Facebook’s London accelerator programme expands to startups outside UK September 23, 2019 Facebook has announced the third edition of its London accelerator programme, which will be open to startups from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for the first time. The scheme is open to high-growth startups and aims to support those that are “harnessing the power of technology to have a positive impact on the [...]
UK Finance chair Bob Wigley named in employment claim alleging fraud at company he chaired September 23, 2019 UK Finance chair Bob Wigley has been named in an employment tribunal claim alleging fraud at a company he chaired. The claim, seen by City PM, relates to Northern Ireland tech firm Secure Broadcast. Its former chief operating officer Richard Johnston is claiming constructive dismissal from the company after uncovering an alleged fraud. According to [...]
NHS software delays cause headache for digital health firm Babylon September 22, 2019 British health startup Babylon has suffered a setback to its expansion plans after the NHS missed the deadline to upgrade a key piece of software. The London-based firm, which connects patients with doctors through a video chat service, won approval in June to expand its operations to Birmingham. Read more: US health firm Centene invests [...]
DEBATE: Are MPs on right that UK firms need more robots? September 19, 2019 Are MPs on the Beis committee right to say that British businesses have too few robots? YES, says Chetan Dube, chief executive at IPsoft Whether it’s a physical robot or digital colleague, MPs on the business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) committee are absolutely right that UK businesses need to step up their automation efforts [...]
Since when was coding a job just for boys? September 19, 2019 It is national coding week, and the same tired debate is raging once again: why are so few software engineers women? An industry that is shaping our lives only represents a small minority of society. It’s bad for our collective futures, and bad for business. New data from coding bootcamp provider Makers has shed fresh [...]
Uber rival Bolt sees surge in London rides three months after launch September 18, 2019 Ride-hailing app Bolt has boasted that 300,000 Londoners have signed up to its platform in just three months since its summer launch, as it aims to dent Uber’s dominance. The startup, which formerly launched in the UK as Taxify two years ago, has also seen around 50,000 drivers join a waiting list to work on [...]
Politicians and campaigners call for scrapping of live facial recognition surveillance September 18, 2019 Privacy campaigners and MPs from several parties have called for police and private companies to “immediately stop” using live facial recognition surveillance in public spaces. In an open letter published by campaigning group Big Brother Watch, signatories including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott cite “serious concerns” about the technology’s “incompatibility with human rights” and “lack [...]
Apple accuses EU of misunderstanding its business in €13bn court case September 18, 2019 Apple has accused the European Commission of misunderstanding its business as the tech giant’s appeal against a €13bn tax order entered its second day. The Commission had accused Apple of having dodged taxes and received illegal state aid from Ireland, ordering the company to pay a €13bn Irish tax bill in 2016. Read more: Apple [...]
Wework rival Knotel expands London presence with new City locations September 18, 2019 Knotel, the flexible workspace rival to Wework, has snapped up a string of new City locations as it continues to expand its presence in the capital. Read more: Wework rival Knotel secured unicorn status with $400m fundraising The New York-based startup has signed an agreement with property developer Great Portland Estates to take over 82,000 [...]
UK must adapt to automation or firms will suffer, MPs warn September 18, 2019 MPs have warned that British businesses could lose out to foreign competitors if the country fails to quickly adopt new technologies such as automation, and have called on the government to take action. Read more: Robot rollout: Number of businesses using automation doubles in 2019 Parliament’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee said the [...]
