Author: Akin Naphtal

A survey of more than 5,000 senior businesspeople across the UK has found that 85% are currently working more hours each week than they should be, with around 40% saying that they could not complete the amount of work they are given any other way. The same survey, from business software and services provider Advanced, found that only 30% of business leaders plan to prioritise recruitment in 2023. Advanced’s 2022 annual business trends report indicates that with the boundaries between work and home life blurred by remote and hybrid working, and business leaders concerned about profitability and cashflow throughout the…

Centbee, a London-based facilitator of digital money payments on the Bitcoin blockchain BSV, has closed its pre-series A round at $1 million with funding from Calvin Ayre, founder of bitcoin VC player Ayre Ventures. Founded in 2017, Centbee has developed its own digital cash wallet which runs on the BSV blockchain and supports Bitcoin transfers. The company was formed by Lorien Gamaroff, a crypto professional mainly based in Johannesburg, together with 20-year banking veteran Angus Brown. Centbee’s crypto infrastructure enables customers to send digital money payments to friends and family overseas, using a cross-border remittances service called Minit Money. The…

The Orange group has announced the departure of Ramon Fernandez, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Finance, Performance and Development, at the end of the first quarter of 2023. Ramon Fernandez, who has overseen the Group’s finances for the past eight years, has decided to take up a new professional challenge outside the company. Until his departure, he will continue in his current role within the Executive Committee. In this role, alongside Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, and the Group’s management team, he will continue his work on the preparation of the new strategic plan. His successor will be…

eoSemi, a semiconductor product company in the uk that develops crystal clear silicon and lowest power crystal oscillators has secured £2m to accelerate the delivery of its digital oscillators to customers and changed chief executive. The funding will be used to complete its proprietary, low cost, automated test system to calibrate its temperature controlled crystal oscillators (TCXOs) in volume and begin the commercialisation of its digitally compensated devices. The Series A round was led by Belgian Venture Capital Investor Capital-E with substantial contributions from other existing UK investors who include Maven Capital Partners, NESTA Investments and Enterprise Ventures. eoSemi, based…

LivePerson, Inc., a global leader in conversational AI, has announced that Vanessa Pegueros, Bruce Hansen and Yael Zheng have been appointed as independent members of the Company’s Board of Directors (“Board”), pursuant to the previously announced agreement with Starboard Value (“Starboard”). “LivePerson is proud to be a trusted provider of industry-leading customer engagement solutions and AI innovation to many of the world’s largest consumer brands,” said Rob LoCascio, Founder, Chairman and CEO of LivePerson. “Vanessa, Bruce and Yael bring a wealth of expertise across data analytics, AI and cloud software at scale that will complement the depth of skills and…

As 2022 comes to a close, we’re getting new information about Apple’s next-generation products that are set to arrive sometime in 2023. According to a new report, one of Apple’s largest partners, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will hold an event in the next few days, celebrating the start of commercial production of 3nm chips at its factory. This is important because it will be the start of the company building a new 3nm process, a technology that Apple has never relied on before. According to reports as available to the media, by way of MacRumors, and it doesn’t come…

Microsoft has revealed that upcoming third-party games like the Silent Hill 2 remake and Final Fantasy 16 won’t release on Xbox, seemingly because of exclusion agreements between Sony and certain publishers. In a new filing, which is a response to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ‘s Activision Blizzard acquisition lawsuit, Microsoft is defending itself by stating that Sony is intentionally preventing several highly-anticipated games from releasing on Xbox platforms (thanks, Eurogamer). “In addition to having outright exclusive content, Sony has also entered into arrangements with third-party publishers which require the ‘exclusion’ of Xbox from the set of platforms these publishers…

The Australian conveyancing industry saw a late year resurgence after experiencing four consecutive slow months caused by interest rate rises and change in buyers’ behaviour. Australian information broker and leading conveyancing technology solution provider, triSearch, released its 2022 aggregated property search data, indicating the direct impact of this year’s events on the industry. triSearch National Sales Manager, Mitchell Burge, said the four-month lull experienced in the conveyancing industry from June to September presented a silver lining for practitioners. “While we saw that sharp drop in search orders mid-year, we know how resilient and resourceful the conveyancing industry is,” Burge said.…

Qubit by Qubit (QxQ), the world’s largest quantum education initiative for early learners, and Microsoft Azure Quantum announced a new collaboration: Quantum Winter School. Offered virtually and free to participants, the Winter School will reach 400+ participants globally and is accepting applications here. With the increasing and persistent need for quantum-informed talent, this program is the beginning of an ongoing relationship to cultivate and support a strong pipeline of students pursuing quantum-related careers. McKinsey & Company predicts these technologies could amass nearly $700 billion in value. The same study finds there is only one qualified candidate per three available positions.…

Rishi Sunak announces an agreement Between the UK, Italy, and Japan to create a a combat fighter jet aircraft (The Tempest Jet) that will utilise artificial intelligence. The nations will develop a next generation fighter – due to enter service in the mid-2030s – that will eventually replace the Typhoon jet. The Tempest Jet carry an assortment of the latest weapons and defensive warfare capabilities. The new fighter aircraft can also be flown without a pilot’s input if required and is expected to carry fire hypersonic missiles. Brittish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the collaboration intends to generate thousands of…