Guideless has raised a €1 million pre-seed funding round to help companies significantly reduce time and money spent on creating and maintaining workflow training materials. The round was led by Superhero Capital, with participation from FIRSTPICK VC and angel investors Thomas Plantenga (Group CEO of Vinted), Vytautas Atkočaitis (Vinted Go CEO), and Vinted co-founder Mantas…
Solinide Photonics, developer of silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits for optical interconnects, has closed its €4 million seed funding round from six financial and strategic investors. The raise represents an important milestone for Solinide and will enable the startup to commercialise its patented technology and prepare for scalable manufacturing. The company’s ultra-efficient photonics…
For most business technology, the cost is relatively easy to understand. You buy a licence, agree a contract or pay for a certain level of usage, and you have a reasonable idea of what you will spend over the year. AI is making that much harder. As businesses move beyond individual AI subscriptions and start…
Business in the UK is booming, with the UK’s active business population hitting a record 5.66 million companies. Despite a moderation in new company incorporations, this figure highlights the strength and adaptability of British entrepreneurship. This comes from the latest New Startup Index, produced by NatWest in partnership with Beauhurst. A total of 402,000 new…
About a year ago, the German government awarded 10 regional innovation hubs as “Startup Factories”, each backed by up to €10 million in federal funding over five years. Between them, they now involve 126 universities and 144 business and financing partners, with around €110 million in additional private capital pledged. The initiative marks one of…
Every venture fund claims to have a strong network, however very few can describe its boundaries, density, or blind spots. Over the past 12 months, we mapped every business relationship connected to the portfolio companies across our three funds, turning a common claim into something we can audit. The premise is simple: a network that…
Artificial intelligence is changing how startups work. It is helping founders automate processes, analyse data, develop products, create content, and accomplish tasks that once required entire teams. But there is a paradox emerging. The more technology we use, the more important people become. For startups, this is particularly significant. Young companies are often operating with limited…
Innovation has become a buzzword for startups. When moving from startup to scaleup, the default for technology companies has been to chase the next breakthrough product to enhance growth. But after building two businesses in the specialist cleaning sector, I’ve come to believe that they’ve been directing their energy in the wrong place. In mature…
Founders planning an exit tend to research the rates. They are 18% and 24%, having risen for disposals on or after 30 October 2024, and they are the figures every guide leads with. The number that decides whether a sale is straightforward or expensive is not a rate. It is the annual exempt amount, the…
When people think of a brand failing, they often imagine one big mistake. A disastrous rebrand. A PR crisis. A product launch that falls flat. But as a brand strategist and creative director, I’ve seen that this is rarely how it happens. Most brands don’t lose their way because of one big decision. They lose…