CLIQ has secured a seven-figure investment round as it looks to accelerate growth for its social networking and community app.

The London-based firm has designed the platform to help users turn online connections into real-life experiences.

The funding was led by Artesian, alongside a family office and a group of angel investors, and follows a £530,000 pre-seed round in 2024.

The company has so far attracted hundreds of thousands of users worldwide with zero marketing spend to date, positioning it a a fast-emerging social apps.

The latest investment will be used to scale operations, expand the team and strengthen the platform’s technology ahead of planned international expansion in 2026.

Top Tech Yorkshire 2026 has officially launched, bringing together a cohort of fast-growing technology businesses and expert mentors from across the region.

The six-month accelerator programme, developed by Mills & Reeve, kicked off with a speed networking event at the firm’s Leeds office this week, giving founders the chance to refine their pitches and build early connections.

The cohort reflects the breadth of Yorkshire’s tech sector, with companies spanning areas including AI, HealthTech, EdTech, digital accessibility and information exchange.

Syrenis has established a new US presence as part of its wider growth strategy to accelerate go-to-market activity across North America.

The operation will focus on sales, partnerships and customer engagement, strengthening support for enterprises facing increasingly complex privacy, consent and data governance requirements.

The US team will initially be based in Atlanta and will work closely with the Warrington firm’s UK headquarters to maintain continuity across product development, security and customer delivery, with further investment planned throughout 2026.

Author: Kellie Noon, network manager, ASCEND Scale Up Programme

Applications have opened for the third cohort of GM Business Growth Hub’s ASCEND Scale Up programme – and it really is a fantastic opportunity for businesses of all sizes to move to the next level.

Once again, we’ll be looking for 25 businesses – a mix of traditional and tech – across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs to take part in the programme, which will be held alongside our delivery partners KPMG and RBC Brewin Dolphin. They can apply here.

Those on the programme will get access to workshops, talks and discussions with successful founders spanning a broad spectrum of topics, including strategy governance, people and culture, innovation, finance and longer-term exit planning.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly lining up four Wall Street banks as it explores a potential stock market listing, in what could become one of the biggest IPOs of all time.

The company is said to be considering Bank of America, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for leading roles, according to reports from the Financial Times and Reuters.

SpaceX has also been linked to discussions over a private share sale valuing the business as high as $800 billion, while Reuters reports it could seek to raise $25bn if an IPO goes ahead.

The builders of the ill-fated Bayesian superyacht, which sank off the coast of Sicily with tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch on board, are reportedly suing his widow for almost £400 million.

The Italian Sea Group (ITS), the company behind the £30m vessel, is said to be taking legal action against Angela Bacares for €456m (£399m), claiming the yacht’s crew was responsible for the tragedy and that the fallout has damaged its commercial reputation.

According to reports, the case has been brought against Bacares as the legal owner of Revtom, the Isle of Man-registered company that owned the yacht.

The sinking killed seven people, including Lynch and their daughter Hannah, while Bacares survived.

ITS, which is majority-owned by Italian yacht businessman Giovanni Costantino, is understood to be arguing that alleged crew negligence led to the yacht’s sinking during a freak weather event described by some as tornado-like conditions.

London-headquartered Pri0r1ty Intelligence Group has reported a strong start to FY26, with contracted revenue of more than £500,000 in just over three months – already exceeding its total revenue for FY25.

The AIM-listed AI-focused business, which provides growth solutions to SMEs, said the uplift reflects the rollout of its proprietary products including Advisor, Fan Sonar, Vox and Compass ID, which help clients capture, enrich and apply audience data through integrated consultancy support.

New contracts have been secured with customers such as World Aquatics, Untamd and Love Mondays, while usage has also expanded across existing clients including Aston Villa FC, Leukaemia Care and Great British Racing, with products being rolled out across all 58 UK racecourses.

With more than 100 paying users currently across its platforms, the business is targeting 500 paying users by the end of FY26.

Listed GSTechnologies has completed the acquisition of Polish payments firm Metapay SP. z o.o., taking ownership of 100% of its issued share capital.

Metapay holds a small payment institution (SPI) licence and is registered under Poland’s Act on Payment Services, supporting GST’s strategy to expand its domestic and cross-border payments footprint across Europe.

Following the deal, the company has renamed Metapay to Angra Limited sp. z o.o., which is expected to support the continued growth of Angra Global as its licensing plans progress.

AIM-listed energy-as-a-service provider eEnergy has reported annual revenue of £23 million (down from £25.1m), with £4m of previously anticipated FY25 revenue now expected to be recognised in H1 2026.

Despite the top-line dip, adjusted EBITDA jumped 183% to £1.7m, supported by an optimised cost base, improved operating efficiencies and a higher gross margin of 35.3%.

The London-based company ended the year with a record £14m contracted and awarded forward order book, double the level at the start of FY25, alongside an “investment grade” pipeline of £127m.

The board has upgraded FY26 expectations to £34m revenue and £4.5m adjusted EBITDA.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

A Manchester startup claims to be building some of the most advanced AI workers in the world – despite its co-founders being the only real people in the business.

SmartFlows has flown under the radar since it was founded 14 months ago and claims to have built more than 10,000 of its Syms – virtual employees – for clients via partnerships and word of mouth. 

It is also claiming astonishing revenue growth.

For my first weekly Founder Friday feature, I met Karl Percival at the Campfield cafe in the city to hear more – and was astonished to hear that his virtual sales rep Dylan is a mad Manchester United fan…

Author: Patrick Killeen

YFM Equity Partners has exited its investment in Vuealta following the sale of the business to Keyrus, a global data and digital consulting group.

London-based Vuealta supports organisations with connected business planning and digital transformation, helping improve forecasting, decision-making and operational performance. 

YFM backed Vuealta the business to help it scale, supporting international expansion, strengthening operational capabilities and developing its service offering in response to growing client demand.

The acquisition also strengthens France-headquartered Keyrus’ presence in the APAC region and its leadership in anaplan solutions. 

Author: Patrick Killeen

ClearScore Group has acquired Acre Platforms Limited, a London-based technology solutions provider to the mortgage industry.

The deal builds on the firm’s established position in unsecured credit broking and follows its acquisition of Aro Finance in early 2025, which expanded its capabilities in secured loans.

Under ClearScore’s ownership, Acre will continue to provide technology solutions for mortgage and protection businesses, while supporting ClearScore’s ambition to deliver an improved home-buying experience to its 16 million UK users. 

ClearScore, also headquartered in London, plans to extend the platform into its international markets, including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Author: Patrick Killeen

TikTok has closed a deal that will allow the short-video platform to continue operating in the US, following years of pressure over national security concerns linked to its Chinese owner, ByteDance. 

The move comes after legislation passed under former President Joe Biden required ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US operations or face a ban, with enforcement repeatedly delayed by President Donald Trump.

Under the agreement, a new entity called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC has been established in compliance with an executive order signed by Trump on 25th September 2025. 

The majority US-owned joint venture will enable more than 200 million Americans and 7.5m businesses to continue using the platform.

Author: Nicholas Hyett, investment manager, Wealth Club

There was no festive cheer on the high street, which continues its long slow demise.

Non-food stores saw sales fall 0.9% in December as shoppers increasingly look online to do their Christmas shopping. That is a depressingly predictable headline, and the result is companies like Claire’s, the Original Factory Shop and Russell & Bromley going into administration.

Among online retailers, jewellers enjoyed a particularly golden Christmas. In uncertain times shoppers seem to be being drawn to dual purpose jewels that not only tick the Christmas present box, but provide a convenient long-term store of value as well.

Author: Nicholas Found, head of commercial content at Retail Economics

December brought little festive cheer for retailers. Beneath flat headline numbers sits a distinctly K-shaped retail landscape, with Christmas exposing a widening divide in performance. Value-led players benefited from cautious consumer behaviour, while non-food felt the full force of fragile confidence.

Households spent smarter over Christmas, particularly in grocery. Consumers leaned heavily on promotions and shifted spend from eating out to premium at-home meals. Retailers combining strong value perception with quality credentials were the clear beneficiaries.

Discretionary non-food categories faced a toxic mix of weak demand, lingering uncertainty following the late November Budget, and margin-eroding promotions. Many retailers were forced to discount earlier and harder to defend market share, putting profitability under strain.

Retail is becoming increasingly polarised – between businesses with sharp positioning, flexible operating models and a deep understanding of what customers value today, and those being left behind as the market reshapes around them.

Author: Phil Monkhouse, UK country manager, Ebury

Festive spending unexpectedly picked up in December after a disappointing November and October.

Despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures, consumers splashed the cash in December, suggesting confidence returned after an uncertain few autumn months.

This rebound during a vital trading window offers a timely lift for retailers and sets a more positive tone for the year ahead. A 1.3% rise in sales volumes in 2025 points to a sector showing real resilience, following a challenging twelve months marked by Budget measures and ongoing international trade pressures.

However, sales have yet to recover from the decline seen in 2023 and remain below pre-pandemic 2019 levels, underlining the ongoing financial pressures facing many businesses.

Looking ahead, sticky inflation could keep interest rates higher for longer, limiting disposable income and dragging down consumer spending. The wider global and domestic backdrop also offers little reassurance for retailers, with renewed trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty stoking market volatility and threatening supply chains.

As we head into 2026, retailers will need to stay vigilant amid an unpredictable trading environment.

Retail sales volumes are estimated to have risen by 0.4% in December 2025, following a fall of 0.1% in November 2025 and a fall of 0.8% in October 2025.

Non-store retailers’ volumes rose in December, following falls in October and November, with online jewellers reporting that demand for precious metals picked up in December.

Retail sales volumes rose by 1.3% in 2025, following a rise of 0.2% in 2024, and falls in both 2022 and 2023.

Despite this being the second consecutive annual rise, volumes did not recover from the 2023 fall, and remained below 2019 COVID-19 pandemic levels.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Computacenter shares rose by more than 10% today after the IT services group reported a stronger-than-expected second half and lifted profit guidance for its financial year.

The Hertfordshire-based firm now expects adjusted profit before tax for 2025 to be no less than £270 million – comfortably ahead of market expectations.

The company said it delivered a strong fourth quarter, meaning performance for the year ended 31st December 2025 came in ahead of expectations.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Strava is planning to expand its London footprint, cementing the capital’s role as the fitness platform’s European hub as it continues to scale its global operations.

The move comes as the San Francisco-based firm reported a standout year of growth and product development, with the company launching more than 100 new features in 2025 and growing its global community to more than 180 million users across over 50 sport types.

Alongside London, the company is also increasing its presence in San Francisco and New York, in a broader push to invest in key markets and attract talent as it expands.

It has recently expanded its global headquarters at 181 Fremont Street in San Francisco, adding additional floors to bring its total space to around 85,000 sq ft.

Author: Patrick Killeen

EA Technology has appointed Gareth Burton as its new CEO, with the appointment taking effect from 9th February.

The Chester-based company, which provides technology solutions supporting the energy transition, has hired Burton at a key stage as it expands its hardware and software capabilities, grows its international presence and looks to deliver greater value for customers.

He brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across enterprise software and global technology services.

Most recently, he served as CEO of Orbus Software, where he led a team of around 300 employees across the UK, Australia, the US and the Middle East.