Centtrip: Leading FX entrepreneurs launch travel currency startup in London January 18, 2015 Three foreign exchange entrepreneurs will today launch a new travel money firm, Centtrip, a London-based startup which aims to cut currency conversion charges for consumers. Centtrip founders Tony North, Brian Jamieson and Daniel Butcher previously founded Schneider Foreign Exchange and HiFX, foreign exchange businesses that were recently sold for a combined £350m. “We are not [...]
WPP invests in George Pyne’s new sports marketing startup January 6, 2015 The world’s largest communications services group, WPP, announced yesterday that it was leading a syndicate investing $250m (£165m) in Bruin Sports Capital, a sports marketing startup. Bruin was launched by former IMG sports and entertainment president George Pyne. Bruin will build its portfolio organically as well through acquisitions and investments in established sports marketing businesses, [...]
Xiaomi: Everything you need to know about the world’s most valuable technology start-up and third-biggest smartphone maker January 5, 2015 Despite not having any products on sale in the UK, smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi can't keep out of our business headlines. Just a week after being named the most valuable technology company in the world, the Chinese company has announced a mammoth increase in sales in 2014. Xiaomi is now said to be the third-biggest [...]
London technology sector booms: Start-ups receive twice as much venture capital funding in 2014 December 30, 2014 The amount of venture capital funding given to technology start-ups in London hit a record high this year. According to research group CB Insights for London & Partners, investors put $1.4bn (£0.9bn) into the capital’s young companies over the last 12 months. This is twice as high as last year and 20 times higher than [...]
Startup stumbling blocks: Be sure to avoid these four fatal pitfalls December 14, 2014 The capital is brimming with rising startup stars. Last week, seven up-and-coming fintech firms were selected to join the government-backed Future Fifty scheme, run by Tech City UK. The programme seeks out our most promising high-growth tech businesses and helps them get to market. More widely, the UK was recently ranked the most entrepreneurial nation [...]
London is a global hotspot for “tech for good” and these 19 startups are going to change the world December 4, 2014 London is the leading city in the world for creating technology for social good, with 19 of the top 100 so-called “tech for good” startups, products and inventions, coming from the capital. A teddy that can read childrens vital signs to help make a diagnosis, a device that means your iPhone can detect malaria and [...]
Boris Johnson launches £85m fund to lift London’s tech start-ups December 4, 2014 The Mayor of London has launched an investment fund which will make up to £85m available to the capital's most exciting science, technology and digital start-ups. Boris Johnson has pledged an initial £25m towards the London Co-Investment Fund, which will help new businesses looking for a cash injection between £250,000 and £1m. The fund, which hopes [...]
Boris Johnson leads London FinTech delegation to Singapore in push to expose City startups and entrepreneurs November 27, 2014 London’s financial technology (FinTech) sector has received more than half of all European FinTech venture capital (VC) investments made so far this year, a record $539m (£342.6m) and triple the amount raised in 2013. The new figures from London & Partners come as London Mayor Boris Johnson leads a FinTech trade delegation in Singapore today [...]
London startup Yoyo in mobile payments app deal with AirAsia November 27, 2014 Euston-based startup Yoyo is set to launch the first pan-Asian mobile payments and loyalty app as part of an expected agreement with Malaysian budget airline AirAsia, to be announced next week, City A.M. understands. Yoyo co-founders Alain Falys and Michael Rolph are in Singapore today with the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to showcase [...]
Taxi app wars: Uber vs Hailo vs Maaxi vs Lyft – Emil Michael gaff is latest hurdle in startup battle November 19, 2014 Fast-growing “ridesharing” app firm Uber hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week as senior executive Emil Michael was reported suggesting the company hire researchers to dig up dirt on its media critics. The blunder is the latest in a long line of controversies that have plagued the startup over [...]