Startups stories

The province's incubators commit to nine early-stage tech projects in mining, agtech, health and logistics to drive innovation.

Cloudbeds wins top Hotel Management Software at the 2026 HotelTechAwards, plus finalist spots, culture ranking and hotelier-choice honours.

ScotlandIS issues a final call for Digital Technology Awards 2026 entries, adding an AI Trailblazer category before 13 January deadline.

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.

January Capital raises over USD $130m for an Asia-Pacific growth credit fund targeting sponsor-backed technology companies.

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.

Adelaide start-up Sync has debuted an AI Bar that quizzes drinkers, then mixes bespoke hard seltzers from a core range at AUD $55 a pack.

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

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

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.

Small firms across Australia and New Zealand turn to AI to sharpen 2026 growth, boost service standards and tackle persistent staff shortages.

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

MRead secures AUD $1.6m grant to advance MineReader, a handheld magnetic resonance landmine scanner aimed at faster, safer demining.