Creator Fund, the university-focused venture capital fund, has released its “State of Student Startups” report, which gives a comprehensive national picture of what the UK’s best young minds are starting, and how to best support them. The report found that more than half of UK campus ventures have a foreign student founder. 

The Coronavirus lockdown decimated economies all over the planet, but while some stock markets are showing signs of recovery, the UK’s FTSE 100 is taking longer to bounce back.

The Coronavirus lockdown decimated economies all over the planet, but while some stock markets are showing signs of recovery, the UK’s FTSE 100 is taking longer to bounce back. Since falling to its lowest point in March, the FTSE 100 has climbed by 23%, which seems impressive, until you compare it with other global indices. Both the Nasdaq and Dax have risen by over 50%, while other key markets, such as China’s CSI 300, have also significantly outperformed the FTSE since the pandemic hit.

Opinium today unveils the Top 100 Most Connected Brands in the UK. Now in its third year, the ranking is the first ever Index to be compiled by exclusively from consumer feedback. Opinium interviewed 6,000 consumers, collated 10,000 spontaneous brand mentions and facilitated 96,000 brand reviews to identify the 100 Most Connected Brands in the UK: those that have succeeded in becoming indispensable to consumers’ daily lives. These brands challenge conventions, build unbreakable bonds and define how consumers interact, whilst remaining true to themselves.

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) has published new research[1] which reveals that the COVID-19 crisis has fuelled the appetite of insurers 

Mergermarket, the leading provider of M&A data and intelligence, has released its 1H20 report with league tables. According to the new research, the initial effects of COVID-19 were only beginning to be felt across the global economy at the end of 1Q20. However, its full impact manifested in the second quarter, where deal volume nearly halved from 4,308 deals in 1Q20 to 2,630 in 2Q20 and deal values plummeted from USD 592.6bn in 1Q20 to USD 308.9bn in 2Q20.

A new study reveals that over half (54%) of financial intermediaries believe that infrastructure is seeing the biggest surge in investor demand among all asset classes in response to the COVID-19 crisis, over twice the number who chose equities (20%) and fixed income (19%) [1].

Investment in Northern Ireland tech companies increased by over 50% last year, with both the number of deals and average value of each investment rising, according to new data published by Catalyst.

The third annual NI Deal Tracker report showed that in 2019 £44.3m in new share capital was invested as part of 61 deals in 55 locally based tech companies, a 54% increase in the value of transactions completed in the previous year.

Nearly four fifths (79%) of private equity fund managers expect investors to demand more transparency in reporting on portfolio company performance over the next 12 months, reflecting growing concerns over the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Edinburgh-based business angel investment syndicate, Archangels, has led investment of £3.3 million in innovative Scottish companies during the Coronavirus lockdown.  Archangels’ Q2 deals data reveals that three of its portfolio companies – Calcivis, BDD and Reactec – have received follow-on funding during the period, with £1.9m of the committed investment coming from Archangels’ syndicate members and the remaining £1.4m from Scottish Investment Bank (the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise) and from the staff and management teams at the companies themselves.

Investors and experts predict that in 2020 this will reach a record figure, boosted by an interest in the sector after Covid-19

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in Wales have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the second annual report published by Economic Intelligence Wales (EIW).

The report highlights the initial effects of the pandemic on the Welsh economy and details subsequent mitigation policies from both UK and Welsh Governments as the UK prepares for a recession in 2020.