News

A Welsh manufacturer of darts equipment has snapped up a fast-growing technology business that automates scoring, in a deal aimed at reshaping how the sport is played and watched. Nodor, based in Bridgend and backed by private equity firm Inflexion, has acquired Autodarts for an undisclosed sum. The company said the move would help “deliver the most advanced playing, training and competition experiences for players worldwide.” Autodarts uses cameras mounted above or around the board...

Leicester has been revealed as the best place in the UK to launch a new business, with companies in the city posting average growth of 95.3 per cent over the past five years. The East Midlands hub recorded more than 4,000 new business registrations between 2018 and 2023, cementing its status as one of the country’s most dynamic start-up centres. Central Bedfordshire emerged as another bright spot, with an average growth rate of just over...

The British Business Bank (BBB) has announced an £8 million investment into NRG Therapeutics Ltd., a pioneering neuroscience company developing novel therapies for severe neurodegenerative conditions, as part of a £50 million Series B funding round. The financing was led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), with participation from M Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, and Criteria Bio Ventures, alongside existing backers Omega Funds and Brandon Capital. NRG Therapeutics is advancing treatments for amyotrophic...

The asset management industry has been accused of making only “grindingly slow” progress on gender diversity, with women still accounting for just 13% of UK fund managers — a figure virtually unchanged over the past decade despite numerous high-profile initiatives. According to the latest Citywire Alpha Female report, the UK figure mirrors the global average. Out of more than 18,400 money managers worldwide, just 12.9% are women, compared with 12.5% last year and 10.3% in...

London’s black cab industry has received its biggest ever investment as Sherbet, The Electric Taxi Co, secures up to £40 million in backing to scale its zero-emissions fleet and prepare for global expansion. The funding comes from HOF II Holdco S.à r.l., advised by European private equity firm Hoplon Investment Partners LLP, and represents the single largest injection of growth capital in the history of London’s licensed taxi trade. Founded in 2013 by Business Champion...

Britain’s ambition to deliver nationwide 5G coverage risks being derailed as farmers and rural landowners revolt over deep cuts to the rents paid for hosting mobile masts. Rents that once ran into thousands of pounds are being slashed by as much as 90% under laws designed to accelerate the rollout of digital infrastructure. In Cornwall, one farmer said his rent was reduced from £8,500 to £750, while another in Dorset saw his annual fee collapse...

Britain’s biggest trade unions have warned Labour not to water down its Employment Rights Bill following a cabinet reshuffle that removed some of the legislation’s strongest supporters from government. The bill, expected to become law in the coming weeks, represents one of the most significant shake-ups of workplace rights in decades. It includes new protections against unfair dismissal, the outlawing of “exploitative” zero-hours contracts, and wider reforms intended to rebalance power in favour of employees....

Meta, the social media giant led by Mark Zuckerberg, is preparing to open its first physical store in London as part of a push to drive sales of its virtual and augmented reality devices. Property sources said the company is exploring Oxford Street as the likely location for a permanent flagship space where shoppers can try out products such as the Meta Quest headset and Ray-Ban smart glasses. The move would mark Meta’s first bricks-and-mortar...