cent cheaper than a black cab. Read more: Uber adds [...]
It’s like Airbnb, but for lawyers: New online platform for legal market due to launch in the summer May 9, 2016 The legal eagles have soared into the sharing economy, as Lawyers On Demand has today announced that it is launching an online marketplace for legal services. Spoke will allow businesses looking to build their in-house teams or law firms looking for some extra help to hire lawyers who have some spare hours that are not currently being used for [...]
Should you believe in unicorns? Tech start-ups have polarised investors with Bill Gates calling for restraint but others arguing new tech will change the world May 9, 2016 The sad demise of unicorns was widely predicted at the start of the year. Unicorns – or young, technology private companies valued at over $1bn (£693m) – drew vast sums of investment throughout last year and comparisons with the dot-com boom were drawn. There are around 170 companies with unicorn status, according to Fortune. Some are [...]
Why banks should be offering more P2P and bitcoin services for SMEs May 9, 2016 UK banks could generate £8.5bn in extra revenue by 2020 if they broaden their offerings for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to a new report. Accenture's SME Banking 2020 report found there is currently a “significant perception gap” between small businesses and banks. Banks are also facing “stiff competition” from fintech, and should be [...]