What do tech businesses really need from the next Mayor?

London is home to a thriving population of tech entrepreneurs and innovators thanks to the rise of Tech City and other digital hubs.  The next mayor must take positive action to retain the talent and entrepreneurial spirit that has recently brought so much to London.

London has for many years been one of the world’s best cities; a melting pot of art, music, fashion and technology. But if we are to remain a stomping ground for the most exciting creators, innovators and entrepreneurs, the next Mayor of London must sustain and further promote the city’s entertainment and media sector. As Los Angeles, arguably the home of global entertainment, is now witnessing a technology boom, London too has the opportunity to lead the way.

It’s an exciting time in the world of startup flowers. In the US, a number of startups are disrupting the $35B flower industry, and Bloom Nation, Urban Stems, The Bouqs, and Bloomthat have all recently raised venture capital funding to offer modernised, user-friendly flower buying experiences.

‘To get the most out of a highly connected digitalised world, you need platforms that emphasise personal interconnectivity…..In 2016 I believe the education world will embrace this fundamental lesson..’
We asked Ben Grech, Co founder of fast growing Uniplaces, to talk about the future of student accommodation, raising almost $30m in funding and using education as an online platform for other services!

Three trends are very likely to shape the future of education. We have seen them gain momentum the last few years, and they’re set to keep getting stronger: the number of students will keep increasing, they will use social media networks more and more, and will be increasingly mobile.

Fresh from a new $12m funding round in December 2015, Masabi more than ever were ready to relocate to a new HQ.

Marketing in 2016 should focus on finding new solutions to the latest developments in consumer habits. Audiences don’t ‘go online’ anymore, they are constantly connected through their phones, tablets, and smart watches, on top of their desktop and laptop usage. Mobile devices are now used on average of almost three hours a day, significantly eclipsing time spent on desktop.

My first memory of going to watch live sport was a trip to the Cardiff Arms Park Rugby stadium to watch the British and Irish Lions play a Rest of the World XV in a game to commemorate 100 years of the IRB (April 1986 – I was 9 years old). Wikipedia describes the game as “…marred by wet weather” which is pretty apt given the battering I got by the rain that night.