High-quality UX for websites and apps is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have if a company is to succeed. But scaling the impact of UX teams is not simple, and in recent years teams have turned to what’s know as DesignOps platforms to help them. Now, a new startup hopes to become a key […]
Amsterdam ‘stumbling stones’ commemorate gay victims of Nazis
Four brass memorial plaques embedded in street remember Jews and resistance fightersMore than 75 years after they were murdered in the gas chambers or shot, gay victims of Nazi persecution were remembered with “stumbling stones” laid in Amsterdam this …
Snickers Spain pulls advert after accusations of homophobia
Controversial commercial comes as series of homophobic attacks are reported across SpainSnickers in Spain has pulled a controversial advertisement and apologised for any “misunderstanding that may have been caused” after the 20-second film was widely c…
Six EU states overtake UK Covid vaccination rates as Britain’s rollout slows
Malta, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Ireland overtake UK in fully jabbed percentagesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSix EU states have now fully inoculated a larger share of their total populations with a coronaviru…
Bulk payments startup Comma raises $6M Seed round led by Octopus and Connect
UK-based open banking bulk payment startup Comma has raised £4.34 million ($6m) in a Seed round of funding led by Octopus Ventures and Connect Ventures. They were joined by investors Village Global, and the founders of Wagestream, Peter Briffet and Portman Wills. The company says it enables small and micro businesses to bulk pay bills, […]
Dutch startup hub Utrecht emerges from Amsterdam’s shadow
While Amsterdam garners the lion’s share of attention in the Netherlands tech ecosystem, the not-so-far-away region around Utrecht has its fair share of tech startups and investors, as is evidenced by our latest survey of locals, below. Area ecosystem wranglers such as StartupUtrecht, UtrechtInc, Holland Startup, Utrecht Community and others bring startups, scaleups, corporates, angels, […]
Do bronze medals ever make sense for unicorns?
When should a startup decide to cease its efforts to challenge leading players in a specific market?
European refurbished electronics marketplace Refurbed raises $54M Series B
Refurbed, a European marketplace for refurbished electronics which raised a $17 million Series A round of funding last year has now raised a $54 million Series B funding led by Evli Growth Partners and Almaz Capital. They are joined by existing investors such as Speedinvest, Bonsai Partners and All Iron Ventures, as well as a […]
Fleeing the Taliban: Afghans met with rising anti-refugee hostility in Turkey
As violence causes a fresh wave of desperate journeys, populist politicians claim their country has become a ‘dumping ground’It was a journey that had taken weeks, and there were times when the 65-year-old Afghan widow, who walks with the aid of a stic…
Fully vaccinated UK arrivals from France will not need to quarantine
Ministers ditch plans for watchlist of amber countries such as SpainCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMillions of Britons have been given the green light to travel to Europe’s holiday hotspots, avoiding quarantine on return fr…