Author: Patrick Killeen

Twinkl has appointed EdTech expert Harris Goodman as its first US general manager to focus on its growth across the country. 

Goodman, who will be based in New Jersey, joins as the Sheffield firm continues to expand its US team and accelerate its plans in key states across the country.

He brings more than 15 years of experience in senior leadership roles within the education technology sector. 

Most recently, he served as senior vice president of marketing and growth at BrainPOP, where he worked across growth initiatives and helped support the company’s expansion strategy.

Founded in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Jonathan and Susie Seaton, Twinkl provides learning materials and educational services, which are all teacher-created and checked.

Author: Patrick Killeen

A London-based creator monetisation platform co-founded and led by a former FIFA YouTuber has raised $22 million (£16.4m) in a Series A round as it looks to scale its business and expand internationally.

Fanvue, which was co-founded by Joel Morris, Will Monange and Harry Fitzgerald, only launched in 2022 but has now surpassed $100m in ARR. 

Morris has been a household name in the creator industry for over a decade, growing his now mainly dormant YouTube channel, JMX, to 2.4m subscribers.

He previously created videos on popular video games including FIFA and Fortnite, and then turned to YouTube boxing before fully focusing on Fanvue. 

The funding for the business was led by Inner Circle, with backing from a group of founders and investors spanning tech, finance, sport and entertainment. 

Finova has announced a partnership with fellow London-headquartered AI firm Covecta to integrate agentic AI capabilities across its cloud-based mortgage, savings and lending software.

The collaboration will begin with new AI support agent functionality across the company’s lending and broker platforms, aimed at automating routine tasks and improving operational efficiency.

Covecta’s configurable AI agents and enterprise search tools are designed for banks, building societies and specialist lenders, supporting workflows across the front, middle and back office.

Finova said the integration forms part of its wider product roadmap to embed emerging technologies and enhance the user experience for lenders and brokers.

European FinTech provider payabl. has appointed Breno Oliveira as chief product officer to lead its product strategy.

Oliveira joined the business in 2022 and has since played a key role in launching its cloud-native core banking platform, card issuing capabilities and unified interface, payabl.one, alongside expanding payment method support.

In his new role, he will focus on scaling the platform across the UK and EU, enhancing mobile functionality and broadening the firm’s card issuing and network coverage.

It comes as the London-based business looks to strengthen its product for merchants operating across multiple markets and payment channels.

The government will invest up to £43 million for green aviation research, aimed at cutting emissions while supporting growth and airport expansion plans at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton.

The funding will be opened to businesses, universities and researchers, with competitions launching from February, and will focus on technologies such as zero-emission aircraft, hydrogen fuels and cleaner aviation systems as part of the UK’s net zero 2050 ambition.

It could also support trials to reduce warming contrails and help the Civil Aviation Authority develop regulation needed for wider hydrogen adoption.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the investment would back UK firms, create skilled jobs and help decarbonise flying while improving air quality.

Saffery has made two senior leadership changes in its Manchester office as it looks to support its next stage of growth. 

Audit partner Diane Petit-Laurent is now head of office, succeeding Mike Hodges after more than a decade in the role. 

The firm also confirmed audit partner Simon Kite has joined the international board of Nexia, the global accounting and consulting network Saffery is part of. 

The appointments come as the company’s Manchester team has expanded significantly over the past decade, growing to more than 100 people and six partners.

THG Studios has strengthened its leadership team with the appointments of Adam Mandelstam as executive creative director and Rob Sanderson as group creative director.

Mandelstam joins with more than 20 years’ international agency experience, having held roles at firms including Ogilvy SA, TBWA Paris, M&C Saatchi and VML London, and most recently worked as global executive creative director at WPP.

Sanderson arrives from Momentum Worldwide, where he served as Experience Design Director and worked on accounts including Dyson and the Wimbledon x Amex partnership.

The Manchester firm said the hires will support its focus on insight-led creative and experiences designed to drive engagement, conversion and long-term brand loyalty.

Verde Digital, a London-based SEO agency specialising in fashion and eCommerce, has appointed Chloe Steele as SEO manager as it looks to strengthen its organic search offering.

Steele joins with more than seven years’ experience spanning SEO, App Store Optimisation and digital marketing across both agency and in-house roles.

Most recently, she worked at PrettyLittleThing, where she helped deliver a 50% year-on-year increase in non-brand clicks in the US and a 35% uplift globally, while building the brand’s ASO strategy from scratch.

In her new role, she will lead tailored SEO strategies across Verde’s client portfolio, which includes Adanola, Paul Smith, Jaded London and The Couture Club.

Author: Patrick Killeen

The British Business Bank (BBB) is set to make a £25 million investment in Kraken Technologies, marking its largest-ever direct investment.

The funding is part of a wider package aimed at helping high-growth UK companies scale up at home rather than turning overseas for backing.

The announcement was made by Business Secretary Peter Kyle during a visit to the company’s London headquarters, where he unveiled a broader set of measures designed to support the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, including regulatory reform and new funding commitments for priority sectors. 

It follows reforms to the BBB’s mandate, giving it greater flexibility to take larger, higher-risk stakes in strategically important scale-ups.

It also comes shortly after it was revealed that Kraken would demerge from Octopus Energy Group.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Listed firm Big Technologies has agreed a £38.5 million settlement with former investors, leading to a 20% jump in its share price.

Big Technologies plc – trading as Buddi – is currently suing its founder Sara Murray OBE for hundreds of millions of pounds after accusing her of forgery and deliberate falsification of documents to push through the company’s £577m IPO in 2021.

Murray was dismissed as CEO of Big Technologies in March over the accusations, and her assets have been frozen amid the subsequent and ongoing £320m High Court battle. Murray – who founded and sold comparison website Confused.com earlier in her entrepreneurial career – launched people monitoring specialist Big Technologies in 2005. It provides the Buddi electronic tagging system to the prison service, among other products.

She led a management buyout for £12.3m in 2018 and the five former shareholders in the firm brought legal action against it, claiming they had been forced to sell their holding during the MBO and were therefore denied the opportunity of cashing in from the float.

Big Technologies initially denied the accusation but, following its accusations against Murray, has now accepted it. It said late last year that the potential forgery could “materially adversely impact the position of the company in the… litigation [brought against it by the former shareholders]… [we] are unlikely to be able to successfully defend material elements of the claim”.

It has agreed to pay £31.5m immediately and a further £7m in 18 monthly instalments. Its share price jumped around 20% on the news, with its market cap topping £300m.

Author: Patrick Killeen

A social media ban for those under 16 in the UK could come into effect.

The government is launching a wide-ranging consultation on children’s online safety and wellbeing, as ministers weigh new measures to limit the impact of mobile phones and social media on young people. 

The proposals come as the UK looks closely at international approaches, including Australia’s landmark ban on social media for under-16s, which came into force in December.

Under the Australian rules, platforms such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube are required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teenagers holding accounts, with potential fines of up to A$49.5 million (£24.6m) for non-compliance. 

The policy is already facing legal challenge, with Reddit filing a case in Australia’s High Court arguing the ban unlawfully interferes with implied constitutional protections and that Reddit should be exempt under the law’s definition of social media.

The review will look at options including raising the digital age of consent, introducing “phone curfews”, restricting potentially addictive features such as infinite scrolling and “streaks”, as well as assessing whether a social media ban for children could be effective.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Funding Circle has achieved its FY26 revenue target a year ahead of schedule, causing the SME lending platform’s share price to rocket by over 17% to 148p in the first half hour of trading today.

The London-based FinTech beat FY25 forecasts, supported by faster growth across its expanding range of products.

The company’s revenue for the year was approximately £204 million, up 28% year-on-year, while profit before tax rose sharply to around £20m from £3m the year prior, beating current market expectations of £191m revenue and £17m profit. 

Creo Medical Group plc has reported 50% revenue growth to £6m (FY24: £4m) for the year ended 31st December 2025.

The Cardiff-based medical device company, which is focused on minimally invasive surgical endoscopy for pre-cancer and cancer patients, also reported a 20% reduction in underlying operating costs to £18.4m (FY24: £23.8m).

Underlying operating loss reduced by more than 40% to £13.3m (FY24: £22.3m).

Listed Cambridge firm Bango moved to positive EBITDA despite a reduction of revenue in 2025.

For the 12 months ended 31st December 2025, the payments insights company reported revenue of $52.2m (FY24: $53.4m).

The firm said that it successfully executed on key strategic priorities of strong growth in recurring revenue and continued opex and capex reductions. This resulted in positive cash EBITDA of approximately $2.3m, a $2.5m improvement from the negative cash EBITDA of FY24.

4imprint Group plc says it delivered resilient operational and financial performance in 2025 amidst a volatile macroeconomic environment.

The personalised merchandise firm, headquartered in London with a major operational hub in Wisconsin, USA, reported group revenue of $1.35bn (2024: $1.37bn) for the year ended 27th December 2025.

Profit before tax is expected to be not less than $149m (2024: $154m).

Both revenue and profit before tax are above the upper end of the current range of analysts’ forecasts.

London-listed 4imprint says it made solid operational progress in 2025, despite a challenging market backdrop. Total order count was down 3%, whilst average order value for the year was up 1% compared to 2024. New customer order count was 12% below prior year in 2025. Existing customer order count was flat for the year.

Kromek Group plc, a developer of radiation and bio-detection technology solutions has reported a huge increase in half-year results.

For the six months ended 31st October 2025, revenue increased substantially to £15m (H1 2025: £3.7m) at the North East firm.

Adjusted EBITDA was £6m (H1 2025: £2.3m loss) while profit before tax was £3.1m (H1 2025: £5.7m loss).

Cash and cash equivalents at 31st October 2025 were £1.2m (30th April 2025: £1.7m) while the company secured a revolving credit facility of £6m – of which £1m had been drawn as at 31st October 2025 – during the period. It also secured a £500,000 asset finance facility.

Author: Chris Maguire

Retail giant Timpson and musicMagpie have announced a partnership that will allow customers to trade in their old smartphones and get paid in minutes.

Following a successful four-month trial, the service is now available in over 1,300 Timpson stores across the UK, enabling customers to hand over their device in-store, have it assessed in front of them and have funds transferred within minutes.

It’s estimated that 73 per cent of UK adults have at least one unused smartphone at home with an average trade-in value of around £250.

musicMagpie was acquired by electrical retailer AO World in December 2024.

Steve Oliver, managing director and co-founder of musicMagpie, said: “Adding Magpie to 1,300 Timpson stores across the UK is a huge milestone for us and will take our reach and convenience for customers far beyond anything we’ve tried before.

“It’s great to see that so many customers are choosing to trade in their old phones in a way that’s as good for the planet as it is for their wallets.”

Eagle Eye Solutions Group plc expects its full-year FY26 profits to be ahead of current market expectations.

The SaaS technology firm – which provides personalised, real-time marketing solutions – reported group revenue of £22.4m for H1 FY26 (H1 FY25: £19.3m).

“H1 margin performance has exceeded the board’s expectations due to the group’s ongoing SaaS transformation and cost optimisation,” it stated. “This will allow the board to upgrade profit expectations, while continuing to selectively invest in growth initiatives during Q3.”

Author: Patrick Killeen

WH Smith shares climbed more than 11% to around 699p today after the retailer said it plans to appoint former Balfour Beatty boss Leo Quinn as executive chairman from 7th April.

Quinn brings over 20 years of experience as CEO of UK publicly quoted companies to the FTSE 250 firm, most recently as group chief executive of Balfour Beatty.

He has led major business turnarounds and delivered strong shareholder returns, including over £5 billion of total shareholder value.

The announcement comes after a turbulent period for the retail giant, following an accounting issue in its North American business which led to a significant share price fall over the past few months.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Seat Unique and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club have agreed a new four-year extension to their commercial partnership, continuing a relationship that first began in 2021.

The renewal follows what both parties described as a strong period of growth in hospitality and premium ticket sales, alongside wider increases in digital engagement at the club.

Seat Unique, a premium ticketing marketplace for sport, music and live events, has worked with Gloucestershire to market and sell official hospitality packages and enhanced matchday experiences.

It has been backed by many of England’s sporting stars, including Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Harry Kane.