Parikshit Narain🌏

In recent surveys, 65% of UK SMEs cited the complexity of digital transformation as their primary challenge, while 78% recognised the urgent need to embrace digital transformation to stay competitive in 2023. ApexEnhance by Emerge Digital offers a strategic response to these challenges, presenting two innovative solutions within its suite – ApexEnhance Copilot and ApexEnhance CRM. ApexEnhance Copilot is designed for businesses eager to leverage the power of AI, providing a comprehensive program for the adoption of Microsoft Copilot within Microsoft 365. This solution not only prepares your data and optimises your security but also ensures your team is fully equipped to integrate this revolutionary productivity tool seamlessly into your operations. Simultaneously, ApexEnhance CRM offers a lifeline to businesses struggling with outdated data management systems. It delivers a customisable, affordable, and rapidly deployable CRM solution, tailored to streamline your operations and catapult your business into the future with enhanced efficiency and agility. Together, these solutions from the ApexEnhance suite are tailored to address the complexities and challenges of digital transformation faced by SMEs. They equip businesses with the necessary tools, knowledge, and technical readiness to navigate the digital landscape confidently, ensuring your business not only competes but thrives in the digital era. Discover more here: https://buff.ly/45Aan45 #EmergeDigital #ApexEnhance #DigitalTransformation

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👀 early stage fintech firms - check this out and consider applying to get: > access to household name firms in asset management > mentoring from senior execs > feedback on suitability of products and services for what could be your biggest market https://lnkd.in/dc7RJex

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How will the new government take social value to the next level? Social value is sure to play a key role in delivering Labour’s manifesto promises around public procurement, public spending and value for money. This new report from cross-party think tank Demos looks at the role digital might play in this new landscape, and the current challenges we face. It calls for greater transparency within procurement to restore public trust – and that clear, measurable data is a way to achieve this. Having strong systems in place for the capture and measurement of social value data has been a vital tool for so many of our clients on their social value journey. It’s resulted in better outcomes for the communities they work within, created a more engaged workforce – and has won them work. Will it eventually become non-negotiable for all? Civil Service World | Demos | Beckie Smith #SocialValue #Procurement #SocialValueMeasurement #PublicSpending #SocialValueData

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How not to do privatization - a 30 year how to guide.

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A good week for #uktech and #ukvc with large funding rounds for Iwoca, Monzo, Wayve and Abound, as well as some interesting funding rounds announced at the #seed and #seriesa stages. Equally as important and interesting was the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA)'s Manifesto for Growth (linked below), which is crucial reading for anyone in the technology or investment ecosystems / sectors. One of the key things for me in the run up to the #UKGE (along with the other major elections taking place this year) are the major parties' stances on encouraging economic growth through the fostering of innovative growth sectors - if we want to see more of the good news from this week, we have to see the next UK government taking the BVCA's recommendations forward seriously. Link to report: https://lnkd.in/dvCjYavW #venturecapital #uktech #investments #startups #scaleups

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How can start-ups scale fast whilst keeping emissions down? By embedding sustainability into strategy right at the start.   Planet Mark recently released their 2024 UK Business Net-Zero reports. Half of SMEs surveyed already have sustainability data requests cascading from their value chains. So far, 73% of respondents said working towards net-zero was a medium or higher priority for the next 12 months - super. What's more, 65% having already committed to net-zero by 2050.   The problem is: 👉 Most SMEs cite lack of time, knowledge and resources to understand and act on net-zero. Targets set does not always equal understanding how they'll be reached. 👉 Financiers are the least carbon educated stakeholder group but are a relied upon information source for carbon accounting and decarbonisation.   The good news, there is data-backed evidence of how to improve: 💡 Get reading - The UK Business Climate Hub and The Race to Net Zero are recommended trusted sources of information. 💡 Get educated - An in-house sustainability professional increases rates of target setting and chances of delivering on targets by 17%. This is increased by C-suite carbon-related education and support. 💡 Get started - Common effective decarbonisation initiatives include: improving energy efficiency, sourcing renewable energy, hosting on-site renewables, waste reduction and electric vehicle fleets.   The even better news? Whilst many SMEs cited access to finance as a barrier, very few SMEs have accessed existing finance available. Bonus point, the cost-savings of achieving net-zero are underappreciated, join me in the comments to work out how you can decouple business growth from decarbonisation and get sustainability into your strategy.

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UK Government Allocates £32M for AI Projects Amidst Funding Controversy The UK government has announced a £32 million investment to support 98 artificial intelligence (AI) projects across the country. This funding aims to boost high-growth industries, with initiatives including enhancing construction site safety, speeding up railway repairs, and reducing emissions in supply chains. Noteworthy projects include Nottingham’s Anteam, collaborating with the NHS on AI-driven prescription efficiency, and Cambridge’s Monumo, advancing 3D generative-AI for electric vehicle motors. 🚀🏗️ This new funding follows the controversial shelving of £1.3 billion in tech and AI investments, including a supercomputer and AI research resources. Critics argue that this could hinder the UK's tech sector growth and global competitiveness. While the £32 million allocation is a positive development, industry leaders emphasize the need for comprehensive funding and robust policy support to position the UK as a leading AI superpower. 🌍💡 https://lnkd.in/e7XpV6HP #AI #TechFunding #Innovation #UKGovernment #ArtificialIntelligence #TechSector #Investment

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1 in 3 UK freelancers don't feel confident about their long-term future due to #IR35 and economic uncertainties, indeed Malt's Freelancing in Europe Report 2024 shows a widening gap between here and the rest of Europe. With the impending UK General Election, given how much the self-employed contribute to the British Economy, a sincere pledge to remove barriers around employment status would be most welcome from either Rishi Sunak or Keir Starmer. I welcome the lobbying that IPSE - the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed is doing to press for fairer and more consistent tax treatment of freelancers. That said, it is not all doom and gloom: 💪 UK freelancers are resilient and have adjusted their rates in response to inflation 💻 Fields like tech and data remain optimistic and in high demand 📈 Many organisations increasingly see an independent workforce as a formidable lever of flexibility and value creation At Malt we are more dedicated than ever to empowering #freelancers. By fostering connections and supporting the freelance lifestyle, we aim to make freelancing a fulfilling choice for more professionals. We believe that freelancers offer a competitive advantage in the marketplace primarily due to their ability to deliver services with lower overhead costs and greater flexibility compared to traditional outsourcing companies. This efficiency enables them to provide high-quality services at exceptional value, making them an attractive option for clients, especially during periods when many companies are reducing their budgets. Thank you to theHRDIRECTOR for featuring the key UK points from our report https://lnkd.in/eEujp7ZE #FIE2024 #freelancing #independentconsulting #EconomicResilience

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HMRC: Hyperscale PaaS for Hyperscale Performance. HMRC offers an exemplar blueprint for a Platform Architecture, and how it can enable rapid digital service innovation at hyperscale levels. HMRC's Multi-channel Digital Tax Platform (MDTP) employs Continuous Delivery at scale, operating a cloud platform for over 130 user-facing applications powered by over 1000 microservices. The platform delivered financial support to more than 12 million employed and self-employed workers during the pandemic, processing 67,000 job claims within half an hour and handling 440,000 applications for government grants on the first day of its operation. Learn more in this talk from Ben Conrad and Matthew Hyatt.

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https://lnkd.in/e5fAvyKm Good article highlighting important initiatives for a new government to inject energy into the UK start-up ecosystem. Funding is critical for scaling proven technologies, but for early stage start-ups, establishing a few key revenue generating partnerships with larger firms that help solve real issues and develop the product is essential. Revenues buy time, extending the runway for the product to get better, and it is those relationships that funders will ultimately look for when evaluating investment opportunities. "The industry is clamouring for more initiatives. Let’s build a “tech cathedral” in the City of London to signal a convening place for founders of the future. Let’s make the UK the best place for big companies to work with start-ups. We had the chief executives of Virgin, British Airways, HSBC, Aviva, Boots, BBC, ITV, Condé Nast, Liberty Global and Channel 4 this week all keen to work with start-ups. Let’s find ways to unlock these partnerships at scale. A start was also made at London Tech week with the presences of Unilever, GSK and Tesco for the first time. This trend needs government convening power to be accelerated." Coodash https://coodash.com/

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This recent BBC News article highlights the impact of persistent rain on the UK's economic growth. Here are some key takeaways: GDP Flatlined in April: Unusually wet weather in April 2024 contributed to a surprising halt in economic growth (0% GDP increase). Retail and Construction Hit Hard: The rain kept consumers from spending and hampered construction activity. Investment Strategist Blames Weather: Lindsay James, from Quilter Investors, directly attributed the sluggish growth to the bad weather. This article underscores the importance of weather's impact on large economies, including the UK where the weather can be notoriously dodgy. While April's weather may (or may not be!) an anomaly, it serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of certain sectors to weather conditions. It underscores the critical importance of proactively developing enterprise-scale weather strategies. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/enbJN8je #ukeconomy #weather #climatechange #economics #weatherstrategy

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The International Investment Summit offers a key opportunity for regional tech ecosystems. With significant investment deals on the horizon and a focus on cutting unnecessary regulation, there’s potential for positive impact across the UK. For regions like the North West, it’s essential that this investment leads to meaningful support for local tech clusters. Policies must reflect the specific needs of our regional ecosystems if we’re to see sustainable, long-term growth. Part of this will involve resetting our relationship with Europe. Building positive, collaborative ties with European partners will be vital to keeping our tech sectors competitive and attractive to investors. But investment is only part of the picture, we also need to think about talent. Making it easier for companies to access international and European talent, while continuing to nurture homegrown talent, is super important. Striking the right balance will ensure our ecosystems have the talent needed to innovate and scale. While the move to reduce barriers is encouraging, the success of these investments will ultimately depend on how well they address the specific challenges of regional economies. Close collaboration between local stakeholders and government will be critical if we’re to see the UK’s tech sector thrive at both a national and global level. Good to see the appointment of Poppy Gustafsson OBE as Minister for Investment—the UK Tech Cluster Group would love to welcome her to one of our meetings for a chat about all things regions and tech.

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Important (if unpopular!) charts #4 – the real cost of borrowing for UK SMEs remains too high. Rather than investing fully in jobs, growth and innovation, UK SMEs continue to repay debt instead. Are “growth-oriented” policy makers watching? First the good news: ✅ The effective interest rates on new loans to SMEs fell by 30bp from 7.60% in July 2024 to 7.30% in August 2024, according to this morning’s data release from the Bank of England. The not-so-good news: ❌ In real terms, the cost of borrowing remains at c5% - too high! ❌ Unsurprisingly, therefore, SMEs continue to repay debt (repayments of £0.6bn in August versus £0.4bn in July) ❌ The YoY growth rate of borrowing by SMEs was little changed at -4.0% SMEs are the lifeblood of the UK economy, accounting for c60% of UK output and c50% of UK jobs. But how can they invest fully in growth, jobs and innovation when faced with real borrowing costs of 5%? ❌ In short, they can’t… #chrismallinvistagechair #cmmacroperspectives #UKSMEs #UKgrowth

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#UK-based Carbon13 announces nearly £1M investment in 6 startups via its accelerator #techfunding #uk-based-carbon13-announces-nearly-1m-investment-in-6-startups-via-its-accelerator

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Earlier this week, I had the joy of launching the Scaleup Institute’s 2024 annual review, 10 years after the report I was commissioned to write on how to stimulate UK economic growth. Amongst other things, we were convened to celebrate the UK's move from 13th in the global scaleup league table to 3rd. Thank you to ScaleUp Institute and Irene Graham OBE for your incredible work in this area. Since then, I've had several occasions to reflect on the fact that scaleup progress is in no small part due to the university sector encouraging students to work for scaleup companies alongside their academic studies. Amongst other reflections, I am drawn to celebrate the extraordinary Goldsmith's University Alum, Noshin Begum, whom F4S wrote about in their annual report—just a few of the 2 million career encounters brokered between students and scaleups. Noshin had no less than 8 internships with scaleup companies during her studies - how cool is that? From her first internship in August 2020 at The Barber Shop to PoC developer at Octopus Energy a few months later, to software engineer at Alpidata, Ux at Sticks Research Agency, UX designer at R3 to ... Read more about Noshin on page 30 of the F4S annual report https://lnkd.in/e-CpME8y Join me in congratulating Goldsmiths, University of London, for encouraging students like Noshin Begum to consider the scaleup ecosystem worthy of their skills and ambitions. Encouraging university students to work on internships at scaleups develops critical thinking, problem-solving & communications skills, which complement the more academic skills found in lecture theatres; this combination boosts the growth of scaleup companies that are the engines of economic growth. Developing individual superpowers and scaleup superpowers simultaneously boosts our economic growth. Worth doing!

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83% of tech entrepreneurs find the UK appealing for tech ventures A third of respondents "rated the UK’s appeal particularly high" Positive figures which continue to show the UK is in a strong place for tech investment. #techinvestment #businessnews #entrepreneurs #startups

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With the advent of AI never before have a small group of specialists been able to deliver so much value to the companies we work with. I see this trend continuing not just in my company ClearSky Logic but across sectors in general. Supercharging your core team to be 100%s more productive and valuable.

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The UK's banking landscape is on the brink of a significant transformation with the scaling of Confirmation of Payee, aiming to reduce payment fraud drastically. If your organisation is set to navigate this journey, Bottomline's Erez Nounou provides essential insights on key changes, timelines, and what it means for Group 2 onboarding.

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