Incubator

IBM gives tech entrepreneurs a leg-up

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Pressure is mounting on large technology vendors with offices in the UK to extend a helping hand to start-ups and small businesses that are struggling to navigate the current economic landscape. With limited resources, entrepreneurs need help finding new talent,...

Small IT companies still struggling to win public contracts

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:02:01 GMT

Despite all the government's rhetoric about supporting start-ups and small businesses with tax breaks and funding schemes, there appears to have been precious little progress when it comes to public sector procurement. If SMEs are the lifeblood of the economy...

UK tech industry's biggest barrier to growth is the City

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:43:25 GMT

The biggest barrier to the growth of the UK's technology sector is the City, according to Saul Klein, serial investor and partner at Index Ventures, because fund managers at big corporates simply do not understand the internet economy.Speaking at the...

Should start-ups be worried about the Snooping Charter?

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:18:35 GMT

In the face of continued opposition, the Home Office appears to be pressing ahead with it’s controversial Communications Data Bill, widely known as the “snooping charter,” which aims to give security services new powers to monitor internet activity.The second draft...

Does the UK really need a technology hub?

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:50:00 GMT

The Tech City project has been met with a mixture of pride and disdain from the IT industry. Some welcome the government's acknowledgement of the technology sector's role in Britain's economic recovery, while others dismiss the London-centric view as biased...

Summly buyout is wake-up call for the UK IT industry

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:29:37 GMT

The news this week that a 17-year-old British school boy has sold his app company to the Internet giant Yahoo for an estimated $30 million (£20m) should come as a massive wake-up call for the IT industry. Nick D'Aloisio...

Technology-light budget holds hope for IT start-ups

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:30:32 GMT

Yesterday's budget was met with general disappointment from the IT industry, which bemoaned the fact that technology did not feature more prominently in the Chancellor's speech. But a closer look at the full budget report reveals a number of measures...

IC tomorrow proves government's Tech City claims are not entirely phony

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:22:04 GMT

The government gets a lot of stick for jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to Tech City, and there's no doubt that it has taken a fair bit of credit for the growth of a digital cluster that was...

UK start-ups look beyond the 'Tech City' hype

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:09:42 GMT

Ever since November 2010, when Prime Minister David Cameron announced the government's ambition to create a world-leading technology hub in London's East End, the spotlight has been firmly focused on Silicon Roundabout.But London is not the be-all and end-all of...

Attention start-ups: Big Data does not end with Hadoop

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:08:08 GMT

For many people, the phrase Big Data has become almost synonymous with Apache Hadoop - the open source framework originally developed by Yahoo. But as organisations become increasingly familiar with the nuances of Big Data, it is starting to...

OnApp funding validates cloud service provider model

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:02:38 GMT

UK-based cloud start-up OnApp scored $20 million in Series B funding this week, providing validation for some industry members that the service provider and hosting markets are the future of cloud computing.The round was led by UK private equity...

OnApp funding validates cloud service provider model

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:02:38 GMT

Why Computer Science should get 'core' status in the English Baccalaureate

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:25:38 GMT

A decision from the UK government is expected soon on whether equal weighting should be given to Computer Science as the more 'traditional' sciences such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).The EBacc is not a qualification...

Will government investment lead to gentrification of Tech City?

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:17:04 GMT

The government's announcement of a £50 million investment to revamp London's 'Silicon Roundabout' has been largely welcomed by the industry, with the obvious benefits of better facilities and greater support for entrepreneurs being highlighted. But the government needs to be...

Internet of Things: the next big start-up opportunity

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:21:23 GMT

M2M communications, the Internet of Things, Smart Cities and now the “Industrial Internet” - every week there seems to be a new vision for how Web-connected machines will communicate and operate automatically to transform the way we live.One of the...

Crowdfunding: there may be trouble ahead

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:48:23 GMT

Crowdfunding has been hailed by the start-up community as an exciting new way to raise capital, allowing entrepreneurs to crowdsource investment from friends, family and third-party investors. But some industry professionals are warning that crowdfunding is a legal disaster waiting...

Does the IT industry need an X-Factor for Tech?

Sophie Curtis — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:31:25 GMT

News that TV mogul Simon Cowell is teaming up with Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am to launch an X-Factor style reality TV show to find the next Bill Gates has been met with a mixture of amusement and scorn by...

Will more relaxed regulations boost UK tech IPOs?

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:15:03 GMT

High-tech companies based in London's Tech City could soon be given new incentives to list on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), but will the government's attempts to woo local businesses fortify the industry, or will high-growth tech companies end up...

Could Huddle be the next Autonomy?

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:00:00 GMT

HP's acquisition of Cambridge-based software company Autonomy for £7.1 billion was the great British technology success story of 2011. Not only did shareholders see a huge return on their investments, but the company's founder and CEO Mike Lynch walked away...

Are competitions the best route to start-up investment?

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:21:10 GMT

The technology start-up market is a crowded one, and getting the attention of venture capitalists is never easy - particularly when a product is in the early stages of development. One option that is growing in popularity in Tech City...

Has the 'Tech City' backlash begun?

Sophie Curtis — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 13:03:56 GMT

It's been a rocky couple of weeks in Tech City. Not only has Eric Van Der Kleij - the man in charge of the government-backed Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO) - announced his imminent departure from the organisation, but the...

UK start-ups need to prove their financial credibility

Sophie Curtis — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:20:00 GMT

Attracting investment for your start-up is not just about proving you have a good idea, but proving that your idea can make money.It may sound obvious but, when inspiration strikes, the temptation is to put all your energy into product...

Will Silicon Valley Bank transform Tech City investment?

Sophie Curtis — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:32:11 GMT

Silicon Valley Bank yesterday opened its first UK branch in London, offering commercial banking services for technology start-ups in the capital. This is significant because one of the notable criticisms of London's Tech City cluster has been the shortage of...

Digital Shoreditch: Britain's South by Southwest?

Sophie Curtis — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:46 GMT

East London’s Digital Shoreditch festival will kick off in the capital next week, with a two-week programme of events celebrating the creative, technical and entrepreneurial talent of Tech City and the East End.Touted as Britain's answer to South by Southwest...

Digital Shoreditch: Britain's South by Southwest?

Sophie Curtis — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:46 GMT