A new global competition, the Investec Early-Stage Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, has launched to celebrate the world’s most promising founders at the very start of their journeys.

“The Easies” has been backed by Investec Wealth & Investment International, Endava and OPUS, and are the first awards to recognise entrepreneurs leading companies under four years old and pre-Series A.

Winners will receive £10,000, bespoke growth support and the chance to join the OPUS Delegation to Davos, gaining access to one of the world’s most influential stages for innovation and investment.

Four categories will honour founder bravery across impact, consumer, technology and female founder tracks.

More than 600 black female leaders from across the UK are set to gather in Manchester this month for Empowered to Lead, the North’s largest event dedicated to advancing diversity in senior leadership.

Taking place on 18th October at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, the one-day conference will feature MOBO Awards founder Kanya King CBE alongside leading diversity advocate Cynthia V Davis CBE and entrepreneur Ayesha Ofori.

Organised by social enterprise She Leads for Legacy, founded by mother-daughter duo Sharon and Afiya Amesu, the event will explore how black women can overcome barriers to boardroom and executive positions.

Sharon was recently included on BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders 2025 list.

The initiative aims to inspire change by equipping delegates with practical tools, mentorship and insights to help them excel in senior roles.

Sci-Tech Daresbury-based global business transformation firm Lavasource has announced its expansion into North America with the opening of a new office in Delaware.

The move strengthens the company’s ability to support its growing U.S. client base and reinforces its commitment to closer partnerships.

Headquartered at the Innovation Centre within the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus in the Liverpool City Region, the business delivers large-scale transformation projects in more than 70 countries, specialising in HR, payroll and technology integration.

Its North American expansion will enhance regional support and on-the-ground delivery through local experts, enabling deeper collaboration with clients and partners.

fulfilmentcrowd, a tech-driven fulfilment provider for omnichannel brands, has announced record-breaking growth and continued global expansion following investment this summer from Palatine.

For the financial year ending 31st March 2025, revenue at the Chorley, Lancashire-based firm surpassed £20 million for the first time, with a 27% increase in transaction volumes across all territories.

The company reported a £3.1m EBITDA, nearly doubling the previous year’s performance, and a significant uplift in international revenues, which now account for over 29% of total group revenue.

The UK remains the principal trading entity – revenue here rose to £14.2m – while European operations surged by 42%, reaching £4.7m in revenue, and US revenue nearly tripled to £1.1m.

New centres opened in Dublin (Ireland) and Sydney (Australia) expanded its global footprint to more than 1.5m sq ft.

Fast-growing 3D mapping specialist Apollo3D has reported a record £550,000 turnover in the past year, up 20% on 2024.

The Otley-based business, which has grown to a 12-strong team, is also planning to increase headcount to 15 and says demand for its virtual and newly launched infinity tours continues to rise across the UK and internationally.

It is setting its sights on breaking the £1m barrier in the next 12-18 months.

Healix Health, an independent corporate healthcare trust provider, has announced three senior appointments as it celebrates 25 years of operation.

Matthew Wilson has been named IT programme director, joining the executive team. He brings over 25 years of experience delivering transformation and technology programmes, most recently at Simplyhealth. He will be responsible for developing Healix’s new claims management system and advancing its digital services for clients and members.

Sarah Taylor joins as director of corporate proposition and brings over 15 years of experience in healthcare product development and clinical pathway design, with her most recent role at AXA Health.

Holly Reoch is promoted to marketing director, and also joins the executive team. With over 20 years’ experience in marketing and brand strategy across the financial services and healthcare sectors, she joined Healix earlier this year as head of marketing.

The business now supports over 100 clients and more than 200,000 members through its healthcare trusts.

Risers

W.A.G Payment Solutions – +3.28%
Oxford Biomedica +2.93%
Prudential – +2.77%
Vietnam Enterprise Investments – +2.71%
Bodycote – +2.69%

Fallers

Mondi – -13.75%
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holding – -7.01%
QinetiQ Group – -5.32%
Raspberry Pi – -2.81%
Metro Bank Holdings – -2.49%

Author: Elliot Reader, director, Houlihan Lokey

If executed well, Shawbrook’s IPO could help restore credibility to listings as a viable route for sponsors in a market that has seen a scarcity of public offerings in recent years.

A successful float has the potential to re-energise London’s IPO pipeline, particularly for domestic-focused financial firms.

While some peers, such as Monzo or Revolut, are reportedly weighing US or dual listings, Shawbrook could demonstrate that London remains a credible venue for high-profile financial IPOs.

Beyond the immediate market impact, the listing could also provide a useful valuation benchmark in the specialist banking and finance sector, which in recent years has seen far more take-private than public listing activity.

Overall, it represents an important signal for sponsors and investors considering the UK market as a route for exits or capital raising.

Local leaders across the UK can now apply for up to £20 million each in funding to support regional research projects through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.

Backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the initiative aims to help regions turn research breakthroughs into real-world solutions that create jobs and improve lives.

The competition encourages collaboration between local authorities, universities and businesses to build on regional strengths in sectors such as clean energy, healthcare innovation and advanced manufacturing.

Ten regions, including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire, have already received government backing, securing at least £30m each to deliver innovation-led growth.

Aston University and SuperTech WM have formed a new strategic partnership to strengthen the West Midlands’ innovation-led economy and drive growth in the Business, Professional and Financial Services (BPFS) sector.

The collaboration will look to connect Aston University’s research and talent with SuperTech’s network of businesses, startups and scale-ups to accelerate innovation, boost productivity and support inclusive regional development.

Aston University will contribute expertise in AI and digital innovation through its Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute and Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI

The two organisations will work together on applied research projects, talent development, knowledge sharing and collaborative funding bids in an attempt to unlock new opportunities for the region.

Flexzo AI, the HealthTech trading as Healsgood AI, has raised an additional £2.5 million in seed funding from Octopus Ventures, bringing its total seed investment to £5m in the past year.

The funding will help the Milton Keynes-based firm onboard a growing number of NHS customers and accelerate development of its AI-driven workforce management platform, which helps Trusts and Integrated Care Boards reduce reliance on costly agency staffing.

Backed by Octopus Ventures, Fuel Ventures and several angel investors, the company is building digital infrastructure designed to save the NHS millions while improving workforce efficiency and sustainability.

Global financial infrastructure provider OpenPayd has appointed Yasemin Swanson as its new COO.

Swanson joins from ClearBank, where she served as the firm’s chief business officer.

In her new role, she will scale the London FinTech’s operations to support its international growth and strengthen its payments infrastructure.

The company’s API-based platform aims to enable businesses to move and manage money globally across fiat and digital assets, offering services such as payments, FX, open banking and stablecoin on/off ramps.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Diary Of A CEO creator Steven Bartlett has launched Flightcast, a new platform designed to help video podcasters grow their audiences more efficiently.

Co-founded with Roxcodes, MrBeast’s former engineer, the platform aims to solve the fragmented and time-consuming workflows that hold back creators.

The all-in-one platform combines multi-platform distribution, advanced analytics and AI-powered tools for creators on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Certified B-Corp Themis has acquired Edinburgh-based agentic AI fraud monitoring company Pasabi to strengthen its AI strategy.

The deal brings Pasabi’s advanced AI technology and fraud prevention expertise into Themis, in a move which will accelerate its product roadmap by several years.

Founded in 2017, Pasabi operates teams across the UK and Europe. The integration has already been completed, reflecting what both companies describe as a strong cultural fit and shared mission to reduce the global impact of financial crime.

With the move, Themis, which uses AI to combat financial crime, will bring enhanced machine learning and behavioural analytics capabilities to market.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Digital banking platform Shawbrook has confirmed it is considering an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange following last week’s rumours of an IPO.

The Brentwood-based company intends to publish a registration document and is exploring an application for its shares to be admitted to the FCA’s Official List and to trading on the Main Market.

It uploaded a statement to the stock exchange today after it was reported that it was considering going public with an anticipated valuation of around £2 billion.

The Pollen Street Capital-owned FinTech’s flotation would be one of London’s biggest in recent history and there are hopes that, if the move is successful, it could open the floodgates to a batch of new listing candidates.

Founded to serve parts of the economy underserved by traditional banks, the business has grown rapidly over the past decade, combining technology-driven efficiency with specialist lending expertise.

Its loan book has expanded from £1.4bn in 2013 to £17bn by June 2025, while maintaining a 30% compound annual growth rate in profit before tax.

A modest web design company which is building a Bitcoin treasury has raised £9.7m in a share placing and £2.6m via a subscription agreement.

Founded in 2009, The Smarter Web Company is an agency based in Guildford which offers website design and development alongside marketing services for “affordable” prices.

It hit the headlines after floating on Aquis in April of this year with a valuation of £3.7m before quickly becoming the highest-valued stock on that exchange by some distance – and even broke a £1bn market cap at one point, briefly giving it unicorn status. Its market cap stands at £305m as of this morning.

You can read the full story of its rise here.

 

Author: Patrick Killeen

YFM Equity Partners has appointed Neil Inskip as its head of new investments for the North, covering its Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham offices.

The Leeds-based investment management firm says the move strengthens its regional leadership team as it continues to back entrepreneurial businesses across the UK.

Inskip will lead new investment activity across the North, supporting regional teams and joining the company’s investment committee.

He brings nearly 20 years of private equity experience, most recently at BGF, where he led teams in the North West and Midlands and oversaw more than a dozen investments, including several major exits.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Edinburgh-based MedTech Trogenix has raised £70 million in a Series A funding round to accelerate the development of its next-generation cancer therapies targeting aggressive solid tumours.

The investment, led by IQ Capital, will enable the company to advance its lead programme in glioblastoma and a follow-on programme in colorectal cancer liver metastases.

It will also help the firm to expand its pipeline in liver and lung cancers, as well as support the continued development of its proprietary Odysseus platform.

The business, founded just two years ago, has built the platform to identify and target the universal vulnerabilities of solid tumours.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

The owner of Social Chain has opposed a significant shareholder over the proposed appointment of Julia Robertson as a director.

Brave Bison Group plc is convening a general meeting on 24th October to consider the requisition notice posted by Lord Michael Ashcroft.

Robertson’s appointment would require 50% of votes cast to pass. Brave Bison says it has consulted with shareholders and strategic partners News Corp. and Professor Mark Ritson and says the appointment would not be in the best interests of the company.

The board is recommending that shareholders vote against the proposed resolution and claims it has received written indications of support for its position from shareholders representing 51% of the company’s issued share capital.

Tory donor and former party chair Lord Ashcroft sold his recruitment company Impellam to Dutch rival Headfirst for £482m in 2023. Robertson was its CEO and left the company earlier this year.

She is currently chair of Optim Health plc and a non-exec director at Marlowe plc.

Brave Bison’s share price is up 130% in the year to date.

Ashtead Technology Holdings plc, a subsea technology solutions provider to the global offshore energy sector, has moved from the junior AIM market to the main market of the London Stock Exchange this morning.

Shares in Ashtead are down by a third in the year to date.