Minutes of a 2018 meeting show Facebook chief complaining UK was anti-tech and saying he might look elsewhere in Europe to investFacebook founder Mark Zuckerberg threatened to pull investment out of the UK if the government did not look to soften its stance on the regulation of Silicon Valley companies, according to a document published on Tuesday.In response Matt Hancock, who held the meeting with Zuckerberg in 2018 when he was culture secretary, said that the UK could “shift from threatening regulation to encouraging collaborative working to ensure legislation is proportionate and innovation-friendly”. Continue reading...

08 Dec 2020 18:31 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

When it comes to securing finance for tech startups, black women often face the double whammy of racism and sexism – but the success of those who go it alone shows that investors are missing outImagine setting up as an importer of frozen yams – would you get a startup loan? Banks may doubt the enterprise, but they’d be wrong, for the UK is one of the world’s greatest importers of frozen yams – and anyone from the black diaspora would know that this idea would be a goer, says Marian Arafiena, who along with her sister has founded a crowdfunding platform for black-owned businesses.They launched Rise FundNGO to give space and visibility to black-owned businesses, including yam importers, suppliers of black beauty products, and more, which otherwise might not see the light of day. “The mainstream won’t know we’re there if our voices are not in the room,” says Arafiena’s sister Anita Egbune. Continue reading...

29 Oct 2020 10:25 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Purchase of 35 sites saves more than 660 jobs, but 26 other sites to close, with loss of 362 jobsGourmet Burger Kitchen has been bought out of administration by the food industry tycoon Ranjit Singh Boparan in a deal that will save more than 660 jobs.Boparan, who bought Carluccio’s in May, has bought 35 of the burger restaurant’s sites. However, under the pre-pack administration deal, 26 other sites will close, with the loss of 362 jobs. Continue reading...

14 Oct 2020 14:30 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Ex Investec banker raises additional £4m to tap ‘globally significant’ reserves of metal used in electric car batteriesA former banker has raised almost £4m from thousands of individual investors to fund plans to tap Cornwall’s rich reserves of lithium needed to make electric vehicle batteries.Cornish Lithium, the mining startup founded by the former Investec banker Jeremy Wrathall, more than doubled the £1.5m it hoped to raise through crowdfunding after more than 2,000 investors backed the plans. The Cornwall-based company set the target on Crowdcube on Monday, but by late Tuesday morning the oversubscribed fundraising had collected £3.8m from investors. Continue reading...

13 Oct 2020 19:03 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Tourist town’s hope to stem lockdown losses by extending famous lights display to January met with pessimismUK tourism hotspots extend their seasonAs an unforgiving wind threatened to blow away beachballs and tubs of candyfloss strung to shopfronts, tourists trudged along Blackpool’s seafront promenade on Thursday lunchtime.Although the peak of the tourist season – heavily bolstered this summer by travel-anxious Britons choosing to holiday in the UK – has passed, the council is hoping to stop it from petering out completely by extending the town’s famous illuminations by two months. Continue reading...

05 Sep 2020 06:55 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Coronavirus has brought human suffering and economic pain but there are always opportunities for entrepreneursThere’s a global pandemic going on. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. Millions are sick. Economic disaster has struck nations worldwide. Hey, anyone care for some delicious cat food?It seems like an odd question to ask. But not for the owners of Smalls, a “direct to consumer” manufacturer of pet food products geared specifically to cats. The company just this past week raised $9m in a round of funding that brought its total amount of capital raised to $12m. And they’re just getting started. Continue reading...

14 Aug 2020 11:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

I’ve done all I can but without more help only big players will outlast the coming wave of closuresI was speaking to my kitchen manager trying to figure out how much chicken curry to make the next day when a customer walked in, wrapped up head to toe in protective gear, wearing a scarf tightly wound around her face, sunglasses, hat and gloves. This was the first day of my new restaurant, Nasi, opening, and it was a sign of things to come.I’d opened Nasi – Malaysian for rice – as a smaller takeaway cafe to complement my restaurant, Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar. Four days later, straight after the prime minister’s announcement of lockdown, I closed them both down voluntarily, to protect the health of my team, my family and my customers. I was unable to furlough any of my newest team members as they had joined after the government’s cut-off point. I was taking away their livelihoods – the feeling was horrendous. Continue reading...

01 Aug 2020 09:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN