The Week in Entrepreneurship


Your weekly summary of entrepreneurship news, comment, and features. Sent by the Centre for Entrepreneurs (home of StartUp Britain). Sign up here. Read the original newsletter here.

News

60% of women in the UK now want to start a business
Startups.co.uk: Nearly two-thirds of women in the UK would like to start a business to improve their work/life balance, according to a survey of 2,000 women by Avon. Of those who have considered starting up, 45% haven’t pursued their business idea because of fear of failure and the belief that it is too complicated. Read more

Crowdfunding website used by mobile challenger bank Mono to raise £1m in 96 seconds celebrates £150m milestone 
City AM: It has helped mobile banks, car parking apps, artisan food markets, Uber challengers and cocktail companies along their way. And now Crowdcube is celebrating a milestone: since launching in 2011, companies have raised £150m on its platform. Read more

Deloitte: Blockchain tech could re-shape businesses
Blockchain technologyh as the potential to re-shape businesses, governments and economies, according to a new report from Deloitte. Read more. Read the report

Number of UK tech firms with foreign directors ‘up 133% since 2010
TechCityNews: One in five directors of new UK tech companies are foreign nationals, according to new analysis by financial technology firm DueDil. Read more

Opinion

If we’re going to be a Northern Powerhouse, we need to stand united
To make the Northern Powerhouse a reality, we’ve got to move away from an archaic city-state mentality and unite the clans, writes Marc Russell (group project director, TH_NK). Read more

Why big business is eyeing the prize of working with startups
From lumbering predators to collaborative partner, Nesta’s Chris Hayley looks at the growing relationship between corporates and innovative startups. Read more

Peer-to-peer lending: What will happen in a downturn?
What should you be thinking about as a P2P retail investor if an economic downturn really is ahead? City AM’s Harriet Green investigates. Read more

Hackathons aren’t just for coders
Companies far outside the tech world are using these intense brainstorming and development sessions to stir up new ideas on everything from culture change to supply chain management, write Elizabeth Spaulding and Greg Caimi (partners, Bain & Company). Read more

Samsung “startup reform” sounds like corporate version of the mid-life crisis sports car
South Korean mobile giant Samsung wants to restructure its internal operations in a bid to create a startup culture, and while it sounds like the corporate equivalent of a mid-life crisis, it actually makes sense, writes Zen Terrelonge (Real Business). Read more