Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: January 2, 2026 at 3:09 pm
FuelHub is one of the UK’s most exciting technology-driven companies.
Co-founded by wife-and-husband team Michelle and James Laithwaite – both of whom featured on our 2025 Northern Leaders list – the premium meal delivery services provider is based in Warrington and signed a deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom last year.
Now Michelle, who spoke at our Fuel Liverpool event last summer, has revealed that it hit an incredible milestone of 2 million meals served in 2025.
“FuelHub’s growth this year has been huge and hard-earned,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
“Like everyone else, I’ve been reflecting. Personally, it’s been the most challenging year I’ve ever had. There were constant big decisions to make, each carrying real weight and potential impact. Through it all, I’ve learned an enormous amount about myself and our business.
“With that level of growth comes the challenges you face as you scale, and we’ve had to meet those head-on every single day. We always find solutions.
“What’s kept us grounded throughout is staying true to our core values: premium, trust and quality. No deviation. No shortcuts.”
Sharing a pic from the team’s Christmas party, she adds: “To my husband and co-founder, James Laithwaite, you’ve been incredible this year. We are so lucky to be in everything together.
“My resolution for 2026 is to look after myself a little better and find calm in the chaos. For me, that means making time for a run or weights session, a sauna, or sitting quietly with a coffee. I like my own space and my own company, and that’s okay. It’s these moments that help me to show up as a better mum, wife and leader, and where my best ideas and decisions are made.”
Published: January 2, 2026 at 1:42 pm
Manchester AI firm Robiquity will mark a decade in business in 2026 – and co-founder Jack Rimmer is ready for the next 10 years.
Wishing his followers on LinkedIn a Happy New Year alongside with a skiing selfie, he writes: “2026 will mark 10 years since we founded a company called Sinew, a recruitment business focussed on automation talent…
“Fast forward 10 years we operate as Robiquity, a 200-strong AI specialist able to solve strategic customer problems from complex cancer care, to safeguarding of vulnerable people, to portfolio rebalancing in wealth management.
“We’ve achieved a lot in 10 years, we’ve failed even more, but one thing has remained consistent… I’m still a bang average snowboarder but an experienced apres skier 😎 and that’s what really counts! Here’s to the next 10!
Published: January 2, 2026 at 8:41 am
The CFO of Tap Global Group will step down from his role despite the firm reporting a rapid rise in revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA in its annual results.
The AIM-listed company, which operates a digital finance “super app” combining payments, cards and crypto settlement services, reported revenues of £3.48 million for the year ended 30th June 2025, up 31% on the prior year.
It floated in June with a share price of 2.6p and it now sits at around 2.22p, with a market cap of £16.5m.
However, Steven Borg will leave his position next week, with Andrew Milmine becoming head of finance to ensure continuity.
Published: January 2, 2026 at 8:27 am
Edinburgh-based angel syndicate Archangels leveraged £41.1 million of investment into Scottish scale-ups during 2025, marking a 50% increase on the previous year as it backed a new wave of high-growth tech and life sciences businesses.
The total included £12.8m invested directly by Archangels’ members, alongside £28.4m secured from co-investors such as the Scottish National Investment Bank, Scottish Enterprise and Par Equity.
The year also delivered a successful exit through the sale of wearable tech firm Reactec to Ideagen, contributing to £40m returned to members over the past four years.
Key deals supported included funding rounds for underwater communications specialist CSignum, semiconductor firm Neuranics and dental imaging company Calcivis.
Published: January 2, 2026 at 8:14 am
A new CEO has taken over at listed videogames developer Frontier Developments.
In mid-December the Cambridge company said chief executive Jonny Watts would be stepping down from the board for personal reasons after nearly three decades at the firm.
Now Jo Cooke has joined the board and assumed the position. Previously Frontier’s chief marketing officer, she worked closely with the senior team on the launch of Jurassic World Evolution 3.
Watts will remain on the board until 31st May 2026 to support a smooth transition.
Published: January 2, 2026 at 8:05 am
IPO activity in London accelerated in 2025 as the capital saw its strongest year for flotations since 2021.
A strong Q4 drove the London Stock Exchange’s year-on-year growth in IPO proceeds, which more than doubled compared to last year.
£1.9 billion was raised from 11 IPOs this year. FinTech company Shawbrook and consumer company Princes Group priced their IPOs at the end of October for £348 million and £400m respectively.
Published: January 1, 2026 at 9:47 pm
Jacqui Cartin has officially started her role as chief financial officer at Sage.
She succeeded Jonathan Powell, who announced his intention to step down in March to focus on his non-executive work.
Cartin moved to Sage in 2018 after previously working at KPMG UK and had most recently been employed at Sage as EVP Group Financial Controller.
Speaking of her new CFO role she said: “Sage is at an important point in its journey, and I’m proud to be part of a leadership team focused on the next phase of growth and transformation.
“We have a significant opportunity ahead, harnessing AI and agentic capabilities to deliver practical, meaningful solutions that help our customers solve real business challenges every day.
“What I’m most looking forward to is continuing to lead and work alongside an exceptional finance team.
“The talent, ambition, and energy across the team is outstanding, and finance will play a critical role in enabling strategy, driving performance, and supporting sustainable, long-term growth.
“As we begin the year, I’m motivated by what’s ahead and excited about what we can achieve together as we continue to build the future of Sage.”
Published: December 31, 2025 at 9:02 am
The LSE may have had an impressive 2025 but comments by Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson have already upped the ante for 2026.
London Stock Exchange could have been forgiven for reflecting on a job well done in 2025 before Jackson lobbed in an end-of-year grenade.
The LSE has come under increasing pressure due to the growing trend of companies choosing to list in New York instead of London because the premiums tend to be higher.
It was against this backdrop that the London Stock Exchange enjoyed its strongest year since 2021, seeing £1.9bn raised from 11 IPOs in 2025.
Q4 saw a flurry of activity with FinTech company Shawbrook and consumer company Princes Group pricing their IPOs at the end of October for £348m and £400m respectively.
The three-year stamp duty holiday on shares in new UK IPOs, announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autum Budget last month, is widely seen as a positive step aimed at boosting the London IPO market.
However, the LSE’s recovery is still fragile, evidenced by the impact of Jackson’s strategic comments.
He told the Press Association that he would ‘love’ to choose London, but admitted it’s a ‘coin toss’ between the UK and New York.
“I would need to see more hustle from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) – they need to be bringing in more capital,” he said.
Published: December 31, 2025 at 7:47 am
Tech entrepreneur Ben Towers has been named as one of the youngest recipients in the King’s New Year Honours list.
The 27-year-old, from Gillingham, in Kent, is the founder of Happl, an AI-native employee benefits platform for global companies.
With offices in London and New York, Happl is backed by Y Combinator – the Silicon Valley incubator that helped launch Airbnb and Reddit – as well as notable investors including Tom Blomfield, co-founder of Monzo and GoCardless
He’s been awarded an MBE for services to the startup business community, after founding his first business at just 11 years old and being identified as ‘one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs’ by Richard Branson while still a teenager.
Published: December 30, 2025 at 10:35 pm
Octopus Energy Group’s technology company, Kraken, is all set for an IPO after announcing a $1bn investment.
The round sees new and existing investors acquiring c.$1bn of Kraken equity to fund both Octopus and Kraken.
It represents the first standalone investment into Kraken and was led by D1 Capital Partners at a valuation of $8.65bn.
The demerger will enable Kraken to operate as a fully independent technology platform for utilities worldwide and allows Octopus Energy Group to focus on scaling its consumer, generation, and clean technology businesses.
It also paves the way for a potential stock market flotation in the next two to three years in either London or New York.
Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group, said: “Kraken is in a class of its own, in terms of technology, capability, and scale.
“As an independent company with world-class backers and outstanding leadership, it will be free to grow even faster and is set to be a true UK-founded success story.
“Having incubated Kraken, Octopus is a powerhouse of innovation and technology, and will now have even more horsepower to deliver the transformation of energy globally.”
Published: December 30, 2025 at 11:30 am
Former Dragons’ Den star Piers Linney; Manchester City Council leader Bev Craig; Henri Murison, chief executive of The Northern Powerhouse Partnership; and entrepreneur Richard Harpin have all been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list.
Several tech leaders have also been recognised, including Lorna Armitage and Dr Andrea Cullen, co-founders of cyber security training company Capslock, who have been awarded MBEs for services to cyber security.
One of the most eye-catching awards in an MBE to former Dragons’ Den star and tech entrepreneur Piers Linney, from Bacup, in Lancashire.
He’s the co-founder and executive chair of Implement AI and the award is for services to small business, to entrepreneurs, to investors, to banking and to diversity and social mobility.
Highly-rated leader of Manchester City Council, Cllr Bev Craig, has been awarded an OBE for services to local government.
Cllr Craig, who has been the leader since 2021, said: “To receive on OBE is a huge privilege, and to get awarded it for what I’ve been able to give back to our city is all the more special.”
Cllr Craig was one of a number of people from BusinessCloud’s 2025 Northern Leaders list to be included in the New Year Honours list.
Henri Murison, chief executive of The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, was awarded an MBE for services to the economy while Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chair of Manchester University NHS FT (MFT), has been honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the NHS.
Published: December 29, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Serial entrepreneur Alex Depledge MBE has stepped down as the CEO of Resi, the largest residential architect in the UK.
She founded Resi in 2016 and has announced she’s taking a place on the board and joked she now plans to work 50 hours a week instead of 80!
Depledge has played an increasingly influential role in business in recent months after Chancellor Rachel Reeves appointed her as the first-ever entrepreneurship advisor to the Treasury.
Entrepreneurs now have a direct line to government and Depledge is actively looking at ways to reduce barriers for businesses, entrepreneurs and investors.
Writing on LinkedIn she said: “After a decade as CEO of Resi, I’m stepping back from the role and moving to the board. It’s the right time.
“Joe Whitworth and Nic Yeeles have been doing a brilliant job in their new posts as CEO of Resi Design and CEO of Resi Labs.
“This past year has been a tough one personally. One of those ‘keep showing up while life happens in the background’ years.
“What could very easily have been an annus horribilis has ended feeling hopeful, and genuinely exciting.”
Published: December 29, 2025 at 3:46 pm
It’s the Christmas blockbuster of 2025 that got the AI world talking.
On Christmas Eve – traditionally one of the quietest news days of the year – American AI company Groq confirmed it had entered into a ‘licensing agreement’ with the world’s most valuable company, US chip giant Nvidia.
Nvidia – which was founded in 1993 – became the first company in the world to reach a market valuation of $5tn in October 2025.
The size of the deal hasn’t officially been confirmed but it’s widely speculated to be $20bn, making it Nvidia’s largest-ever deal by some margin.
As part of the deal, Groq’s ‘genius’ CEO and founder Jonathan Ross joined Nvidia, along with COO and President Sunny Madra and several members of the Groq team.
If Huung and Ross are the stars of this Christmas blockbuster, the supporting cast is similarly impressive.
Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett – who is sitting pretty having made a seven-figure investment into Groq – described it as ‘absolutely insane’.
He was persuaded to invest on the advice of his friend – media mogul Scott ‘Scooter’ Braun.
Published: December 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm
The year of 2025 has seen new unicorns, multi-million pound investments, significant IPOs and huge acquisitions in what has been a busy year of dealmaking.
BusinessCloud has identified the game-changing tech deals that we’ve reported on in 2025.
The London Stock Exchange saw market leaders including Deliveroo and Alphawave delist after acquisitions following acquisitions by US companies in 2025. but gained momentum late on in the year with IPOs from Shawbrook, Princes Group and The Beauty Tech Group.
Elsewhere, Amazon pledged to invest billions into the UK and NVIDIA bet £500m on UK AI data centre startup Nscale.
Published: December 23, 2025 at 11:00 am
The pace at which technology is emerging is showing no signs of slowing.
If the last few years were about experimenting with AI, 2026 will be about living with the consequences.
From agentic systems and instant payments to deepfake-driven fraud and AI-powered cyber attacks, technology is now moving deeper into business operations than ever before.
Business leaders across FinTech, cybersecurity, software and investment have shared their predictions for the year ahead.
Published: December 23, 2025 at 8:04 am
Luke Massie has stepped down as the CEO of UK FinTech VibePay.
Massie, who founded VibePay to connect people, brands, sellers and banks with real-time messaging and instant payments, said it was time for the ‘next chapter’.
In April, VibePay was acquired by global pay by bank platform Banked with support by long-time investor Candy Ventures, founded by billionaire Nick Candy.
A statement from VibePay said: “After leading Vibe from inception to becoming one of the UK’s pioneering open banking companies, our founder and CEO Luke Massie is stepping down.
“Luke now leaves the company to pursue new interests as Vibe continues to grow and innovate.
“VibePay would like to thank Luke – and wish you all the best for what’s next.”
Massie, who had recently become a first-time dad, said: “What a ride. It’s time for me to let go of what I started and begin writing the next chapter.
“VibePay has some really cool stuff coming early next year and the team remain committed to the mission.
“To everyone who’s played their part in the journey and personally helped me over the years, thank you.”
Published: December 23, 2025 at 7:15 am
Sofant Technologies has raised £6.25 million investment.
The Scottish tech firm, behind antenna terminals for satellite communications, said the raise – led by EMV Capital Partners – will see it transition from multi-year R&D into a commercial launch and production.
The round includes significant participation by Scottish Enterprise, the National Security Strategic Investment Fund and other investors.
Published: December 22, 2025 at 9:51 pm
In what has been a record year for the BusinessCloud website, business and tech reporter Patrick Killeen runs through the 100 best-read stories of the year.
The site has seen unique visitors grow from 477,000 to over 810,000 year-on-year, with popular stories including those from Dragons’ Den, the AI boom, the London Stock Exchange, deals and our recently launched BusinessBite blog.
Personalities including Steven Bartlett, Matthew Moulding, Sara Davies, KSI and Harry Kane all made the top 100 for 2025.
The stories were accurate at the time of publication but email news@businesscloud.co.uk if any details have changed.
Published: December 22, 2025 at 5:40 pm
Spring co-CEO Samar Shaheryar has a big ambition for the PropTech after leading it to £100m in property acquisitions in its last fiscal year.
Shaheryar spent a decade in investment banking at JPMorgan in New York, primarily as a bond trader, before moving into entrepreneurship and the UK property market.
Spring is an evolution of an earlier business founded in 2007 but took shape as a tech-enabled house buyer in 2019.
Today, the business is the largest home buyer in the UK and recently ranked 9th in our PropTech 50 ranking for 2025.
It carries a proven track record delivering homebuying services to our customers and partners alike, working with many leading retirement providers, developers and estate agents.
“We saw a gap in the market for an efficient, transparent, and customer-centric house-buying service that could trade residential property at scale,” she tells BusinessCloud.
“Selling a home in the UK remains an incredibly stressful process which Spring alleviates through accurate valuations, guaranteed offers and speedy conveyancing.”
Published: December 22, 2025 at 5:29 pm
A Liverpool startup has raised funds from River Capital and EHE Ventures to bring human insight to the heart of boardroom decision-making.
The EIS round of up to £1 million into Deltabase will be used to scale its AI-powered platform that helps businesses understand their rivals through people, not just performance.
Already used by firms including PwC, KPMG and Mercer, Deltabase helps teams quantify ‘people factors’ that traditional analysis overlooks, transforming culture and workforce data into measurable advantage.