Earthmark has launched a new brand directory displaying environmental performance data for thousands of UK and global businesses.

It underpins the ‘Earthmark’ for brands and marketplaces – a simple, trusted score integrated into online shopping experiences that helps businesses and consumers assess a company’s environmental performance at a glance.

The platform collects and aggregates data from publicly available sources of information and credible third parties such as SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative) and B Corp. It then analyses this information to generate environmental performance scores for more than 25,000 brands globally, awarding each a score from zero to five.

Digital transformation consultancy Public Digital (PD) has made a series of board updates to strengthen its governance and position the company for its next phase of growth.

Sarah Clark has been appointed as a Non‑Executive Director, while Tim Brooks, former Chair, is standing down from the Board after eight years.

PD co-founder and current Partner Tom Loosemore has announced his forthcoming retirement and a new role as Non‑Executive Director from January 2027.

These changes follow the appointment in January this year of Lesley Cowley OBE, as PD’s new Chair, succeeding Tim Brooks.

Clark brings experience in digital transformation, organisational strategy and public service delivery to PD, including leadership roles at Barclays and PayPal. She has advised executive teams across sectors on scaling impact, improving accountability and building high‑performing digital organisations.

Former Head of the Civil Service Simon Case has joined AI startup Electric Twin, marking one of his first major roles since stepping down from government.

Electric Twin was founded by Dr Ben Warner, former Chief Adviser on Digital and Data to the Prime Minister, and Alex Cooper, a former military commander who helped establish the UK’s mass testing programme during the pandemic.

Case worked alongside Warner and Cooper inside Number 10 at the heart of the COVID response, where all three saw first-hand how major decisions affecting millions of people were made with incomplete information. This experience inspired Electric Twin.

Whilst in government, Case was a driving force on AI: he oversaw civil service reform on digital, data and science capability, and was the senior official overseeing the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park and the establishment of the AI Safety Institute (ASI).

Author: Jonathan Symcox

NCC Group plc has decided against a sale of its remaining cybersecurity business.

The Manchester firm said the sale of its Escode business for £262.8 million cash completed at the end of May and will allow it to focus on cybersecurity.

It says that arm of the business will remain as a listed entity.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Foresight Group has agreed to sell its public markets investment division, Foresight Capital Management, to Guinness Global Investors.

The disposal by the investment manager involves the transfer of all of FCM’s funds, totalling approximately £1 billion in Assets under Management – 7% of Group AUM as of 31 March 2026 – and 16 employees.

It said the deal helps to streamline Foresight’s operating model, enabling it to focus on its core real assets and private equity businesses. 

Author: Chris Maguire

Capsa AI, the London and New York-based startup building the AI operating system for private capital, has raised $18m (£13.4m) in a Series A round.

The round was co-led by TX Ventures and Pivot Investment Partners, with significant participation from Bek Ventures.

The round closes on the back of a 100 per cent customer renewal rate and 14x year-on-year ARR growth.

Capsa AI was founded by Danyal Ozduzenciler and Callum Downie.

The company’s growth accelerated rapidly this year when the UK startup opened a New York office, with CEO Ozduzenciler permanently relocating to the US.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Frasers Group has made a £1.7 billion bid to buy Hugo Boss.

Mike Ashley’s listed retail group has offered cash for the 74% of the legendary German fashion designer firm it does not already own.

Listed firm Hugo Boss makes high-quality men’s and women’s apparel, shoes and accessories.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Employee survey platform Stribe has promoted Lucy Harvey to CEO following nine years with the business and several years serving as COO.

Harvey joined the company as marketing manager during its early growth stage, when the business operated a single product, Tootoot, an anti-bullying platform designed to help children and young people safely speak up. 

During this period, the business partnered with the UK Department for Education, supported more than 600,000 young people globally, and built the foundations that would later shape Stribe’s approach to employee voice.

Her appointment comes during a period of significant momentum for Stribe, which has doubled customer numbers for the second consecutive year and grown ARR by 40% YoY. 

Founder Kieran Innes will step aside but remain with the business. He wrote on LinkedIn: “This change means I’ll be getting even more focused on product development, building on the momentum we’ve created, improving the tools our customers rely on, and continuing to make sure Stribe and Tootoot help give people a voice in workplaces, schools, and beyond.”

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A former A&E doctor has raised £11.2 million to bring ‘big city’ healthcare to local clinics.

Oxford-trained former NHS doctor Dr Sonia Szamocki founded 01Health in 2022 after seeing firsthand how specialist healthcare remained concentrated in hospitals and major cities, while the local clinics closest to many patients lacked the infrastructure, oversight, and operational systems needed to deliver more advanced care. 

The results of this imbalance are years-long waiting lists, delayed treatment and limited access to specialist expertise.

The Series A round was led by Gresham House Ventures, with follow-on investment from existing backers Balderton Capital, Eka Ventures, and Wavemaker360, alongside angels including Nicolas Cary, co-founder of Blockchain.com.

The investment will support the launch of the 01Health platform across the UK and its introduction to the US – where trials are currently underway and a Head of US commercial operations has been appointed to lead the expansion. 

For the first time, practices, practice groups and dental service organisations will be able to license the 01Health platform which, until now, has underpinned the 01Health-owned specialist dental platforms 32Co and Aerox Health.

Built environment consultancy Contollo Group is accelerating its North West growth with a series of office moves, expansions and refurbishments across Manchester, Cheadle and Knutsford, including a major new presence in Manchester’s Spinningfields district.

Contollo Group moved into Spinningfields this week, after completing a deal for nearly 10,000 sq ft of fitted office space at XYZ until February 2032. JLL’s Manchester team advised on the sublet, with Contollo supported by Canning O’Neill.

The move brings three of the Group’s specialist consultancies; Abacus Cost Management, KAM Project Consultants and ESP together in the heart of Manchester’s business district, creating a flagship city‑centre hub for clients across the region.

Doctify – a platform for healthcare reviews and patient feedback – has launched in Saudi Arabia, entering a market where patient choice and transparency are becoming central to how care is accessed and chosen.

The launch comes at a pivotal moment for the Saudi Arabia healthcare sector. The country’s healthcare system is undergoing a structural shift, as care becomes more digital, more private and increasingly shaped by how patients choose where to go.

As part of Vision 2030’s Health Sector Transformation Program, the private sector is playing an increasingly important role in delivering care, while digital health adoption continues to accelerate.

Doctify gives patients access to verified reviews and peer-to-peer endorsements, helping them make more confident decisions about where to seek care. For healthcare providers, the platform offers structured, real-time patient feedback, supporting continuous improvement and stronger patient relationships.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A major new organisation designed to strengthen West Yorkshire’s technology sector is being launched with backing from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Tech West Yorkshire will operate across Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees, bringing together technology businesses, universities, investors, entrepreneurs and skills providers under a single regional banner.

Its central aim is straightforward, to connect people and companies across the region more effectively and help build a stronger, more resilient tech ecosystem that supports economic growth throughout West Yorkshire.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Shares in LADbible’s parent company plummeted on Tuesday after it said algorithm changes had resulted in a steep decline in Facebook advertising revenue and Google visibility.

Shares in LBG Media plc fell 34% as half-year profits were mostly wiped out despite a substantial increase in revenue.

Founder and CEO Solly Solomou said its indirect business – traffic and revenue away from direct visitors to its platforms – “was hit harder than expected”. 

Author: Chris Maguire

Strand Intelligence, a Manchester-based cybersecurity software company, has closed a £1m seed round.

The round was led by Osney Capital and will be used to accelerate the startup’s hiring and product development plans.

Founded in 2025 and based in Ancoats, Strand is building automation for Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), the investigative work that follows a security incident.

Its platform automates investigations across cloud and endpoint environments and claims to deliver investigations up to five times faster.

The company’s co-founders, Will Poole and Oli Fletcher, met as next-door neighbours and developed the idea for Strand while talking over the garden fence.

Author: Chris Maguire

Tributes have been paid to tech boss Neil Muller, 54, who died after being found with stab wounds at his home.

Mr Muller was appointed group CEO of Derby-based Node4 in April 2026, having previously served as CEO of Digital Space for seven years between 2018 and 2025.

Prior to that, he was group CEO of  Daisy Group from 2015-2018 after spending more than 20 years at Computacenter.

A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said: “We have launched an investigation following the death of a man at a house on Langley Road in Claverdon on Sunday morning.

“We received a report from ambulance services at 6.15am about a man in his 50s who required emergency medical care following a stab wound to his chest.

“Sadly, he was declared deceased at the scene at 6.37am. At 7.33am, a 55-year-old woman from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of murder. She has since been released on bail.

“An investigation is underway. There is no wider risk to the public.”

In 2021, Mr Muller was named by LDC as one of its 50 Most Ambitious Leaders.

Matthew Riley, chair of the newly formed O2 Business and founder of Daisy Group, said on LinkedIn: “I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Neil Muller.

“Many of you will remember that Neil served as CEO of Daisy for almost four years and was well thought of by many colleagues across the business. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”

Cloud Pharmacy, a digital-first healthcare provider, has surpassed a million customers as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. 

Founded in 2016 by a former Boots pharmacist, Nazmul Kadir, to make healthcare more accessible, the company has transformed from a weekend operation into a major industry disruptor, recording £70 million in revenue. 

Cloud Pharmacy was established with a singular, mission-driven purpose – to address critical gaps within the NHS. Identifying the increasing difficulty patients faced in accessing essential sexual health treatments and contraceptives, Kadir set out to build a service that prioritised patient care defined not by price, but by an unwavering commitment to safety, ethics, and clinical excellence. 

The health provider also specialises in weight loss management and general health for men and women. 

“This 10-year journey has been about proving that healthcare can be delivered with both digital agility and deep clinical integrity,” said Kadir, who performs the role of superintendent pharmacist. 

“Reaching one million patients is a testament to our team’s commitment to providing a service that supports the overstretched NHS by empowering patients to take control of their preventative health.” 

PXN Ventures has unveiled the third cohort for PraeSeed, its annual investor readiness programme aimed at supporting early-stage founders in the North.

The programme is backed by the British Business Bank’s Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).

Three quarters of this year’s cohort of 13 companies are led by founders from diverse backgrounds, with more than half having at least one female founder.

Rem3dy Health has raised £14 million to accelerate global expansion and AI innovation.

The Midlands-based parent company of personalised nutrition brand Nourished said the funding round values it at £84m.

The round was led by a group of global strategic investors, including Suntory, Estrella Galicia, Apollo Hospitals and UPSA, while investment from Birmingham’s Future Planet Capital Regional further reinforces the company’s strong regional roots and contribution to the UK’s innovation ecosystem. 

The funding will support Rem3dy Health’s rapid growth, which includes expansion into key international markets such as the United States, MENA region, and India – as well as continued investment in automation, advanced manufacturing, and AI-driven personalised nutrition. 

Rem3dy will also expand its product offering into personalised health solutions for pets, reflecting growing consumer demand for tailored wellness across both human and animal health.

Record OS, a London startup building a platform for self-assessment and Making Tax Digital, has launched publicly after raising £1.5m in pre-seed funding.

The round was led by Episode 1 and also featured a group of angel investors, including former CFOs and senior leaders from Wise, Revolut, Deliveroo and Alphabet.

Founded by Dhruv Chadha and José Luis De La Peña, the company is focused on simplifying tax returns for individuals, sole traders, freelancers and professionals with increasingly complex finances.

The launch comes shortly after the UK’s Making Tax Digital rollout, which required self-employed workers and landlords earning more than £50,000 to submit quarterly digital updates to HMRC from April 2026.

The founders first met as early employees at Wise.

Ripe, the UK-based digital managing general agent, today announces the appointment of Jon Fell as COO.

Jon joins Ripe from Verso Wealth Management, where he served as group COO, leading the integration of acquired businesses and driving operational scalability across the group.

His appointment reflects Ripe’s continued growth trajectory as the business expands through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Today, Ripe serves more than 430,000 customers across the UK.