Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:55 am
Social Chain owner Brave Bison has reported strong full-year trading performance for 2025, with revenue up 57% to £33.5 million.
The AIM-listed marketing and technology company saw net revenue above forecasts, while adjusted also EBITDA rose 44% year-on-year, from £4.5m to at least £6.5m.
Adjusted profit before tax increased 41% to £5.5m.
Despite a reduction in year-end net cash to £4.3m from £7.5m, the London-based firm said this was significantly ahead of consensus expectations, driven by strong Q4 trading and an improved working capital position that is expected to partially unwind during the first half of 2026.
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:48 am
Sosandar plc says trading is in line with full-year expectations after reporting a rise in quarterly revenues.
The women’s fashion brand said revenue was up 10% to £13.4m for the three-month period ended 31st December 2025.
It said its business through M&S continues to trade, with stock levels below the prior year following the retail giant’s cyber incident – but that stock levels are expected to normalise by spring 2026.
There was continued momentum in performance from its own website, with revenue up 27% on the prior year.
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:41 am
A Milton Keynes-based developer of document automation and management software has been acquired by Netherlands-headquartered Whitevision.
Document Logistix, which was founded in 2011, is the fourth firm to be snapped up by the intelligent document processing (IDP) specialist in its buy-and-build strategy.
It is Whitevision’s first international deal since partnering with private equity firm Main Capital Partners and it supports international expansion for both businesses.
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:39 am
Raspberry Pi Holdings plc defied its plummeting share price with a positive year-end trading update – but admitted that supply uncertainty remains around the memory boards used in its products.
The Cambridge-based firm, which is behind low-cost miniature computers used extensively in education, has seen its value fall to the lowest level since IPO in June 2024.
However for the year ended 31st December 2025, adjusted EBITDA was ahead of market consensus forecasts, at not less than $45m, up over 20% on FY2024.
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:15 am
The Mission Group plc has issued a profit warning amid ‘macroeconomic uncertainty’.
The firm, which in 2024 snubbed a £32 million takeover from fellow listed tech agency group Brave Bison, said completions of some of its major projects have carried over into 2026, which has impacted FY2025 revenues.
For the financial year ended 31st December 2025, it expects to report revenues of £68m and operating profit of £5.1m, below market expectations of £73m and £8.5m respectively.
Meanwhile the group has appointed two new figures to its board and revealed a plan to make cost savings by consolidating its divisions following a strategic review initiated following the appointment of John Carey as chief executive in September 2025.
Published: January 13, 2026 at 8:08 am
THG, the owner of brands including Lookfantastic, Dermstore, Cult Beauty and Myprotein, has provided a stellar trading update for Q4 2025.
The Manchester-headquartered eCommerce retailer ended 2025 with its strongest quarter of trading with group revenue growth up 7 per cent, building on the previous quarter high of 6.3 per cent.
It meant that THG Group delivered FY revenue growth of 2.3 per cent, the first year of growth since 2021, and a significant recovery from the H1 revenue decline of 2.5 per cent.
Last January the loss-making THG Ingenuity split from the profitable THG Beauty and THG Nutrition to become a standalone business.
THG founder and CEO Matt Moulding said: “We enter the new year with strong trading momentum and a clear focus on continuing to deliver quality, value and newness for our customers.”
One analyst told BusinessCloud: “These are a really good sets of results. It’s really good to see both side of the business doing well. It feels like momentum is back with THG.”
Published: January 13, 2026 at 7:48 am
Tech services and systems firm Science Group delivered strong annual profitability in FY25.
For the year ended 31st December 2025, it said that despite volatile market conditions it expects to report another record year of adjusted operating profit, ahead of board expectations.
The firm said it benefited from a recovery in its services division, particularly in the medical sector.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 10:42 pm
Street Group, the Manchester-headquartered PropTech company behind Street.co.uk and Spectre, is recruiting for more than 30 new roles.
The fast-growing company was founded by siblings Heather and Tom Staff and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025.
It is the UK’s fastest-growing property technology company, dedicated to transforming the estate agency experience through automation, data, and design.
Award-winning Street Group is currently looking to recruit for 33 roles, including development, product, UX, marketing, lead gen, support and onboarding.
The new roles are in addition to 62 new starters in 2025.
Laura Whitworth, head of people at Street Group, said: “Starting the New Year off STRONG with a metric ton of growth.”
Published: January 12, 2026 at 10:10 pm
One of the UK’s fastest-growing founder-led businesses has announced a £9m investment.
The Salad Bar opened the doors to its first store in London in 2021 and now operates from 11 sites across the capital.
Co-founders Florian de Chezelles and James Dare plan to expand internationally – starting with Paris in 2026.
De Chezelles said: “A huge thank you to our investor base who has accompanied and supported us since day one.
“Some guys invested when James and I were two 25-year-olds with nothing more than an idea in the midst of a pandemic.
“Special mentions to Nick Jones (Soho House founder) and William Shu (Deliveroo founder) who continue to guide us as advisors and investors on a daily basis.
“Also super proud to welcome Active Partners aboard. These guys know brands. Their track record speaks for itself.
“Lastly, thanks to the insanely hard working and inspiring leaders at The Salad Project – Clementine Haxby and Vibhav Parikh. So much of our successes to date have been down to the dedication and tenacity of our directors.
“A new chapter begins at The Salad Project in 2026. Bring on Paris and the rest of Europe.”
Published: January 12, 2026 at 4:54 pm
North East-based Origin Tech has secured a multi-million-pound growth investment from BGF, as it looks to accelerate its expansion in the UK and overseas water markets.
Founded in 2019 by Phil Surtees and John Marsden, the business develops advanced technologies that help water companies tackle leakage more effectively and sustainably.
Its AI and satellite-enabled leak detection platform, Origin Orbit, aims to allow utilities to pinpoint leaks within a 30-metre radius.
Meanwhile, its Origin No Dig solution can seal leaks without excavation or precise location data.
Together, the technologies look to help water companies save time and money, cut carbon emissions and avoid disruption to customers and road networks.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 4:03 pm
OutSee has secured £2.5 million in seed funding as the genomics and drug discovery company accelerates development of its AI-driven predictive genomics platform, Nomaly.
The round was led by Ahren Innovation Capital with support from Kadmos Capital, Panacea, Empirical Ventures and 26 angel investors, and will be used to advance a pipeline of data-backed therapeutic targets through experimental validation.
Alongside the raise, the Cambridge-headquartered MedTech has signed a strategic agreement with preclinical CRO o2h discovery to launch a collaborative drug discovery programme for its lead target, supported by o2h’s InflexionTx co-discovery funding model.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Blackfinch Group has launched Thrive, a new digital workplace platform combining pensions, benefits and financial wellbeing support.
The launch comes financial stress continues to affect almost a third of the UK workforce.
Developed through the firm’s in-house incubator, Thrive is designed to help employees manage rising cost-of-living pressures while giving employers a simple, low-burden way to support financial resilience and retention.
The platform brings together workplace pensions, benefits and personalised financial coaching in one place, with a digital-first pension offering delivered in partnership with Smart Pension.
The Gloucestershire-based business says Thrive addresses a growing gap in workplace financial support at a time when most employees lack access to professional financial advice and financial wellbeing is becoming a business-critical issue.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 3:18 pm
The deadline to apply for the Leeds Tech Map is this Friday.
Work on a refreshed and expanded version of the Leeds Tech Map – almost five years after the original design became a fixture across offices and meeting rooms throughout the region – began late last year.
Leeds tech ecosystem builder Stuart Clarke MBE, who featured on our Northern Leaders list again last year, is behind the updated map which will again provide a visual snapshot of the city’s tech ecosystem.
Leeds-based tech firms are invited to put themselves forward for inclusion through a competition called ‘The Techs Factor’. They can do so here.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 2:45 pm
Fraudster Andrew Currie has been hit with a confiscation order following his release from prison.
Currie’s brother Peter remains behind bars following the collapse of their peer-to-peer lending platform Collateral.
The Financial Conduct Authority has secured a confiscation order of £265,523.96 against Andrew Currie, who was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for defrauding investors.
Peter was handed a five-and-a-half-year sentence.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 11:38 am
The UK Government has warned that Elon Musk’s social media platform X could potentially be blocked in the UK.
The news comes amid concerns that it is failing to adequately protect users from harmful content generated by its AI tool, Grok.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said X “is not doing enough to keep its customers safe online”, confirming the government would fully support any enforcement action taken by Ofcom, including the possibility of banning the platform if it is found to be in breach of the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom has launched a fast-tracked investigation into Grok after the AI tool was used to generate large volumes of sexualised images of women and children, often by manipulating real photographs.
Kyle said the regulator had already requested information from X and was now conducting what he described as an “expedited inquiry”.
He warned that Ofcom’s powers range from “heavy, heavy fines all the way through to banning X from our country”, adding that the government stands “fully behind Ofcom” in exercising those powers if necessary.
Musk has accused critics of the platform, saying “they want any excuse for censorship”.
He responded by reposting messages criticising the UK government’s stance, including one featuring AI-generated images of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a bikini.
“They just want to suppress free speech,” Musk wrote whilst quote-reposting the original post, framing the backlash as politically motivated censorship rather than a safety issue.
The pressure on X has intensified after Malaysia and Indonesia became the first countries in the world to block access to Grok outright.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 10:40 am
Multiverse has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology group DXC Technology to provide UK-based staff with access to new leadership and engineering training alongside its established AI programmes.
The initiative will see the New York-listed firm’s employees enrol in Multiverse’s Applied Leadership Academy, Engineering Academy and AI for Business Value courses, aimed at building advanced technical skills.
It said the programme is central to future-proofing its workforce as AI and emerging technologies reshape client demands and delivery models
Published: January 12, 2026 at 10:19 am
An investor which has seen 11 takeover bids rebuffed by Auction Technology Group has slammed the London-listed firm over ‘extreme shareholder value destruction’.
ATG rejected a series of “unsolicited, opportunistic and highly conditional” approaches from FitzWalter Capital Limited, its largest shareholder, about a possible cash offer for the shares it does not already own.
The firm, which is also headquartered in the capital, said its board has unanimously rejected 11 proposals since 11th September 2025, including the latest approach on 23rd December 2025 at 360p per share, arguing they “fundamentally undervalue” the business and its prospects.
The company said it views the repeated approaches as an opportunistic attempt to buy the business while its market valuation is “currently disconnected from the company’s fair value”.
Now FitzWalter Capital has hit back, saying: “The words of the board ring hollow, having presided over such extreme shareholder value destruction.”
It pointed out the fact that ATG’s share price has declined 51%, 46%, 64% and 82% over one, two, three and four years, respectively.
It also pointed to the $100 million acquisition of Chairish, which was a loss-making business. The share price of ATG – chaired by Scott Forbes (pictured) – fell by 21.7% on the day that the deal was announced.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 10:08 am
A company using AI-powered CT imaging biomarkers and clinical data platforms to advance lung and heart disease research has appointed Rebecca Simmons as COO.
Simmons will lead Qureight’s scaling of global operations and support sustainable growth as it expands the use of its technology in clinical trials.
She brings more than 20 years of operational leadership experience, most recently as COO of quantum computing firm Riverlane, where she helped scale the business and supported over £100 million in venture funding.
Her background also includes senior roles across healthcare research, academia and public sector partnerships.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 9:44 am
AI infrastructure startup Nscale is in talks to raise a further $2 billion, according to reports, just months after securing $1.1bn in funding.
The London-based company is said to be working with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase on the fundraising, which would significantly bolster its expansion plans across the UK, Europe and North America.
Founded less than two years ago, the business is developing large-scale data centre projects in the UK, Portugal, the US, Iceland and Norway, and was selected by the UK government to deliver Britain’s version of the “Stargate” data centre initiative.
The company has also signed high-profile partnerships with Nvidia and OpenAI, although it has faced recent challenges including a reported copyright lawsuit and a failed acquisition deal.
Published: January 12, 2026 at 9:40 am
Oxford Nanopore Technologies shares have jumped by over 7% already today after the DNA sequencing specialist reported strong full-year trading that exceeded its revenue guidance.
The FTSE 250 company expects to report 2025 revenues of around £223-224 million, up roughly 22% year-on-year.
The update follows a key leadership announcement from last month, when Oxford Nanopore confirmed that Francis Van Parys will take over as chief executive in March 2026, succeeding founder Gordon Sanghera.
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