Startups stories - Page 7

Kent tech founder Ben Towers, 27, wins an MBE in the New Year Honours for his work backing startups and shaping the UK's AI strategy.

AI is fuelling a boom in solo UK “Founder + AI” ventures as entrepreneurs favour lean, automated operations over hiring staff.

Firewalla Orange debuts as a pocket-sized Wi-Fi 7 router and firewall, bringing Zero Trust-style protection to homes, offices and travellers.

Elon Musk's xAI raises USD $20 billion, turbocharging Grok model training and GPU build-out as rivalry in frontier AI heats up.

AI voice start-up Alayic hires North West agency Planet Zeus to lead PR and social push for launch of its automated call-handling platform.

Freshworks names AI-focused marketer Kady Srinivasan as CMO to sharpen its global brand and go-to-market engine in crowded SaaS markets.

The Isle of Man will host the 2026 Interceltic Business Forum, uniting Celtic regions to deepen economic ties and showcase innovation.

Hybrid AI will shift from experimental tool to core creative infrastructure by 2026, reshaping how major brands produce content worldwide.

Agentic AI start-up Superbo wins strategic backing from Deep Capital to scale its Opero Suite and accelerate global expansion plans.

Plaud.ai urges firms to fix “broken” meeting culture with AI tools, warning wasteful calls sap productivity, focus and staff morale.

J.P. Morgan's Fusion platform has integrated Crunchbase AI, giving institutional investors live startup forecasts and early risk signals.

Meta has bought Singapore AI start-up Manus, aiming to embed its autonomous general-purpose agent across consumer and business products.

UK tech leaders say 2026 will test firms' AI adoption, network resilience and talent strategy, while priming the sector for faster growth.

Hedgehog lab has bought Label Sessions to build a full-stack innovation consultancy, linking AI delivery with a 500-strong global expert network.

BluSky AI hires finance leader Riley Cooney as corporate development and strategy chief to accelerate its modular AI data centre expansion.

Australian start-up Restoke.ai launches its AI 'restaurant manager' in the US, promising to boost margins and automate back-of-house work.

CFOs seize direct control of cloud and AI bills as start-ups see infrastructure swallow up to 40% of revenue and squeeze margins.

Six UK cyber startups join a new state-backed scheme to defend critical infrastructure as severe attacks on key services jump 50% in a year.

Denmark switches on a sovereign AI platform atop its Gefion supercomputer, aiming to unlock DKK 55 billion in public-sector gains by 2040.

A viral festival clip of a top influencer sipping from a pink Huski champagne flute has sent global demand for the Kiwi drinkware brand soaring.