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.

Administrations

Glasgow-based M Squared Lasers collapses into administration – In August, Interpath managing directors were appointed administrators at the photonics and quantum technology business which was once included on the Deloitte Fast 50. The intellectual property and other assets of the company were acquired out of administration in November. 

Builder.ai scandal: How ‘chief wizard’ Sachin Dev Duggal was outed as another Oz – Editor Jonathan Symcox explained the back story behind former unicorn and now-insolvent AI firm Builder.ai. The ‘chief wizard’ in question stepped down as CEO a few months before the company went bankrupt and was replaced by Manpreet Ratia. Duggal has denied that there was little-to-no automation in its Natasha neural network.

Former £9bn EV maker Arrival to close down – The company closed in March following the collapse of its sale plan, leaving over 70 staff redundant. 

AllBright: From £100m valuation to administration – Women’s business network AllBright fell into administration just six years after a £13m investment valued it at £100m. However, its online assets were swiftly acquired by an investor, with Cain International writing off debt and injecting capital to keep operations running under new ownership, saving the brand.

Streetbees falls into administration five years after $200m valuation – AI-powered intelligence platform had raised nearly $80m and had offices in Lisbon and the US but collapsed in August despite ‘exhaustive efforts’ to save it.

Motor tech firm behind London buses project enters administration – Aeristech, manufacturer of high-powered compressors for hydrogen fuel cells, appointed Begbies Traynor as administrator in February.

Confusion as learning provider Oxbridge enters administration. EdTech formally enters administration despite website remaining live and members of public claiming they can’t get their money back.

£13m turnover Agilitas IT Solutions falls into administration. Nottingham-based firm appointed Alvarez & Marsal directors, while Cameo Services acquired its IT maintenance customer base.

In The Style set to enter administration – The Salford digital womenswear fashion  retailer, which floated in London in 2019 with a market value of £105m, went into administration  at the start of the year. However, it was rescued from administration in March through a sale to Alps Sourcing, which saved 87 jobs and kept the brand running.

Heartache for dating app which operated one day a week – Tinder rival Thursday closed its app amid ‘rapidly declining consumer interest’. The London startup launched the app in 2021 and operated exclusively on Thursdays. However, it has now pivoted to Thursday Events, which are real-life, ticketed social gatherings for singles in various cities.

Deals

Does Boohoo’s ‘eye-wateringly expensive’ £175m refinancing make it sitting target for a takeover? – Boohoo Group Plc announced a £175m refinancing deal in August, leading to a 15 per cent rise in its share price on the day. Gareth Smythe, CEO at M&A specialist Hilton Smythe, pulled no punches in his analysis of the deal – and said that it made the group a sitting target for a takeover.

Controversy as Lloyds acquires Curve for reported £120m – Lloyds Banking Group acquired digital wallets provider Curve in a reported £120m deal in November. It followed reports that Lloyds and Curve had agreed a £120m deal and that some shareholders were furious at the valuation.

Bartlett buys out co-founder of firm behind Diary of a CEO podcast – Steven Bartlett bought out his fellow Flight Story Group co-founder Oliver Yonchev in late April.

Can BBC Dragon Sara Davies MBE save Crafter’s Companion? – Early in 2025, BBC Dragon Sara Davies MBE stepped in to rescue the business she founded after its directors called in administrators.  She then stepped back from her hands-on role as CEO of the company in August. 

Who are the winners and losers in UiPath’s deal to buy Peak? – An insight into how the March acquisition of Manchester-based Peak by NYSE-listed UiPath made sense for both sides in a choppy tech market. In June, Debenhams Group partnered with Peak to implement AI at scale in order to optimise product pricing and promotions.

Inflexion set to sell ANS for reported £400m – Inflexion first invested in UKFast in 2018 before acquiring ANS in 2021 and combining the two companies before rebranding as ANS. There have been no reports of a buyer being found yet despite rumours.

£183.6m Silicon Valley swoop for Inspired PLC – Private equity giant HGGC moved for the technology-enabled commercial energy and sustainability advisory service in June. 

Frasers Group snaps up eBuyer out of administration – Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group  acquired eBuyer, one of the UK’s largest technology retailers, out of administration.

North American takeover at Leeds’ 2,400-strong BJSS – Listed Canadian firm CGI swooped for fellow tech consultancy founded in 1993 as it looked to accelerate its UK expansion at the start of 2025. The deal completed a few weeks later in February. 

Elvie acquired out of administration by US firm which sued it – Willow snapped up business and assets of Bristol-based FemTech Chiaro Technology Limited, trading as Elvie, with all 178 employees transferred across.

Tech firm once sold by Peter Jones valued at £3.5bn in PE deal – US private equity firm General Atlantic took a minority stake in IoT communications giant Wireless Logic, which the Dragons’ Den star sold in 2011.

Matthew Riley: The ultimate dealmaker – Daisy founder profiled after the firm’s merger with Virgin Media O2.

Oxford Instruments’ £60m deal sparks share price panic – Listed tech products provider Oxford Instruments entered into a binding agreement to sell its quantum-focused business, Oxford Instruments NanoScience, for £60m to California-based Quantum Design.

Idox plc to be taken private in £340m deal – Idox plc, headquartered in Woking, agreed a deal with shareholder Long Path, a US-based investment manager, which valued it at £340m. 

DHL eCommerce UK combines with Evri in monster merger – The initial deal for DHL’s UK eCommerce business to be merged with parcel delivery giant Evri was revealed in May. The merger was later approved by regulators in September, creating the UK’s biggest parcel delivery company, with DHL taking a minority stake.

Shawbrook lists on London Stock Exchange with £1.92bn valuation – Shawbrook Group plc successfully priced its IPO at 370p per share, valuing the specialist lender at approximately £1.92bn as it began trading.

MyTutor acquired by California-based EdTech giant – Personalised learning products developer IXL Learning was acquired MyTutor, the UK’s leading online tutoring platform.

Investments

THG’s share price jumps after analysts’ report – The Manchester-based online retailer’s stock value rose 5 per cent in February after a positive report by Jefferies and following its THG Ingenuity demerger. CEO and founder Matt Moulding committed up to £60m of his own money into the company a month later. He later increased his stake in THG to 25 per cent after the conversion of a convertible loan.

Fuse Energy: From startup to unicorn in three years – Ex-Revolut execs Alan Chang and Charles Orr founded Fuse in 2022 and can count ex-F1 champion Nico Rosberg as an investor. Last year, it reported a five-fold increase in revenue and by August 2025 it had grown annual revenue to $90m. In December Fuse Energy was valued at almost £4bn in just its third year after raising an additional £52m in funding.

Bridgepoint makes majority investment in Zuto – Manchester-based car finance FinTech Zuto landed a majority investment from Bridgepoint in November to accelerate the next phase of its growth. Zuto’s revenues are up 30 per cent year-on-year to £75m and the deal signalled an exit for long-term investor Scottish Equity Partners (SEP).

Music stars who have invested in UK tech companies – From members of the Beatles, ABBA and Muse to KSI and Kylie, these musicians have invested in music tech, FinTech and more.

Tech firm founded by Tony Blair’s other son raises £15m – Nick Blair’s Skyral, a supplier to the British Army, secured £15m in Series A funding in June. His brother Euan Blair is the entrepreneur behind EdTech unicorn Multiverse.

Will Relay run past DPD, Evri & Yodel after £28m raise? – London startup Relay raised £28m in Series A funding in February to take on delivery giants DPD, Evri and Yodel. The AI-powered logistics network is used by the likes of Vinted, TikTok, Temu and THG Fulfil. The startup was founded by Jonathan Jenssen and Nicole Mazza.

KSI and The Sidemen invest in London MarTech startup – YouTube giant was among participants in POCKLA’s £1.6m  seed funding round in March, led by Venrex.

Microsoft exec joins Scottish HealthTech as it raises £3m – Digital healthcare solutions provider MyWay Digital Health raised £3m to accelerate the development of its new AI-enabled products. It also appointed Dr Umang Patel as non-executive chair.

TikTok to open new London office after reaching 30m UK users – Leading social media platform announced plans to grow its UK workforce to over 3,000 and invest in 135,000 sq ft London office which will open early next year.

DHSC invests £114m into IT budgets amid NHS restructure – In March the Department of Health and Social Care invested £114m into IT budgets and staffing figures.

Zilch to explore acquisitions as it raises £135m – Europe’s fastest-growing unicorn Zilch raised £135m in debt and equity funding in November to accelerate the growth of its consumer payments platform.

Dragons’ Den

Why Bartlett’s Dragons’ Den gamble is already paying off – Steven Bartlett invested £80,000 for a 5 per cent stake in Will Little’s Devon-based coffee company Little’s Coffee. In the first 72 hours after the BBC show was aired, the company completely sold out at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Dragons’ Den reject has last laugh with 66% sales spike – 25-year-old Lucie Macleod walked away from Dragons’ Den empty-handed, but she told BusinessCloud in April that sales were up 66 per cent as well as announcing plans to open a third warehouse and double staff numbers. Sales were set to hit a record £6.5m this year and Macleod was named Young Businessperson of the Year in the Swansea Bay Business Awards. She later spoke at BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders event in Leeds. 

Profile: Who is the real Steven Bartlett? – BusinessCloud wrote an in-depth profile on the Diary of a CEO podcast host, Dragons’ Den Star and Flight Story founder.

Can Steven Bartlett and a rebrand save PrettyLittleThing? – In March, the Boohoo Group-owned company ditched its recognisable bubblegum pink unicorn emblem and enlisted the help of Bartlett for its rebrand. 

Dragons’ Den stars in bidding war over North East tech firm – Millions of viewers watched as Durham-based tech firm Choppity found itself at the centre of a three-way bidding between three of the stars of Dragons’ Den in January. Peter Jones offered £100,000 for 12.5 per cent of Choppity, but it then emerged that the deal didn’t go ahead. In July, the owners revealed that they were looking to sell the business

Wheelchair user wins full house of backers on Dragons’ Den – In the Series 22 finale, all five Dragons invested £16,000 each in Simon Sansome’s mobile app Snowball – described as ‘the TripAdvisor for the disabled community’.

Food & drink gift company is ‘thriving’ after Dragons’ Den rejection – Millions of viewers of the hit BBC show watched Sarah Louise Fairburn leave the Den empty-handed after seeking £100k for a 10 per cent stake in her business. However, the award-winning entrepreneur has gone on to raise £500k from an angel investor in a deal that valued IMP & MAKER at £2m.

How much have Dragons ACTUALLY invested since ‘damaging’ BBC show began? – Mark Pearson, founder of FUEL Ventures, claimed in March that his VC firm has invested £220m through 200 deals, with an average investment of £1.1m. By comparison, since the BBC show started in 2005, 19 Dragons have invested an estimated total of just £15.5m.

Sisters see 80,000% website surge after slaying Dragons – Amelia and Lydia Miller bagged £75,000 investment from Steven Bartlett and Deborah Meaden for their tech startup ivee. The company then partnered with TransPennine Express to help more people find their way back into meaningful, flexible careers.

Steven Bartlett: ‘I’m less than 1% into my journey’ – Following an 8-figure investment into Steven.com, Bartlett spoke exclusively to BusinessCloud’s Chris Maguire  about creating a Disney-style empire.

Former Dragons’ Den star expands into Dubai – James Caan CBE expanded Hamilton Bradshaw Private Equity in April after 22 years to capitalise on the Middle East’s ‘Golden Era’.

yuv wins record investment on Dragons’ Den – Steven Bartlett and Sara Davies each invested £250,000 into beauty tech hair colour brand at record valuation. In December, it closed a £9m funding round to accelerate its UK growth and support its 2026 US expansion. 

‘I’ll never forget Dragons’ Den star’s first words after investment’ – Jayne Sibley revealed in January that her tech business has doubled in size after £125,000 investment from Dragons Deborah Meaden and Sara Davies.

Who is favourite to replace Sara Davies on Dragons’ Den? – Karren Brady and Lord Sugar were among favourites after Davies’ shock announcement to leave. Her replacement is yet to be announced – although there’s some speculation that Davies could return after missing one series.

Appointments

Bartlett makes key hire ahead of US move – Steven Bartlett hired Jules Davies Marriott as chief of staff in March ahead of his planned move to the US.

THG CEO blasts Barclays’ appointment of Alex Ham as ‘a disgrace’ – THG founder Matt Moulding launched a ferocious attack on Barclays for their decision to appoint Alex Ham as global chairman of investment banking. Ham is the co-CEO of Deutsche Numis (previously called Numis) and Moulding is still furious about a critical memo the investment bank circulated in 2021 suggesting THG had ‘irregularities in accounting’ –   before performing a high-profile U-turn by retracting the allegations.

Indian billionaire joins BT board following £3.2bn deal – Sunil Bharti Mittal, the billionaire founder of Indian business group Bharti Enterprises, joined the board of BT in September after paying £3.2bn for a 24.5 per cent stake last year.

Diary of a CEO Mum: Is this Steven Bartlett’s greatest hire? – Amy Golding became CEO of Bartlett’s expanding private office in March.

 

CEO of collapsed Reaction Engines joins new firm – Mark Thomas, the former CEO of collapsed ‘Concorde successor’ firm Reaction Engines, joined First Light Fusion in March.

Ex-FTSE 100 director swaps South for North to be Victrex CEO – Dr James Routh will leave AB Dynamics to join the Lancashire-based business.

Who is Innovate UK’s new executive chair Tom Adeyoola? – BusinessCloud profiled the tech entrepreneur and business leader after his landmark appointment in March.

Poppy Gustafsson replaced as Investment Minister by Grimsby Town owner – Vice-chair of Grimsby Town, Jason Stockwood, stepped back from the club’s board and day-to-day responsibilities at Blundell Park to become UK Investment Minister in September. He replaced ex-Darktrace CEO and co-founder, Poppy Gustafsson, whose LinkedIn bio now clearly states that she is ‘enjoying doing nothing for a bit’.

Sports

Wembley gets major upgrade ahead of FA Cup final – Fans benefited from improved reliability and faster speeds in and around the area.

Sheffield Wednesday: Who is Cleo founder heading fan bid? – Barney Hussey-Yeo, who founded FinTech unicorn Cleo, expressed interest in buying his boyhood club after it fell into administration in October. The club is still up for sale, with an asking price believed to be in excess of £30m.

Sports stars who have invested in UK tech companies – From Andy Murray to Cristiano Ronaldo, BusinessCloud compiled a list of sporting icons who have tried their hands in UK tech.

Chelsea FC strikes partnership deal with Vietnamese tech giant – The five-times Premier League champions announced an innovative global partnership with Vietnam-based technology solutions provider FPT Corporation (FPT). Eagle-eyed Premier League viewers will have spotted the company logo on the side of all Chelsea shirts.

Everton FC closes deal with Harry Kane-backed business – Seat Unique teamed up with Everton FC to become a founding partner of the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. It is now the club’s official premium experiences platform.

Manchester United signs deal with Rio Ferdinand-backed firm – Manchester United announced a multi-year agreement with Sokin, appointing the UK-headquartered FinTech as the club’s official global business payment solutions partner.

West Ham United signs global deal with Corpay – The Hammers announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with official Foreign Exchange (FX) and international payments partner Corpay. 

QPR deal to ‘redefine fan engagement and create model for future’ – Championship side Queens Park Rangers partnered with real-world asset tokenisation firm TokenFi ahead of the 2025/26 EFL Championship season.

Ben Stokes-backed firm secures London Stadium deal – Tickets and events sales platform Seat Unique was named the official hospitality partner for all concerts at West Ham United’s London Stadium for summer 2025.

Leeds United sign with agency ahead of Elland Road upgrade – Leeds-based PR and events agency Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon (PGHL) celebrated a major milestone after securing three new high-profile clients – including Leeds United FC.

Rankings

Sunday Times 100 Tech rankings revealed – Salford-based HealthTech Evergreen Life topped the ranking of 50 fast-growth software companies, while Pure Data Centres led the hardware category.

Northern Leaders 2025 – BusinessCloud revealed its Northern Leaders list for 2025, shining a light on the leaders who have made – and continue to make – the biggest positive difference to the North.

Tech 50 Rankings – BusinessCloud’s HealthTech 50 was the most visited of our Tech 50 rankings in 2025. Other rankings gaining traction and making the top 100 were the EdTech 50, FinTech 50, RetailTech 50, PropTech 50 and MediaTech 50.

PerfectTed tops FEBE Growth 100 – The viral matcha tea brand was named the fastest-growing founder-led business in the UK in June, beating off competition from REHAB and Simmer Eats. Executive editor Chris Maguire visited the company’s offices in October and found that it has witnessed 812% year-on-year sales growth with turnover approaching £50m.

GM Rising Stars of Business 2025 – BusinessCloud revealed its second annual ‘GM Rising Stars of Business’ list with GM Business Growth Hub.

Which are the top 25 companies to work for in the UK? – LinkedIn released its Top Companies 2025 list in April, highlighting the best large employers for UK citizens to work for, but only four are UK-based.

Innovate UK unveils full 50 Women in Innovation Awards winners after U-turn – 50 women leading the charge in groundbreaking industries each received a £75,000 grant after a female collective forced a screeching U-turn last year.

 

Other big stories in 2025 from the world of tech

Artisan AI: ‘Stop hiring humans’ ads cause outrage in London – An advertising campaign by Artisan AI urging people to stop hiring humans hit London early in the summer caused outrage.

Ex-NCC CEO and THG boss Moulding in war of words – Former NCC CEO Rob Cotton and THG founder Matt Moulding were embroiled in an extraordinary war of words on social media in June, after Cotton accused Moulding of the ‘destruction’ of the online retailer’s share price.

Fast-growing GigPig set to make £14.5m from 60,000 gigs in 2025 – In April, the UK’s fastest-growing live music platform forecast over 60,000 gig bookings for the year ahead, generating over £14.5m in artist fees.

All eyes on THG’s appearance on FTSE 250 Index – THG enjoyed a topsy turvy year on the FTSE 25o  Index, twice being admitted on to the list and once being demoted. At the beginning of June, a late share price rally was almost enough to save the online retailer’s place on the FTSE 250.

Why is Boohoo founder’s son paid £2m for ‘consultancy services’? – In January, Boohoo’s biggest shareholder, Frasers Group, demanded to know why Umar Kamani – son of the fashion giant Mahmud Kamani – is receiving an annual payment of £2m+ for ‘consultancy services’.

Matt Haycox: ‘I’m a liar but I’m no fraudster’ – In October, a judge ruled against the Dubai-based businessman after Scott Fletcher took legal action over a £4.5m investment deal that went bad – half of which Fletcher received.

FinTech CEO fights for life after quad bike crash – In August, Volt and Velocity founder Tom Greenwood was in a critical condition following a quad bike accident on the Greek island of Mykonos. He is still residing in Greece after being discharged.

THG Ingenuity to make 90 redundancies amid Manchester move – Privately-owned tech company  THG Ingenuity reviewed its organisational structure in January following its recent demerger.

Gymshark revenue hits £600m but profits drop for 3rd straight year – Solihull firm headed and co-founded by billionaire Ben Francis MBE reached revenue milestone for first time in April but pre-tax profits fell to £11.8m.

From uni dropout to boss of £2.5m budget and The Apprentice star – Emma Street was 19 when she quit university to pursue an apprenticeship at tech giant Capgemini – before appearing  on the hit BBC show.

Online stalker jailed for ‘relentless campaign of lies’. Sam Wall  was jailed for targeting Naomi Timperley and Brad Burton with a ‘prolonged, deliberate and calculated’ campaign of harassment.

Founder’s assets effectively frozen amid £320m High Court battle – Sara Murray OBE was dismissed as CEO of Big Technologies plc – trading as Buddi – in March over accusations of financial deception, which she  described as ‘outrageous’ . Details of the dispute were played out in High Court.

Can Anisa break The Apprentice curse? – Anisa Khan, who eventually finished runner-up, was the frontrunner to win the BBC show after volunteering to be project manager for the first two weeks.

Founder of B Corp outraged as Innovate UK scheme put on hold – Steff Wright, chairman of Gusto Group, said Innovate UK’s  decision to put its Smart Grant scheme on hold could leave SMEs in a position where they’re no longer able to operate.

CEO’s high AIM after listing on London Stock Exchange – In June Jill Kenney became one of first female tech founders to list on AIM  with sundae_bar.

Sam Wall: Brad Burton’s victim statement – A copy of the victim statement Brad Burton read out at Minshull Street Crown Court ahead of Sam Wall’s sentencing laid bare the impact of her behaviour.

Dean vs Anisa: Who will win The Apprentice final? – Preview to the BBC One show’s final that saw Dean Franklin come away with Lord Sugar’s mentorship and £250,000 investment. 

Michelle Mone: Proof that beauty is skin deep – Chris Maguire reflected on his dealings with Baroness Mone after the BBC released a two-part documentary of her spectacular rise and fall.

‘How I built a £220m empire’: LADbible CEO – Solly Solomou lifted the lid on the 20VC podcast about how the business went from an office in Leeds which ‘looked like a prison because it had bars across it’ to a global giant. It is now listed and has a market cap of £177m. 

Victoria Price launches luxury womenswear brand – Victoria Price, who famously made headlines for taking on the Daily Mail and winning, launched fashion brand Emello.

Myenergi co-founder to step down after eight years – Jordan Brompton, co-founder of Grimsby-based GreenTech firm myenergi, announced that she was stepping down from her role in January. She later founded JMB Consulting and remains on the board of myenergi. 

Mass exodus at Direct Line: CEO & CFO to go as Aviva take over – CEO Adam Winslow, CFO Jane Poole and 10 directors left the insurance giant on July 1st  when the Aviva acquisition completed. Poole has now joined insurance provider CFC as group chief financial officer,  whereas Winslow said its time for his ‘next chapter’. 

‘I wanted eyeballs rather than Lord Sugar’s £250k’: The Apprentice star – Leeds-based Keir Shave admitted the reason he went on the hit BBC show was to raise his personal profile and that of his company. He later spoke at BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders event in Leeds and his business, Parellel Partnerships, is currently looking to grow its team.