Ivan V.

Travel debit card Currensea has raised over £1.7m from 760 investors in just four hours on crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Currensea initially targeted a raise of £1m at a valuation of £28.5m. The successful campaign comes after the #fintech hit 100k cardholders in March, with its money-saving app now used globally every nine seconds. Currensea says the funds raised will support future customer acquisition and continued development of its co-brand offering. James Lynn, co-founder of Currensea, comments: “Consumer appetite for travel has almost fully recovered from the pandemic and the unprecedented investor demand for Currensea demonstrates the need for a simple solution that eliminates FX fees and maximises the value of our savings." In 2022, Currensea raised over £4.5m through a Seedrs crowdfunding raise as well as VC investment from venture capitalist Blackfinch Ventures and 1818 Venture Capital. Since launch, Currensea has raised a total of £11m. #yoursuccessourbusiness

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Is AI about to hit its peak in investment?! According to UKTN AI attracted over $3.6 billion in 2023 despite the economic challenges - showing the resilience and promise for the sector. AI companies also received 16% of all VC funds. Whilst the UK is up there, they are 4th behind the US, Israel, and China, and the UK AI space is valued at 72 billion. What an exciting time for the space, AI start-ups... and me, in AI talent acquisition 😉 Linked is an interesting article to read up on. #ai #techhiring #tech

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Results from last weeks poll. Very close call - seems we're split on this one. With demand for work / life balance on the rise. Is this an approach we might see adopted more in 2025? #4dayweek #prorated #softwareengineering

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Bit late to it... but better late than never, right? Rundown of Q2 in Team Java & Kotlin incoming ➡➡➡ 💪🏼 122% of our quarterly target 💸 Highest billing UK team at Understanding Recruitment 🏆 We hit our team incentive 📅 23 new client meetings ✅ 1.09 CV : 1 Interview ratio It's no secret that the last 18 months haven't been the smoothest sailing for the tech market, but one thing for certain is that things are moving in the right direction. What have we got in store for Q3? 💥 If you're looking to scale your engineering team this quarter and need some advice or support, feel free to reachout for a chat about how we can alleviate some of the headaches that come with hiring! #quarterlyupdate #hiring #techrecruitment #java #kotlin

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When looking for your next QE role, do you consider how much the company values quality? Luckily, there's some really positive signs that the market is bouncing back. I've noticed candidates are considering a lot of other factors when applying for new roles - as opposed to previous years, where many would talk about a salary increase as the main metric for being interested in a position. Understandably, being in a secure job and working for a business that sees the value in QA (that some companies unfortunately don't), tends to be more important than just a salary increase. ​As an added bonus, if you’re working for a company that has quality at the forefront, you’d hope there's a bit of added security should things get rocky. #qualityengineering #QA

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"#Young #quants #think #LLMs are #going to #build their #portfolio for them." #tech ------ https://lnkd.in/g8nFPkCT ------ Large language models are being implemented incrementally in finance everywhere you look, and quant finance is no exception. There's a limit to how useful it can be, however, and at the Quant Strats 2024 conference in London today, some senior quants said they are wary of juniors being too reliant on the technology. Florian Ielpo, head of macro at Lombard Odier Investment Management, said there's a "danger with the AI mantra." He thinks young quants get "the impression that they don't need to learn finance, or economics, or how to build a portfolio... that the machine will do it all for you." Ielpo advised against this; implementing AI can be beneficial, but he said it's all about "finding a balance." Gen AI's ability to generate alpha is seen as particularly questionable. Verition MD Marc Vesecky, declared that he's "very skeptical that you can use LLMs in their current state" to find alpha, but admitted the fund is "at the very beginning of looking" to implement GenAI in the fund. Razvan Remsing, director of investment solutions at systematic quant fund Aspect Capital, said we're "quite a while away from finding alpha signals driven by AI." Tim Mace, head of data and machine learning at Man Group, said the main uses of AI in the industry are "focused on productivity, not so much on alpha generation or portfolio management." The fund has been more progressive than most regarding LLMs, building its own chatbot ManGPT. Juniors may be becoming too reliant on the technology already. Mace said the fund "put ManGPT in the hands of some interns over the summer, and they managed to blow the budget pretty quickly." Young PMs of today have already faced criticisms that they "know nothing about portfolio management," although this is more due to the nature of "pod shops," than the fault of the young PMs themselves. As LLM use continues to grow, that blame could shift. Funds may face a problem, however: not using LLMs could impact your ability to recruit top young talent. A report from AI firm Blueflame said that a third of interns at one major private equity firm said they would "reconsider their choice of employer" if they didn't have enterprise-grade AI tools.

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Another post I created today for my thoughts over the weekend! 🚨 The Real Cost of Hiring the Wrong Python or Golang Developer 🚨 👉 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dvN2BmQz From my experience working with tech companies, I’ve seen how hiring the wrong developer can lead to wasted resources, missed deadlines, and serious product quality issues. When you're working with languages like Python and Golang, the stakes are even higher—especially for fast-growing companies in London and Cambridge. The wrong hire can: - Extend project timelines - Pile on technical debt - Undermine the quality of your product But the right hire? They’ll keep your projects on track, reduce technical debt, and help you scale faster. In my latest blog post, I break down the real cost of making the wrong hiring decision and share my insights on how to avoid these costly mistakes. 👉 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dvN2BmQz Hiring the right talent is critical—whether you’re building scalable systems with Golang or developing cutting-edge AI with Python, it pays to get it right from the start. #PytoGo #Python #Golang #Hiring #TechRecruitment #BackendDevelopment #AI #MachineLearning #TechHiring #LondonTech #CambridgeTech #SocodeRecruitment

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) 📈 ✅ Projected £14 billion contribution to the UKs gross domestic product by the end of 2028 ✅ 14,000 jobs to British businesses With additional investments across Europe, announcing a €15.7 billion investment in Spain earlier this year and another €7.8 billion in Germany. Setting the speed for cloud infrastructure spending moving further into 2024! #AWS #AWSDatacentre #Datacentreinfrstructure #Datacentreinnovartion #Datacenter #Datacenterinfrastructure #Datacenterinnovation #Amazon #Amazondatacenter #Amazondatacenter #cloudinfrastructure #artificialintelligence

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Immigrants have an oversized impact on UK tech start-ups. 39% of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the UK have a foreign-born founder or co-founder, despite the foreign-born population standing at 14.5%.* So why are we making it so difficult for tech talent to move to the UK? Government policy, Brexit, costly & lengthy visa process, bureaucracy, stringent requirements. All blockers to attracting foreign nationals to the UK. Our approach & policies stand in stark contrast to more open & welcoming Nations. I recently posted about French tech immigration, and the positive impact a number of factors are having on the Paris start-up scene. If it hasn't already, I feel the UK is at real risk of alienating itself and losing the battle for much needed global tech talent to up and coming tech hubs across Europe and further afield. Particularly in bleeding edge tech sectors where we simply don't have enough of the current skill sets or future pipeline of home grown talent. I appreciate there are a lot of moving parts here, but others are getting it right (or at least more right than the UK) and we have to be better. *Data taken from a report published by The Entrepreneurs Network.

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💼 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 💼 You have just finished a multi-stage process with a well-established hedge fund taking up months of your time and energy and are now at offer stage. This is a critical moment, and how you approach it can make all the difference. As a recruiter, I have seen multiple candidates navigate this stage, and there are a lot of key mistakes that people make. It goes without saying that a recruiter should lead negotiations for you, but here are a couple of pointers to hopefully make this stage of the process run more smoothly. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 Know the industry standards for your role, location, and experience level. Utilise your recruiter, they will have spoken to a vast amount of candidates in your area, and therefore will have an overarching view of salaries and bonus levels in the space- a better option than asking around your peers. 𝐁𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭  Always be totally honest and transparent with your recruiter; we can only properly advocate for you if we have all of the specifics. Take time to think about what your realistic expectations for base and bonus would be and don’t keep moving the goal post: this will frustrate your future employer. If you have another offer or are expecting one soon, let your recruiter know. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐬 Demanding a specific number or giving an ultimatum rarely works in your favour. It creates unnecessary tension and can hurt your relationship with the hiring manager. Leading negotiations with ‘My friend who works for X company is paid X…’ or ‘If you want me to join you should be incentivising me to move by paying me X…’ never works! 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 Timing is everything so be open to having the conversation with your recruiter early on in the process so everyone is on the same page. Closer to the end of the process, be mindful of how long you take to respond. Prolonged back-and-forths can raise concerns. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬 Don’t engage in negotiations with one firm if you are set on accepting an offer from your preferred company. Asking one firm to raise the bar for you, just to go and leverage this to increase your other offer is disrespectful and unprofessional. You never know when paths may cross again in the industry, and building long-term relationships is always valuable.

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Software, DevOps & Platform Engineers you are selling yourselves short🗣️ I have received roughly 40 resumes this week since offering to give advice and feedback. I learnt a lot during this process, especially when people are applying for positions more than ever, and the need to stand out is crucial. My biggest observation was that it took me too long to understand the following⬇️ What are your specialisms? Where have you made or had an impact in your role? Which key technologies have you been using regularly? What do you want to be seen as? ➡️This is a biggie What soft skills do you have? Too may resumes make it difficult for the reader to actually understand what you are doing and what you are good at. Make it easy for people to see HOW YOU CAN ADD VALUE Drop me a message if you want some feedback on your resume📩 I will come back to you as quickly as possible.

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These are 5 silent killers of your tech career [and a plan to break through them] I've been in tech for 10 years, 3 of them recruiting for top European companies. And I have seen these over and over. 1. Comfort zone complacency You stick to what you know -> don't seek new challenges or skills. 2. Overemphasis on technical skills We have all seen that. A candidate neglects soft skills like communication and teamwork that are critical in tech roles. 3. Fear of networking A lot of us miss out on opportunities - because we don't build or leverage professional networks. 4. Shiny tool syndrome Here is the opposite of #1. Some are constantly chasing the latest technologies but aren't mastering core tools. This can dilutes your expertise. 5. Burnout from lack of work-life balance We are all guilty in some way or another: work consumes personal time -> dissatisfaction and complete burnout. Here is a plan on how to overcome them: ↳ Seek discomfort Regularly step out of your comfort zone by taking on projects that challenge your existing skill set. ↳Balance your skillset Invest time in developing interpersonal and leadership skills alongside your technical capabilities. ↳Proactive networking Attend industry meetups and engage in online communities to build meaningful professional relationships. Here are more details: - set up your goals for quarters - attend 3 events (one each month) - don't just attend, engage with people and speakers - try to get at least 2 contacts from each meetups - follow up with your contacts ↳Focus and Master Choose technologies that align with your career goals and become proficient in them before moving on to new tools. ↳Establish Boundaries Set clear work-life boundaries to ensure sustainability and prevent burnout. What would you add? *** To develop your full potential, drop me a message to see how I can help you improve your career (and finally get that dream job abroad) Regina Santana

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SoftBank Group Corp. has announced its acquisition of Graphcore, a leading British AI chipmaker. Graphcore’s key offering is a range of “Intelligence Processing Units” – accelerators designed specifically for AI workloads – along with a software stack that allows developers to utilise its hardware effectively. The acquisition of Graphcore by SoftBank is likely to provide the AI chipmaker with significant resources and opportunities for expansion. It also reflects the increasing competition in the AI chip market, where companies like NVIDIA, Intel Corporation, and AMD have been vying for dominance. "In SoftBank, we have a partner that can enable the Graphcore team to redefine the landscape for AI technology." Good news for the UK company, watch this space! #technews #AI #artificialintelligence #technology #business #uk Hurlingham Smith https://lnkd.in/eDszQwuP

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This is incredibly interesting and undoubtably what the market needs - what goes up must inevitably come down to level out in way in which the market can accommodate. Now Software Developers what do you think? Does this impact the way you're looking at your career and your next move? #developmentrecruitment #salariesaredecreasing #acallforsomeinsight

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Some of the BEST Software Engineers I've worked with have some of the WORST CVs I've ever seen. And some simply do not have one. The top 5% of talent are not scouting out new roles and applying to adverts... ..they're headhunted. So there's simply no need to create a CV. And that's where the job of a Recruiter comes in, to shine a spotlight on those who are unseen in the market, or to fill in the gaps on those awfully written CVs. So the next your recuiter show's you a horrible CV, they might just be showing you a superstar. G.Digital | G&T (girls and tech!)

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The fee structure most agencies use with clients is pretty standard industry-wide (X% of the candidate's salary for perm roles). Some agencies use alternative fee structures since it works better for both parties and creates more alignment - e.g. ongoing monthly retainers, embedded recruiters/RPO, flat rates, etc. Some markets have unique factors that make a non-standard fee structure more mutually beneficial for both the agency/client. Pricing structure and strategy is something that most agencies don't really dig into since it's easier to go with the status quo since it's what clients expect and are used to. I'm curious - if you've used alternative fee structures, how do you like it? Has it worked out better for everyone long term?

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👋 Helloo FinTech Network 👋 I've been watching spektr for a while now from their launch last year, today they've launched Spektr 2.0, a game changer to the RegTech market. Spektr have created a hyper-configurable platform, which can be tailored to your business compliance strategy- from KYC checks to AML reviews and risk assessments Using cutting-edge AI, it's a really interesting approach, moving far away from the one-size-fits-all all approach of a lot of other tools on the market. They have a big presence in the PayTech space, with a tool that anticipates your risk needs. I've recently been chatting with Gabriella at Spektr in an interview where we discussed the biggest challenges FinTechs face in compliance on a daily basis. Keep an eye out for the article to come 👀 #complianceautomation #clientonboarding #continuouscompliance #spektr2

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WhatsApp with clients solidify relationships. That’s my opinion at least. It helps move things to another level. It moves conversations away from formal email. It speeds up process. It steers conversation away from just recruitment. It builds mutual trust. It helps to land new jobs. #dataengineer #fullstackengineer #fintech

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