Author: Jonathan Symcox

The head of data protection at Barings Law has said the £14 million fine issued to Capita by the Information Commissioner’s Office is not a sufficient punishment for its data breach.

Barings, based in Manchester, has pursued legal action against Capita since 2023 – a separate action to the ICO fine – to expose what it calls “inadequate cybersecurity procedures” at the firm.

In issuing the fine, the ICO said today that Capita had failed to ensure the security of personal data related to a breach in 2023 that saw hackers steal millions of people’s information.

Adnan Malik at Barings says the punishment is a clear confirmation that Capita failed to uphold the data security of its customers and systems – but will “do little to set right the harms caused”.

Another Avenue has secured over £800k in new funding to help upskill the UK’s next generation of digital talent and entrepreneurs.

The firm has been awarded over £877k by the Department for Education within 3 months to expand its fully funded Skills Bootcamps.

New fully funded cohorts are launching across London, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire & Warrington, including its Digital Marketing and Fearless Accelerator (Business Fundamentals) Bootcamps — with a new Content Creator Skills Bootcamp set to launch in early 2026.

The firm was founded by Fearless Adventures’ Dominic McGregor, David Newns and Charlie Yates, Another Avenue has already supported over 800 learners through industry-led programmes — and says it is on track to reach 1,000 by the end of 2025.

London startup Inntelo AI has entered into a partnership with Dubai’s The First Group Hospitality.

This will see Inntelo’s AI platform rolled out across TFGH’s hotels, including the world’s tallest hotel: Ciel Dubai Marina – Vignette Collection by IHG.

As well as streamlining hotel operations, Inntelo’s tech is designed to improve the guest experience, allowing them to make requests and access services via WhatsApp, phone or voice commands thanks to conversational and agentic AI.

A mobile app can improve the symptoms of one of the commonest mental health problem in students – even with limited engagement- according to university researchers.

Cerina uses the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy to treat Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) – which affects a significant number of students, studies show.

Lead author Dr Ozlem Eylem-Van bergeijk from the University of Manchester – which conducted the study with Ulster University – said: “University students can sometimes be vulnerable to generalised anxiety disorder because the rigours of academic pressure and financial uncertainty, let alone the issues young people often go through when they leave home for the first time.

“But despite the need for treatments the availability of psychological services is patchy for students.

“And perceived stigma, long waiting times, service availability can restrict access to treatment.”

Mid-market investment firm Palatine has announced a strategic partnership with Flotilla, the sustainability leader for the private equity sector.

The partnership will see Palatine deploy Flotilla’s Portfolio Manager alongside its core decarbonisation products (Carbon Reduction Plan and Net Zero Solutions) to monitor and manage ESG performance across its portfolio companies.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Manchester, with offices in London and Birmingham, Palatine champions its philosophy of ‘positive equity’, backing ambitious teams to grow while delivering enhanced value through sustainable business practices. It invests across three funds, Buyout, Impact and Growth Credit.

Palatine pioneered its ESG framework 15 years ago and remains the first regional PE firm to launch a focused Impact Fund, targeting companies that deliver positive social and environmental change alongside market-leading financial returns.

Cybersecurity startup Ploy has raised £2.5m to address a growing security threat.

The firm says 93% of organisations are suffering two or more identity-related breaches per year.

The round was led by Osney Capital, with participation from Superseed, Tiny.vc and Rule30, alongside notable angels including Johnathan Scudder (co-founder of ForgeRock), Alastair Paterson and James Chappell (co-founders of Digital Shadows), Mark Ryan (VP of Product Management at ZScaler), Jonathan Tom (VP of GTM Enablement at Rapid7), Tony Pepper and Neil Larkins (co-founders of Egress) and Charles Delingpole (co-founder of ComplyAdvantage, MarketFinance, and The Student Room).

FlightStory – the media and investment company founded by Steven Bartlett – has launched a joint venture with UK Black Business Show.

They say Legacy Black is set to become the world’s leading media brand for Black entrepreneurship, business and wealth. It is launching with the bold ambition to drive over £100 billion in economic impact in the next decade.

Co-founded by Bartlett and Dr Raphael Sofoluke, the new platform brings together FlightStory’s global media reach with the UK Black Business Show’s community and influence — creating a generational movement to celebrate, empower, and elevate Black founders and professionals worldwide.

Author: Chris Maguire

Shares in THG plc have climbed another 5 per cent today to 43.80 – the highest figure since January 2025.

It follows yesterday’s 10.9 per cent climb after the online retail group posted its highest organic growth in four years.

Group revenue rose 6.3 per cent to £405.2 million in Q3 2025, marking the best quarterly performance since late 2021.

Today THG’s share price stands at 43.80 – the highest figure since it reached 46p in January.

The company’s market cap currently sits at £609m.

Although a significant improvement it’s way down from the 500p at its IPO in 2020.

Tuesday’s Q3  trading  update has reassured investors that the Manchester-based firm’s turnaround plan under CEO Matthew Moulding is working.

Risers:

PageGroup – +5.99%
Watches of Switzerland Group – +5.65%
Burberry – +5.34%
THG – +5.27%
British Land – +4.80%

Raspberry Pi and Ocado are both up 2%.

Fallers:

Entain – -4.46%
Rathbones – -3.18%
Ibstock – -2.79%
IP Group – -2.59%
Goodwin – -2.50%

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Applications for Greater Manchester businesses to join a new fully funded scale-up programme have now opened.

‘International Scale Up’ has been launched by GM Business Growth Hub, specifically for businesses looking to expand their activity overseas. 

The programme is open to businesses in any sector or size, as long as they have a scalable product or service ready for international markets. They can apply for the programme here.

Applications close on 24th October and the programme starts mid-November 2025.

Payments tech firm Form3 has secured a strategic investment from Nationwide alongside a debt facility from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock.

The global account-to-account payments infrastructure platform will use the funds to expand in the United States and says it is now on the cusp of profitability.

The investment from Nationwide deepens a long-standing relationship with Form3, following an initial investment in the firm in 2020.

Visa and British Patient Capital invested in Form3 last year as part of a Series C extension.

Searches for Christmas jobs have hit their highest level in at least nine years, according to new data from Indeed.

Searches for accounted for 0.8% of all UK job searches, up 28% on the same time last year and the highest share observed since comparable data began in 2018. However seasonal job opportunities are not quite so abundant, meaning demand for festive roles is outpacing supply.

The surge in interest suggests that cost-of-living pressures and a softer jobs market are prompting more people to seek temporary work over the festive period, Indeed speculated.

Scottish firm Mapify has been selected as one of 14 UK startups to receive backing from global investor Antler.

The platform uses AI to improve  ogistics and asset management across warehousing, transport and infrastructure equipment.

Antler is investing £1.7 million across the startups – selected from a pool of almost 100 – following its latest London residency.

Mapify helps SMEs and large corporates manage all their assets, from trucks and boilers to warehouses and industrial estates, using AI-powered contextual search. The platform already supports a number of clients, uncovering significant inefficiencies, including millions of pounds per year in savings through its real-time dashboards.

Author: Christopher Maguire

Experienced entrepreneur Frazer Durris has joined BusinessCloud as non-executive chairman.

Durris previously founded and exited Lancashire-based energy specialist Businesswise Solutions.

Durris has been advising BusinessCloud’s co-owners Jonathan Symcox and Chris Maguire on an unofficial basis for a year but has agreed to take on a more formal role as non-executive chairman.

He said: “BusinessCloud is a hugely respected name in the media landscape and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the business in an unofficial role over the last 12 months.

“Highlights have included moving into their first office, making their first hire and launching Northern Leaders.

“Jon and Chris have got ambitious growth plans so it seemed like the perfect time to formalise our arrangement by becoming non-executive chairman.”

London-based startup Orbiri has raised £320,000 to help parents to protect their children from excessive smartphone use.

Research show that 93% of parents believe social media harms children but 74% say enforcing smartphone limits feels impossible.

Orbiri’s solution offers preset boundaries around screen time for children. Rather than leaving schools and families to fight isolated battles, the platform enables children, parents and schools to adopt and coordinate around shared limits that apply to everyone in the community.

Synthax, an AI-powered operating system for outpatient clinics, has closed a £500k funding round.

The London firm says it will accelerate adoption of its products across the US and global healthcare market.

The oversubscribed round was led by Fuel Ventures with support from Mount Fund and Antler, and included angel investors such as two US-based cardiologists.

Capita CEO Adolfo Hernandez has released a statement reflecting on the £14m fine issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

“As an organisation delivering essential public services as well as key services for private sector clients, Capita was among the first in the recent wave of highly significant cyber-attacks on large UK companies,” he said.

“When I joined as CEO the year after the attack I accelerated our cybersecurity transformation, with new digital and technology leadership and significant investment. As a result, we have hugely strengthened our cybersecurity posture, built in advanced protections and embedded a culture of continuous vigilance.

“Following an extended period of dialogue with the ICO over the last two years, we are pleased to have concluded this matter and reach today’s settlement. The Capita team continues to focus tirelessly on our Group transformation journey for the benefit of our customers, our people and wider society.”

The outsourcing firm also told BusinessCloud that it expects free cash outflow before the impact of business exits of between £59-79m, with no other changes to the previous guidance of £45- 65m. It continues to expect to be cash positive from the end of 2025, while its full-year 2025 guidance remains unchanged.

Kneu Health, a precision neurology platform for Parkinson’s and dementia, has closed a £4.2 million oversubscribed seed round.

Co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Cedars-Sinai, with participation from Social Impact Enterprises, JIMCO, G.K. Goh Ventures and SXSW London, the funding will accelerate US expansion by scaling Parkinson’s deployments, expanding commercial capacity, and publishing outcomes data, while also advancing dementia monitoring.

The round brings Kneu’s total funding to date to $11.2m.

Nanoco Group plc has been awarded a grant from Innovate UK for the development of a semiconductor quantum dot ink for one-step coating of image sensors.

The Runcorn firm is a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials.

The six-month project is forecast to cost £100,000 and will be 70% funded by Innovate UK.

We recently reported how CTO Dr Nigel Pickett, who founded the Manchester spinout 24 years ago, is to retire early next year.

In 2023 it won $150m in a legal dispute with Samsung, settling on a no fault basis for the alleged infringement of the group’s intellectual property. In February this year it commenced litigation against another multinational electronics corporation in LG Technologies, alleging that it has willfully infringed on a number of its patents in production of its televisions.

ZILO, a firm which specialises in asset and wealth management software, has appointed Andrew Cole as chief operating officer.

Cole will support ZILO’s global expansion drive and implement processes and systems to prepare the company for the next stage of its development.

He joins from Fidelity International, where he most recently served as head of global platform solutions delivery, leading global operations teams of over 1,100 employees across 10 international locations.