Bite-size news and insight from UK business and tech – including funding, deals and appointments
Published: March 18, 2026 at 3:00 pm
It was a Wednesday when I sat down to make sense of the published medicines datasets we wanted to work across: the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d), English prescribing data and pricing references such as the Drug Tariff.
This meant opening spreadsheets, reconciling codes and translating fragmented signals into something an intelligence platform could use.
When I next looked up, it was Saturday morning.
That experience stayed with me because it captured a truth about company-building. Most startups fail because the founder thinks they are building a product. The companies that reshape industries are building systems.
In complex sectors such as pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence, the hard part is not a launch. It is connecting fragmented information, decision-making and infrastructure into something coherent. This rewards a particular way of thinking, and in my experience neurodivergent founders can have a real edge there.
Published: March 18, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Softcat’s share price climbed more than 8 per cent following a positive half-year update from the IT infrastructure specialist.
Graham Charlton, CEO of the FTSE 250-listed company, described the results for the six months to January 31st, 2026, as ‘terrific’.
Highlights included a 33 per cent increase in gross invoiced income to £2,008.6m and a 22 per cent rise in gross profit to £269.9m.
Softcat’s underlying operating profit growth in the first six months of the financial year was ahead of the board’s expectations, resulting in a spike in its share price by more than 8 per cent to 1,252p.
Expectations are now for high single-digit growth in underlying operating profit in FY2026, up from low single-digit previously.
Softcat has benefited from its investment in AI and its acquisition of Oakland Group Services.
Softcat’s CEO Graham Charlton said: “Softcat delivered terrific progress in the first half, with growth in gross profit and underlying operating profit well ahead of expectations alongside excellent cash generation.
“This reflects the benefits of ongoing investment in our offering over the past few years, as well as sharp execution during the current period, and the benefits we are seeing on customer demand for AI-enabled infrastructure and our own operational transformation.”
Published: March 18, 2026 at 12:24 pm
Cambridge Tech Week 2026 has officially been launched with a new theme: ‘How deep tech changes the world: The ecosystems powering impact.’
Returning on September 14-18 2026, the city’s flagship technology event will explore how the most successful innovation ecosystems turn deep-tech breakthroughs into global companies.
With the total value of the Cambridge tech ecosystem now topping £176bn, representing close to 20 per cent of the UK tech ecosystem, the region has become a global centre for deep-tech investment spanning artificial intelligence, life sciences, quantum computing, semiconductors and climate technologies.
Last year alone, Cambridge-based technology companies raised over £930m.
Michaela Eschbach, CEO of Cambridge Wireless, which organises and runs Cambridge Tech Week each year, said: “Cambridge continues to generate world-class deep-tech innovation.
“The challenge now is ensuring those breakthroughs scale globally and deliver meaningful impact.
“Cambridge Tech Week 2026 will focus on the ecosystem conditions that make that possible.
“From capital and talent to infrastructure and policy alignment, we will examine what it truly takes to powerdeep tech at global scale.”
Published: March 18, 2026 at 11:02 am
The founders of a new pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform met on a degree apprenticeship – and say it provided them with a springboard for success.
SPORTL, based in London, aims to help anyone access gym classes in real-time via an app and recently raised £250,000 in pre-seed investment.
It launched in London this month and will look to expand across other major UK cities in the next 12 months.
Matthew Austin and Ryan Lovelock say the Bank of England scheme was “hugely beneficial”.
“At the time it wasn’t necessarily the typical route, as many people encouraged us to take the traditional path of going straight to university,” they told BusinessCloud.
“However, the apprenticeship gave us the best of both worlds. We graduated with degrees while also gaining real, hands-on experience inside one of the world’s most respected financial institutions.
“Being surrounded by incredibly knowledgeable colleagues meant we had to mature quickly and develop a strong work ethic from an early stage in our careers.
“We quickly became close friends. Over time we moved into slightly different roles across finance and business, but we always shared an ambition to start a company together one day.”
Published: March 18, 2026 at 10:46 am
The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has published a new paper setting out the principles needed to support stronger collaboration between business and the public sector.
It highlights the vital relationship between thriving businesses and successful places and makes the case for a stronger business voice in shaping place-based policy and economic development.
It was developed together with public and private sector senior leaders and partners from right across the region.
Paul Corcoran, founder of Agent and a BusinessCloud Northern Leader, helped to lead the work.
He said: “Our research, co-delivered with Helm Partners, highlighted the increasing need and growing appetite for better-connected, structured, and considered engagement between public and private sector partners.
“Co-design should never be an afterthought – rather a crucial part of how we bring leaders’ expertise and valuable intelligence together to shape impactful policies and key decision making.”
Chris Woodroofe, chair of NWBLT and managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “Businesses need places just as places need business.
“When public and private sectors work together effectively, we can design better policy and deliver stronger outcomes for communities and the economy.”
NWBLT brings together leaders of national and international businesses with substantial commitments and interests in the North West of England.
Published: March 18, 2026 at 9:06 am
Monika Liikamaa is stepping down from her role as co-CEO of Finnish FinTech Enfuce.
The company is a powerhouse in Europe’s card issuing and processing sector and has announced that Denise Johansson has taken the reins as sole CEO.
Enfuce is aiming to become Europe’s number one issuer processor and grow revenue 10x by 2030.
Liikamaa, who was interviewed by BusinessCloud at November’s Web Summit in Lisbon in an article headlined ‘Is this Europe’s sweariest unicorn boss?’, will transition out of her role as co-CEO, although she’ll remain closely connected to Enfuce as a founder and shareholder.
At the time of BusinessCloud’s interview with Liikamaa in November 2025, around 30 of Enfuce’s total staff of 156 were based in London with plans to grow further in the UK.
The decision, made jointly after consultation with the board and all founders, comes as the business continues to expand across markets, sectors and regulatory environments.
Johansson said: “As co-CEOs, Monika and I have taken Enfuce from a bold idea and created the next generation issuer processing platform powering some of Europe’s leading card programmes.
“Our shared leadership has given Enfuce the strength and flexibility to deliver on this ambition. Now, I look forward to leading this next chapter of powerful growth.”
Published: March 18, 2026 at 9:04 am
QPLAY has become the first company to be admitted to JP Jenkins’ private market.
It marks the opening of the world’s first PISCES liquidity event.
The Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES), announced by the Financial Conduct Authority last year, makes it easier and quicker to trade shares in private companies.
JP Jenkins, an established UK venue for unlisted companies, said shares in QPLAY – makers of the Outsmarted digital board game – will now be traded via a network of institutional intermediaries during a five-day window.
Published: March 18, 2026 at 8:25 am
London cybersecurity startup Tracebit has raised $20m (£15m) in Series A funding.
The latest investment, led by FirstMark, brings the total funding raised to date to $25m.
Co-founders Andy Smith (CEO) and Sam Cox (CTO) launched the company in 2023 after spending five years growing the engineering team at UK cybersecurity startup Tessian. The platform claims to detect breaches in seconds.
Tracebit uses cloud-native APIs to create tailored canaries across cloud networks to lure out threats without hardware.
FirstMark was joined by Accel, MMC Ventures, Tapestry VC and CCL – Cyber Club London.
Published: March 18, 2026 at 8:20 am
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has further invested in Stack BTC Plc as the Aquis-listed company continues to raise capital to buy businesses and Bitcoin.
The MP for Clacton recently joined Blockchain.com in backing Stack BTC, led by executive chairman Kwasi Kwarteng.
Kwarteng served as Chancellor for just 38 days before being sacked after his and former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s mini-Budget caused turmoil in the markets.
Published: March 18, 2026 at 7:55 am
itim Group plc has swung back into the red following its record year in 2024.
itim, a London-based provider of technology enabling store-based retailers to optimise financial performance, reported revenues in the calendar year 2025 of £17.5 million, down from £17.9m in the prior year.
EBITDA for the year is expected to be lower at £1.7m set against a record year in 2024 of £2.5m.
Loss before tax for the year was £464k, impacted by a bad debt of retail customer Quiz Clothing going into administration in early 2026.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 4:26 pm
Shares in Raspberry Pi have leapt 22% today.
There were no concrete announcements which caused the jump.
On Monday, Hedgeye Risk Asset Management recommended buying shares of the Cambridge-based firm, behind low-cost miniature computers which were initially used extensively in education.
Shares previously surged last month after CEO Eben Upton bought stock in the company and amid social media ‘buzz’ around the use of the small computer boards for running AI agents.
They are up 18% in the year to date, but down 39% over 12 months.
A dip last year and this saw its shares fall below its 280p IPO offer price in June 2024, and way off its peak of 766p.
They fell as low as 257p despite a positive year-end trading update after admitting that supply uncertainty remains around the memory boards used in its products.
The share price currently stands at 350p.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 4:17 pm
Trustpilot shares rocketed nearly 30% on Tuesday after the firm reported profitability ahead of expectations amid a dramatic rise in its visibility within AI models.
Adrian Blair, CEO of the London-listed global review platform – which is headquartered in Denmark – said “authentic human feedback has never been more critical” amid the rise of AI.
Full-year revenues for 2025 were £261.1 million, up 24%, while adjusted EBITDA was £40.7m, a rise of 69%, and profit before tax was £14.1m, up 172%.
Shares in Trustpilot, which appointed a new chief trust officer last week, are up 45% in the year to date.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 4:02 pm
THG Fulfil, a provider of eCommerce fulfilment and courier management solutions, has launched its new native application for Shopify.
This zero-code integration allows fast-scaling and medium-enterprise brands to seamlessly connect with THG Fulfil’s global network, providing access to enterprise-grade logistics and end-to-end fulfilment and courier management services without complex development.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 3:50 pm
On Thursday the 16th annual everywoman in Technology Awards will be held in London.
Jane Cubbidge, head of mobile and online banking technology at NatWest Group, is a finalist for the Leader Award – and with good reason.
Jane, who has over 30 years’ experience, specialises in large-scale digital and cloud platforms, delivering customer-focused solutions and driving complex technology change.
A dedicated advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology, she actively mentors and sponsors colleagues to promote female leadership and increase the dial on the ratio of females in tech.
Based in London and a mum of two teenage boys, she is the founder of the Digital Equality in Tech group.
We caught up with Jane ahead of the awards, which are sponsored this year by Salesforce and for which BusinessCloud is a proud media partner.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Faye Holland will lead a groundbreaking partnership between two of the UK’s leading innovation cities as the newly-appointed Cambridge x Manchester partnership director.
Holland brings extensive experience in the Cambridge innovation cluster to the role, having worked across communications consultancy, innovation and economic development over the course of her career.
She founded and directed cofinitive – a communication consultancy at the forefront of innovation – for a decade before selling and exiting the business at the end of 2025.
Holland is currently chair of the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce and has previously served as business board member for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and as a board member and key contributor in other organisations involved in technology innovation and good growth.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Last Tuesday Physiomics plc announced that it had raised £500,000 in a share placing, via its broker Hybridan LLP, and launched a retail offer to raise another £50k.
The saying goes that a week is a long time in politics – but the same is true in business.
By Friday that retail offer, massively oversubscribed, had raised £223,000. But the real headline-grabber came on Monday, when the company was forced to notify the London Stock Exchange that a shareholder revolt was seeking to remove its entire board.
This morning the Oxfordshire company effectively replaced the previously announced placing with a revised deal. Its share price has dropped more than 12% today, although it remains 46% up in the year to date.
So how did we get here?
Published: March 17, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Sequential, a leader in genomic testing from non-invasive human clinical samples, has closed its first equity round, securing $3.5 million.
The round was co-led by Sparkfood and Corundum Systems Biology (CSB), with participation from Dermazone Holdings, SOSV, Scrum Ventures, an ex-General Partner at Index Ventures, alongside continued support from Innovate UK. With this raise, Sequential has secured a total of $7.5m in dilutive and non-dilutive funding to date.
Sequential advances innovation in skin health by quantifying how ingredients and consumer, biotech, and pharmaceutical products alter microbial and host biomarkers, using its proprietary non-invasive testing platform.
The company has built one of the most comprehensive clinical datasets in the industry, comprising over 50,000 samples, 4,000+ ingredients, and 10,000+ participants worldwide.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 1:24 pm
SuperSeed Fund III has secured a cornerstone commitment of up to £50 million from the British Business Bank to invest in B2B AI and SaaS startups.
The Bank has made its commitment through the Enterprise Capital Funds programme, with the fund also having the benefit of being accredited by the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) as was SuperSeed’s prior fund.
As the largest investor in UK venture and venture growth capital funds, by providing cornerstone commitments, the British Business Bank enables a fund to achieve a first close and helps the fund to execute their planned strategy more effectively and often to a greater scale.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 12:54 pm
ClearCourse, the acquisitive provider of software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs, has completed a deal for Motasoft Ltd, a specialist provider of garage management and operational technology for the independent automotive aftermarket.
Founded in 2007, Motasoft now serves over 1,200 automotive businesses across the UK, from small to medium independent garages, to fast-fit tyre centres.
Its core platform, Virtual Garage Manager (VGM), combines decades of practical experience with the real-world operational needs of independent automotive businesses to support end-to-end workflows, including workshop and job management, managing customer and vehicle records, and customer-facing booking solutions.
Published: March 17, 2026 at 11:56 am
Luminance, a pioneer of legal-grade AI for enterprise legal teams, has appointed Greg Pelander as CTO.
Pelander brings nearly two decades of engineering leadership at prominent Silicon Valley technology companies to the role. Most recently VP of engineering for product and AI at ClickUp, he scaled the company’s engineering organisation as it grew into one of the most widely used productivity platforms in the world.
Before that, he spent eight years at SurveyMonkey leading engineering across multiple product lines, and six years at Yahoo.
Have Your Say