UK Startup Tech News 2016 - July and August

by Startacus Admin

Our 2016 UK Startup Review is now halfway through - phew!

Post the BREXIT vote at the end of June, we return to recap key UK Startup and Tech news and events during the sunny (ish) summer months of July and August.  With BREXIT still very much at the forefront of public conversation, we start with a summary of many of the key BREXIT headlines that hit the Startup / Tech media and community in July...

July

• During July, Startacus covered the fallout of BREXIT. Alexandra Isenegger Founder of Linkilaw wrote a positively well framed article on Startacus on why the business world won't end post Brexit. Chris Conway MD of small business accountancy firm Accounts and Legal considered the most and least affected industries following BREXIT and the sectors that could benefit most from Brexit leave vote.

• The headlines elsewhere perhaps seemed a little more sensational, but certainly reflected the growing business concern especially within the UK Startup / tech business community. News included reports that more than 100 of London's tech startups were considering moving to Berlin, that Business leaders were lashing out at the UK government's lack of Brexit plans, that UK tech start-up investment was down post the referendum,  and even that a billboard driven around London reading “Dear startups, keep calm and move to Berlin” was being paid for by Germany’s FDP party to tempt UK Startups to move to Germany! Finally, post a Prime Minister David Cameron resignation, UK startups (not all of them of course) welcomed Theresa May as the post BREXIT prime minister.

• But let us move on from BREXIT, there was loads more going on in a bumper month for UK Startups…

• Peer to peer travel money startup WeSwap banked £6.5 million of investment, U.K.machine-learning startup FiveAI raised $2.7 million, proptech startup Plentific closed £2 Million, Workplace management software provider Network Locum became even healthier when it raised £5.3m in funding via BGF Ventures, Darktrace cybersecurity startup raised a wooping £49 mill, medical robotics Startup Cambridge Medical Robotics stepped up with $20.3 Series A cash, Manchester Startup Formisimo won investment following a global competition from Publicis90, and Big Health, a UK healthtech startup raised $12 million (£9.15 million). But it wasn’t all good news for UK Startups with well funded Music Startup Crowdmix going into administration.

• Startups in Data, Digital journey or FinTech were wanted by BMW Financial Services for a new Innovation programme, whilst in other Corporate~Startup linkup news FashTech and Retail startups were sort for JDWORKS Startup Programme, a programme run via N Brown, a Manchester-based retail giant. Accelerator MassChallenge who are based in the UK released a report that Now more than ever, corporates want to work with startups

• Informa launched Project Kairos a dedicated Startup Area that would take place at Apps World London 2016.

• Paddy Ashdown amongst other well know names, launched political movement startup MoreUnited.uk.

• Our pals at IncuBus ventures teamed up with London’s world-famous Camden Market to open a retail space called the ‘Future of Retail’ where the most innovative and exciting retail startups could demonstrate and showcase their work.

• The Bristol based public spaces competition Playable City Awards 2016 returned with a ‘Journey's’ theme.

• Google launched a new UK startup competition for its "Campus Exchange: Best of British" programme.

• The UK Government made Enterprise Nation’s Emma Jones MBE it’s Small Business representative.

• The Welsh Start-Up Awards were shortlisted.

• Invest Northern Ireland’s Propel Programme announced that £18m had been secured to date in terms of investment for current and past participants.

• Uber was reported as heading to the UK courts over workers' rights.

• Pokemon Go was released in the UK and it wasn’t long before it was being championed as a tool for business marketing.

• With George Osborne also departing from UK Government the BBC asked what would be next for Osborne’s pet project the Northern Powerhouse.

• And finally a Descendant of the Cadbury founders launched a new chocolate company - hooray!

August

August was an awful lot quieter in startup world, but these are the key snippets of UK Startup news and happenings…

• Cyber Security Startups were wanted for the Cyber London (CyLon) Accelerator programme.

• A new partnership with leading global events provider KNect365, part of Informa PLC offered the chance to expand London Tech Week to Global Tech Festival Status.

• Like Minds took their Innovation & Ideas Festival to Bristol.

• UK Startups were encouraged to apply to French Tech Ticket a programme that wanted 70 startups from across the globe to be hosted by 41 incubators in France for a full year at the start of 2017.

• Six UK startups, alongside two International Startups were chosen for Startupbootcamp's 2016 fintech cohort.

• British food delivery startup Deliveroo raised a whopping $275M in funding.

• It was reported that LoopUp a UK conference calling start-up was all set for a £45million stock market listing.

• London startup Dice raised approx £4.5 million for its music discovery / gig ticketing app.

• It was announced that UK Bank startup Mondo had been given a license to become a Bank  then they announced they were rebranding to Monzo.

• Fintech Startup Onfido raised new funds to help it’s ‘background checking’ tech business scale.  

• It was reported that startup loans cash allocated to Startups via the Startup Loans Co. had reached 250 Million Pounds over four years.

• With the Brexit vote now over one month gone, Techcrunch reported on how UK startups were coping post the BREXIT ‘leave’ vote, including the impact that a devalued pound was having on their businesses.

Hopefully that gave you a taste of many of key UK Startup happenings and events for July and August ‘16. Keep an eye out via Startacus itself, our Twitter handle, or via our Facebook page where all Startacus articles are shared.

Also why not catch up with the rest of the year:

• Startup UK News Review 2016 - September and October
  
  

• Startup News UK 2016 Review - January and February
  
  

• Startup News UK 2016 Review - March and April
  
  

• Startup News UK 2016 Review - June and July
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Published on: 23rd December 2016