The legal case unfolding in a London court between the founder of Cognism and five of its investors, including Balderton Capital and AVP Capital, would be notable at any time. A court hearing this week appears to have dealt an early blow to the investor defendants, according to reporting from Sifted

Category: FOUNDER ACCESS & CAPITAL REFORM

Only around 14% of UK angel investors are women. That figure has not shifted meaningfully in years, and it matters because the composition of the investor base directly shapes who gets funded. Female angel investors are significantly more likely to deploy capital into female-founded businesses. If t

The numbers are in for Q1 2026, and the headline story is straightforward: UK equity investment is holding steady at roughly £6 billion per quarter, the UK remains Europe's dominant destination for venture capital, and the market is, on the surface, healthy.

The statistic that frames this announcement has not changed in a decade. Female founders in the UK receive less than 2% of all venture capital deployed. Despite numerous initiatives, codes, commitments and pledges from investors, the number has barely shifted. Against that backdrop, the British Busi

A freedom of information request that nobody should have needed to file found that 81 per cent of the assessors for Innovate UK's Women in Innovation programme were male. Not a percentage from an anonymous third-party study. The publicly funded body specifically designed to support female founders w

Aurora has run the Aurora Tech Award since 2021. The programme accepts applications from women founders of technology startups, assesses them through a structured evaluation process, and connects finalists with mentors, networks and recognition. The scale of the pipeline it has built is striking: applications grew from 116 in 2021 to 3,400 in 2025. That trajectory tells a clear story. The founders are there. The problem is not a shortage of women building technology compan

What Tokenisation Means for Startups Tokenisation refers to the process of converting ownership rights in an asset into a digital token on a blockchain. This technology allows companies to represent shares, equity, or other financial instruments as tokens that can be traded more easily and transparently. For startups, tokenisation offers several advantages: Access to a broader investor base: Tokens can be sold to investors worldwide without traditional intermedia

The integration of the Aptos blockchain by DigiShares marks a significant step forward in the infrastructure supporting real world asset tokenisation. This move promises to enhance the efficiency, security, and accessibility of tokenised assets, opening new possibilities for investors and asset managers alike.

The British Business Bank recently announced that the British Growth Partnership Fund I has reached its first close with £200 million raised. This fund marks a significant moment as it brings pension money into UK startups, a move that has long been discussed but rarely executed at this scale. The question many are asking is whether this is a one-time effort or the start of a lasting change in how UK pension schemes invest in venture capital. Why Pension Money Matters for UK

The UK investment landscape has taken a significant step toward gender diversity with the recent first close of £130 million for Bootstrap4F’s Women Backing Women fund of funds. This fund, backed by four major institutions, aims to support female-led investment teams, addressing a critical gap in the venture capital ecosystem. The move signals a fresh approach to improving funding for female founders by focusing on the fund managers who decide where capital flows.

For many years, UK startup founders have faced a persistent challenge: how to offer investors a clear exit strategy if their company never goes public. On 24 March 2026, the UK made a significant move to address this issue with the first trade completed under the PISCES framework. This new private share market opens fresh opportunities for founders, employees, and early investors to access liquidity without relying solely on an IPO.

Startup funding has always rewarded proximity as much as quality. Tokenisation raises a quieter question: does it have to? One of the less openly discussed realities of early-stage fundraising is just how dependent it remains on networks. On the surface, venture capital presents itself as a meritocratic system. Strong businesses attract investment. Compelling founders secure backing. The best opportunities rise to the top. In practice, the picture is more complicated.

Relying solely on venture capital (VC) can limit a startup’s growth options and control. While VC funding offers significant capital, it often comes with strict terms, equity dilution, and pressure for rapid returns. Fortunately, blockchain technology opens new doors for entrepreneurs seeking diverse funding paths.

Building Sustainable Tokenised Communities That Empower Users as Stakeholders. Turning users into stakeholders is a powerful way to build engaged, loyal communities. Tokenised community mechanics offer a practical path to achieve this by giving members real ownership and influence. But success depends on designing these systems with sustainability in mind, avoiding pure speculation, and aligning tokens with genuine value creation. This post explores how token-gated access, co

This is the quiet rebellion of tokenisation. It is not merely a new technology for fundraising; it is a new philosophy for building. It dismantles the old architecture of equity and replaces it with something more fluid, more granular, more alive. It suggests that a start-up's soul. Its mission, its community, its very reason for being can be woven into the fabric of its ownership structure.

Raising capital is one of the most critical challenges for startups. Founders face many choices, from traditional equity fundraising to newer token-based models. Each approach has unique benefits and risks. Understanding how equity fundraising, SAFEs, revenue-based financing, and tokenisation work can help founders build a funding strategy that fits their business goals and market realities.

Streamlining STO Processes Through Remote Guidance: Navigating the complexities of Security Token Offerings (STOs) can be challenging. From regulatory compliance to investor relations, every step requires precision and expertise. Fortunately, remote guidance has emerged as a powerful tool to simplify and accelerate these processes. In this post, I will walk you through how remote consultation can streamline STO processes, making them more efficient and accessible.

Startups face a rapidly changing financial landscape in 2026. New technologies and regulatory frameworks are reshaping how early-stage businesses raise capital and manage assets. Among these changes, Real World Assets (RWA) and security tokenisation stand out as powerful tools that can unlock new opportunities.