London is now a true rival to Silicon Valley – but risks loom November 19, 2015 This year has been dubbed the Year of the Unicorn. It’s not an allusion to the success of the Scottish National Party – the unicorn being the national symbol of Scotland – but rather a reference to the booming global startup scene. In the world of venture capital, “unicorn” is applied to young tech [...]
Uber introduces a “business profile” option to make expensing work trips easier November 19, 2015 Uber has launched a new “business profiles” option to make sure people don't end up paying for work trips with their own money. It gives every Uber user the option of having an additional profile associated with work, so that all they have to do is select one or the other when calling an Uber. The idea [...]
Fintech Lookahead 2016: The disruptors you should be looking out for November 19, 2015 What can we expect to see from the fintech industry over the coming year? And what kinds of companies are leading the charge? In its 2015 Global Banking Annual Review, McKinsey said that “banks are under attack from new technology companies and others seeking to poach their customers. To date, banks’ losses to attackers have [...]
Uber’s new “destinations” feature means anyone can be a driver November 16, 2015 Not content with just offering rides on demand in hundreds of cities worldwide, wildly popular ride-sharing app Uber is now moving into carpooling. The company’s new “destinations” feature will allow drivers to set their destination and pick up a passenger, so drivers heading in a specific direction can choose to pick up passengers heading the [...]
Uber protest outside app’s London HQ – but this time it’s the company’s own drivers demonstrating against commission hike November 12, 2015 Another day, another protest against taxi app Uber. But this time it's the company's own drivers taking a stand. Uber drivers are becoming increasingly unhappy with the terms the company offers, in particular its decision to increase the commission new drivers must return to the company from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. They [...]
Minicab comparison app Kabbee looks to challenge Uber with £1m Crowdcube fundraiser November 11, 2015 Minicab booking app – and Uber challenger – Kabbee today launches a £1m fundraising campaign on Crowdcube. The taxi price-comparison company is looking to extend beyond London and will use the funds for the UK-wide roll-out, and to update its dispatch and GPS technology, saying "intense competition" within the sector meant it needed to "future-proof" its business model. It is offering a [...]
Michael Dell talks EMC deal, leadership style, cyber attacks and how to prevent digital fear among companies November 8, 2015 Imagine striking the biggest tech deal of all time. Well, Michael Dell, founder of the eponymous tech company, is trying to do exactly that. Three weeks ago, the giant announced a $67bn bet on digital storage company EMC. “We believe that scale matters,” says Dell. “We believe that converged infrastructure is real. The software-defined data [...]
Uber for energy providers would save consumers money reports Adam Smith Institute November 6, 2015 The British energy market needs to cut red tape and allow new disruptive technologies to challenge old models of energy distribution, the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has argued in a new paper out today. In the paper, the ASI, a free market think tank, said that new features such as smart-meters and “microgrids” can “can [...]
The Uber of electricity could be just around the corner – if regulators get out the way November 5, 2015 The way we communicate with each other, access music and movies, and even travel around cities is forever changing. But for far too long, the way we access and consume electricity has stayed the same. With the “Internet of Things” and the “Connected Home”, there are opportunities for new technologies to revolutionise the old models [...]