Johnson & Johnson Backs International Startup Studio’s First U.S. Program
JJDC Inc., has partnered with the London-based startup studio and accelerator Founders Factory to launch its first US-based program in NY
Founders Factory Retail is parachuting alternative ideas into Marks & Spencer
Partnerships like Founders Factory are catalysts for that cultural change— enabling us to work with the disrupters and not be the disrupted
M&S-backed food surplus app Cogz looks to rescue fruit & root veg
Cogz, backed by M&S’s through its partnership with Founders Factory, aims to cut food waste and create a more transparent supply chain.
Cosmose AI raises $12 million to track brick-and-mortar purchasing habits
The funding comes after a year in which revenue tripled following Cosmose’s graduation from a startup program Founders Factory.
Perlego raises $9M Series A for its textbook subscription service
Perlego enables students, and also professionals, who now make up 30% of users, to access textbooks on a subscription basis.
Startups: speak up. Corporates: listen: 5 ways corporates and startups can improve a partnership
“Make sure everyone is really excited about the shiny new thing you are providing,” says Cat Jones.
Founders Factory launches healthtech hub in the US with Johnson & Johnson Innovation
ounders Factory, the London-based startup builder, is expanding to the US with the launch of a hub with Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
Perlego raises $9M Series A for its textbook subscription service
Perlego enables students, and also professionals, who now make up 30% of users, to access textbooks on a subscription basis.
Headstart raises $7 million for AI that tackles recruitment bias
leverages data science to help companies reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, has raised $7 million in its seed round
Building the Glossier of the Black Hair Market
Radswan is part of beauty startup accelerator Founders Factory and has raised $2 million in funding from an all-female investor group
Fashion influencer Freddie Harrel raises £1.5 million to launch start-up for premium afro hair extensions
Harrel has been taking part in the Founders Factory beauty accelerator programme, which has helped to get the business of the ground
Intrapreneurs: the next big trend in corporate innovation
They sent Russell to Founders Factory, the London-based startup builder, where he could develop and test the startup idea..
How to pick a winning name for your startup
Bhavesh Mistry, the brand, experience and design lead at Founders Factory, advises founders to go through a 'naming hypothesis' session
FundamentalVR raises $5.6 million for virtual reality medical training
FundamentalVR has raised $5.6 million in funding for its virtual reality medical training and data analysis platform.
Reckitt Benckiser homes in on start-ups by joining Founders Factory
Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has launched a JV with start-up hub Founders Factory to invest in up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Wired's Hottest Startups in London
Vidsy and Karakuri, both within the Founders Factory startup portfolio, are featured in the UK list
How a former DJ promoter convinced one of Europe's top VCs to cofound and help raise $9 million for his robot chef startup
Karakuri was born out of Founders Factory. Brent Hoberman helped the firm raise $9 million
The winners of The Europas Awards 2019 display Europe's continuing diversity and ambition
The Europas Awards came around again and proved that Europe’s enormous diversity in startups continues to shine through on the world stage
Founders Factory Africa and Netcare to build and scale healthtech startups across the continent
Criteria for the accelerator startups include that they have a healthcare focus, be post-revenue, and have a Pan-African scope
Founders Factory is going live in Paris
Albin Serviant is heading the team in Paris and is to hire 50 people.
Embracing side-hustle culture
Embracing the side-hustle culture can be a great way to “spark creativity and innovation that disrupts your business
Founders Factory, the British start-up factory arrives in France
Albin Serviant: "We are reducing the failure rate of startups"
Skift Top Travel Startups to Watch 2019
The startup then books trips, surprising customers with the destinations about a month before departure
Buy-to-let: the tech that makes property investment easy
“It allows landlords to collect rent and track payments via a bank account, with features to help you do that,”
Robotics startups won't win without also incorporating AI as Karakuri's fundraise shows
Karakuri uses robotics, machine learning, optics and sensors that will make personalized, freshly prepared, high-quality meals
Karakuri raises $9 million for robotics that help kitchens personalize meals and portions
Karakuri, helps commercial kitchens automate the process of dispensing ingredients and measuring precise quantities, has raised £7 million
Brent Hoberman: ‘European Founders Need To Work 10x Harder Than American Rivals’
“If you're an entrepreneur, a little insecurity is good. I think you’ve got to have something inside you that is unhinged.”
Acre - born within the Founders Factory incubator - secures £5m from Aviva and SBG to put mortgages on the blockchain
Originally launched out of Founders Factory, Acre built its software to solve help improve mortgage advice specifically for Aviva
U.K.'s Message To Israeli Startups: Don't Be Put Off By Brexit
Where the UK comes up trumps is its density of world-leading corporates - we are second only to Japan as the home of corporate HQs.
A road map for Brexit Britain to strengthen its tech appeal
Let’s go out and scout international talent and pay relocation costs for overseas stars
Businesses are devaluing the concept of AI
Automation is the lowest rung on the AI ladder. Ultimately, AI’s true economic value is its ability to make predictions.
ChargedUp mobile phone charging stations now available in M&S
Chargedup ensures that you never run out of mobile juice while you're out and about by applying the bike-sharing model to phone charging
London startups take the lead in Tech Nation's fourth Upscale accelerator
Fast-growing firms will receive mentorship on issues such as hiring, retaining talent and international expansion
8 painfully-simple-yet-practical questions to scrutinise your new startup idea
Maybe you’re thinking of starting a new business yourself — if product and startup creation is your thing read on
Tech entrepreneurs say sector could be ruined by post-Brexit immigration rules
A hard or no deal Brexit could impact the inward investment, job creation, tax payments and image of this country
How marketers are switching up their careers with secondments
Working with Founders Factory, L’Oréal employees get the chance to spend 6 months, fully paid on a project they have pitched to the business
Emily Sheffield to launch media startup with Founders Factory
The startup has been posting from the handle @thismuchiknowglobal including a daily "briefing"of pictures, polls, and videos
Travel Subscription Service Books You 3 Surprise Holidays Per Year (And We Have A Lot Of Questions)
BRB offers spontaneity and a healthy dose of convenience
Random holiday generator: a new city break service to surprise destinations
With BRB, members pay a monthly fee to take a European city trip every four months, only finding out the location at the last minute
Henry Lane Fox and Richard Branson: The best startups we saw this year
The traits we look for in entrepreneurs include a fixation on the end-customer, exceptional resilience and passion
The Next Chapter: Founders Factory Africa
We believe in the power of entrepreneurship to stimulate economies, reinvent industries and improve societies
Sign up to see the sights for £600
A new travel company is offering a Netflix-style subscription service for long weekends away
Founders Factory launches in Joburg to back African startups
Founders Factory has launched in Johannesburg, from where it will build and scale 100 tech startups across Africa over the next 5 years.
Netflix of travel: BRB offers three holidays a year for £50 a month
The duo received £150,000 from Founders Factory to get the business off the ground, and have since formed close ties with easyJet
Mystery shopper app Shepper wins £4.2m from Aviva
Shepper a recent graduate of the Founders Factory start-up incubator, received investment from Aviva Investors
Are we speeding towards AI consciousness?
What then follows is a greater use of smart AI to improve relationships between businesses, employees, consumers and the world around them
AI in HR: freeing up time to be more human
Advances in Until recently it used to take weeks and months to build a long list of prospective employees; now it takes seconds
Founders Factory signs Marks & Spencer as exclusive UK retail investor
M&S will become Founders Factory’s exclusive UK partner and invest in a number of start-ups, sourced through Founders Factory’s network
Amazon’s sexist AI recruiting tool highlights the importance and challenge of training data
For some, the solution is to anonymise data, however Peony Li argued that this often damages its effectiveness for training AI
London-based Kukua raises €2.2 million for its pan-African edutainment franchise
Kukua combines the locally-inspired storytelling with literacy methodologies like phonics, as well as engaging gamification features
Perlego raises $4.8M for its ‘Spotify for textbooks’
For £12 per month you get unlimited access to the best textbooks. We do not operate a complex leasing model and publishers benefit
The Winners of The Europas Awards 2018 show Europe’s startup power
Founders Factory is cleverly matching corporates with startups for wider distribution partnerships and collaborative innovation
How 2 Big Textbook Subscription Services Are Teaming Up
ollowing this textbook-service-consolidating partnership, that world is likely to be led by Perlego and Cengage
The best free and paid apps to help you nail student life
Strictly, for GCSE students only, Studytracks is one of the most genius revision apps out there.
Time for a digital detox? The rise of 'anti-tech' tech
Hold An app that recently launched in the UK is allowing users to earn rewards for not going on their phones.
£50 a month for three trips a year: would you subscribe to the Netflix of travel?
The payment scheme works out at £199.99 per person per trip, with BRB promising a three-star minimum for accommodation
FinTech startup Previse closes $7m Series A
Previse is a recent graduate of the Founders Factory fintech accelerator programme
Most influential women in UK tech: The 2018 longlist
The 2018 most influential women in UK tech longlist includes Founders Factory's Farah Kanji and Claire Morris.
M&S looks to start-ups to give it a leg up in the age of online retail
After over 60 investments we have seen the huge potential of combining start-up innovation with corporate scale and expertise
A Million Ads gets £2.3m to deliver targeted advertisements
The company recently graduated from Founders Factory‘s technology accelerator programme, where the media vertical is backed by GMG
This digital assistant is here to bring an end to tube anxiety
A digital journey assistant will soon offer a “virtual hand-hold” to people who feel anxious on the Tube network
New tools will transform property asset management
Aviva is trialling blockchain tech through a pilot with Founders Factory partner Luther Systems on its long-lease property portfolio
The tech start-ups ready to disrupt the UK’s £20 billion social care industry
OnCare, born in the Founders Factory incubator, has built tech for carers and families to improve the monitoring aspect of care provision
Why the UK is a digital dynamo
We offer the talent, the ambition, the research excellence and the regulatory environment to develop tech that changes lives for the better
This 39-year-old quit his job running one of Google's funnest divisions and took a huge pay cut to launch a startup — here's why
So while Ripert has made a big leap, thanks to the Founders Factory support, he is not without a parachute.
Four innovations to make life easier for business travellers
Lumo has attracted cash from JetBlue Technology Ventures and Founder’s Factory (a UK accelerator whose travel program is backed by EasyJet)
London’s Founders Factory Backs Indian AI Startup Orbo To Help It Scale Across Europe
Founders Factory will build a bespoke plan of support for Orbo across a range of functions as the company looks to scale across Europe.
L'Oreal Buys Silicon Valley Startup, But AR Beauty Is Just The Beginning Says CDO
In 2016, the business announced its ongoing involvement with London-based digital accelerator Founders Factory
This Week In Startups: Brent Hoberman
Brent shares insights building ecommerce pioneer lastminute.com, joys of early-stage VC & backing obsessed founders.
easyJet adds startup LuckyTrip to iOS mobile app
easyJet has integrated LuckyTrip into its iOS mobile app, making it easier for travellers to find their ideal trip
AI will only reach its vast potential if ethical dilemmas are tackled
Tech companies need to ensure their software and data practices are ethical and their consumers are protected even as they drive innovation
Social network for medics lets doctors discuss cases
On MedShr, set up in 2014 by a London cardiologist, doctors can post details of cases and other medics can give their input.
Britain in £300m drive to become AI sector 'hotspot'
he Government is aiming to make The UK an artificial intelligence (AI) research "hotspot" under a new investment drive.
Our ambition for AI must match the Apollo programme that put man on the moon
We visited Founders Factory and met with innovative start-ups from across the world, developing and exploiting AI
Hold: This Startup Gives Away Millions To Mindful Smartphone Users
Nordic startup Hold is giving away millions of dollars in rewards to students that keep their smartphones in their pockets
The product management cheat sheet for tech CEOs
Be a storyteller and an interpreter, telling design, engineering, quality, and delivery teams what and why in words that they understand
Social care start-up OnCare raises over half a million to transform the care industry
For too long, social care has been subject to over-priced, poorly-designed software and we don’t believe that’s right.
Hold app: Is there really a cure for smartphone addiction?
Digital technology invades our privacy and is all-consuming. These geeks want to save us from it
JetBlue’s Venture Arm Invests in a Startup That Predicts Flight Delays
If venture-backed startup Lumo has its way, more travelers will avoid flight cancellations thanks to breakthroughs in AI
Brent Hoberman helped lead the dotcom revolution, but now he is warning of a new technology threat
As one of Britain’s dotcom poster boys and an adviser to the Government on all things tech, Hoberman’s views matter.
We asked investors, startups and (ex)GCHQ their thoughts on cyber technology. This is the conversation that followed…
Free treats for students who put down phones
An app that rewards students for time spent away from their phones is being released in the UK
EasyJet Tightens Its Relationship With Travel Startups
We're waiting for proof that accelerators aren’t kindergartens for entrepreneurs. But the word from easyJet and Founders Factory is upbeat.
TRIO OF TECH START-UPS JOIN EASYJET-BACKED ACCELERATOR
easyJet and Founders Factory have announced the three new start-ups who are set to join the travel tech accelerator programme.
TeacherGaming, a startup from MinecraftEdu team, raises $1.6M to put games into the classroom
A recent graduate of Founders Factory’s edtech accelerator program, TeacherGaming appears to be picking up where MinecraftEdu left off.
easyJet wants to help you find a pet-sitter-which is a great business move
easyJet has folded the TrustedHousesitters service into its booking experience
Founders Factory: tackling the innovator’s dilemma
Founders Factory is tackling this “innovator’s dilemma,” by teaming up with the large firms to incubate, accelerate and invest in startups
The 36 coolest tech investors in the UK
In 2017 Brent launched Firstminute Capital— a new $85 million European investment fund, that focuses on seed-stage startup funding.
TrustedHousesitters secures growth partnership with easyJet via Founders Factory
The growth partnership was facilitated by accelerator Founders Factory which TrustedHousesitters is a part of.
EasyJet customers can now organise a free house sitter for their pet when booking a flight
The carrier has teamed up with TrustedHousesitters - the partnership will make it easier for pet owners & animal lovers to travel
British GQ and Universal Music test shareable podcast formats
Entale integrates with Google Analytics, so publishers can track listener behaviour and how much listeners interact with supporting content.
Virtual therapy and stress-busting apps: can tech support mental health at work?
"VR can be used to help people calm their nerves, relax, become better speakers, all useful things"
A playbook for failure: fail fast and face up
Justus succinctly offered “Much like fixing a bug in code, do it early.”
Get up and grow: inside the UK’s biggest technology accelerators
Founders Factory: the world’s best co-founder
Meet the companies from our Earliest Stage Startup Showcase
Brent Hoberman linked the day to ‘licensed insider trading’ as we know big things are coming for these companies
Startup CEOs: how to become your own product manager (with the help of this cheatsheet)
Just because you’re part of a tiny team, or can’t afford a product manager yet, doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from “product thinking”
How to work with investors, according to the investors
I have sat in countless pitch meetings of our portfolio companies with external VC funds. Here is what I have learned in the process
How to start a business, find investment and make people believe in you
The best businesses are often the most controversial because you see a future that others can’t
5 Ways to Help Employees Keep Up with Digital Transformation
Consumer packaged goods landscape is in the midst of a significant shake-up; L’Oréal has made a strategic investment in Founders Factory
L'Oreal and Founders Factory pick three new startups for beauty tech accelerator: Sampler, Riviter and Alegra
Open innovation is a win-win strategy that fosters disruptive thinking and pushes forward our digital leadership in beauty.
L’Oreal & Founders Factory pick startup trio for their latest beauty tech accelerator
We are supporting the development and growth of promising young entrepreneurs by sharing our expertise and network...
Aviva and Founders Factory are betting on these five fintech startups
The Founders Factory partnership has given us access to leading entrepreneurial talent, enabling a faster way of trialling new innovations
London-based MarTech startup Tailify closes $1m Seed
London-based startup Tailify has raised $1m in Seed funding from Awin, alongside Founders Factory and various undisclosed angel investors.
Wunderman and Founders Factory partner to swap client and start-up expertise
we can help clients innovate and work with promising young startups and, in return help these startups build their businesses for the future
Innovative startups in the transport sector
Connecting the easyJet team with the next generation of disruptive entrepreneurs will drive fresh thinking and uncover new opportunities
Ethical algorithms: The good, the bad, and the ugly
illumr's secret sauce, if you will, is how it presents that data to its users, and the ensuing insight that its visualisations enable
Founders Factory invests in its first two A.I. startups - Iris.ai and illumr
CSC Group and Founders Factory want to provide a ‘bridge’ for these startups to later enter the Chinese market
Brent Hoberman left lastminute.com and formed an empire. This is how he did it
We help entrepreneurs and the side effect is that we are helping corporates, too.
Backed by LocalGlobe, London-based Flourish launches data visualisation platform
Founded by journalist Duncan and computer scientist Robin, the Flourish platform began development after they entered Founders Factory
The 22-year-old adman using Snapchat to push brands to Generation Z
Snapchat is the new TV for 13-21year-olds. We want to be the company to help brands engage with that audience.
UK's Hellocar secures £1M to to disrupt UK car buying market
Hellocar removes the dealer from car buying. Industry research show only 7% UK consumers trust car dealers & 80% find the process stressful
When is the best time to invest in a startup?
You have to feel that the team demonstrate resilience when times are tough, are smart and understand the sector they’re attacking
easyJet and Founders Factory name first startups for accelerator programme
As part of the programme the firms will receive hands on support from Founders Factory and EasyJet for six months to bolster their growth
It’s about survival of the fittest for start-ups racing to the top
The pure engineering cycle can be much shorter than it was and it’s much lower-cost because of open-source software cloud computing power.
L’Oréal invests in ‘beauty tech’ start-ups for digital makeover
This illustrates how the world’s largest brands are seeking to tap into innovative new companies to harness the power of digital
L'Oréal And Founders Factory Unveil First Five Beauty Start-Ups Selected For Accelerator Program
This Ex-Angry Birds Team Wants to Make Particle Physics Fun
Rovio veterans bet they can make a learning game kids want to play.
12 UK insurtech startups to watch
Blockchain specialist startup Luther Systems is working with Aviva on a secret bespoke product via Founders Factory
Give young people the chance to build a hopeful, open London
One of the best ways to be equipped for the future is to give more responsibility to younger employees
'App lets doctors trade photos of patients for advice'
The London-based app, created by cardiologist Dr Asif Qasim out of the Founders Factory accelerator, raised over £1.5m
Tech Tent: Fun and Games in Finland
We visited their offices in Helsinki to find the team celebrating a milestone; their first game, Big Bang Legends, live in the iTunes store
We built an award-winning product to help the visually impaired in under 48 hours. Here's how.
The app uses Watson Speech service to translate voice input from user and gives feedback e.g. “warmer” as the user moves the phone’s camera
China’s CSC buys into UK AI talent with incubator
We want to fuse the technology we find in the UK with the Chinese market.
EasyJet Hopes Its Plan to Invest in Start-Ups Will Help It Stay Ahead of Competition
There was a real synergy in what we were both trying to do with startups. It felt like a really strong relationship from the outset
Why do some startups fail?
Startups fail either because they don’t manage to find — or maintain — product/market fit, or because they fail to scale their user growth
M&S looks to start-ups to give it a leg up in the age of online retail
After over 60 investments we have seen the huge potential of combining start-up innovation with corporate scale and expertise
EasyJet investing millions in tech start-ups to find the next hot company in 'travel tech'
Interesting areas for the company to explore include e-commerce, payments, artificial intelligence and analytics
Brent Hoberman discusses China's focus on artificial intelligence investments with Bloomberg
The UK is a talent pool for AI
EdTech is more than just iPads in classrooms - it helps teachers teach better
Technology can enable the teacher to understand its students better and tailor the learning approach to them using data...
Tricks that help big companies innovate
Henry Lane Fox is one of those acting as a marriage broker between big business and early-stage companies
Global Corporates: A New Dimension To Tech Entrepreneurship
Large corporates are engaging with assembled groups of innovators to empower new ideas and leverage their own scale and distribution power
Start-ups need to jump into bed with corporate giants
"The opportunity to connect start-ups is more prevalent than ever and the reason we launched Founders Factory."
Start-up London: Founders Factory has conveyor belt of talent ready to change way we work, eat and live
Brent Hoberman reveals plan to create 200 British start-ups
This is a new model for how you launch technology businesses.
8 painfully-simple-yet-practical questions to scrutinise your new startup idea
Maybe you’re thinking of starting a new business yourself — if product and startup creation is your thing read on
Founders Factory: An accelerator with a difference, interview with George Northcott
Closely affiliated with the Founders Forum, the Founders Factory links startups with corporates in very specific verticals
Access to the EU and soon the single digital market is critical for the UK tech community – an interview with Brent Hoberman
Aviva banks on tech start-ups with Founders Factory investment
The factory intends to help launch 200 new technology businesses in the next five years
L'Oreal's chief digital officer on what it takes to find the right start-up partner
Founders Factory have the right level of ambition to accelerate our own digital programme.
A Million Ads gets £2.3m to deliver targeted advertisements
The company recently graduated from Founders Factory‘s technology accelerator programme, where the media vertical is backed by GMG
Aviva’s putting millions into fintech startups with Brent Hoberman’s edgy Founders Factory accelerator
A high-flying London tech entrepreneur rocked up to No. 10 in shorts and Ed Vaizey loved it
A road map for Brexit Britain to strengthen its tech appeal
Let’s go out and scout international talent and pay relocation costs for overseas stars
Sainsbury’s and British Land chairmen join late payments start-up
Previse aims to end the culture of late payment that plagues SMEs has recruited two FTSE 100 chairmen as investors and advisers.
AI in HR: freeing up time to be more human
Advances in Until recently it used to take weeks and months to build a long list of prospective employees; now it takes seconds
Brent Hoberman: ‘European Founders Need To Work 10x Harder Than American Rivals’
“If you're an entrepreneur, a little insecurity is good. I think you’ve got to have something inside you that is unhinged.”
Buy-to-let: the tech that makes property investment easy
“It allows landlords to collect rent and track payments via a bank account, with features to help you do that,”
Robotics startups won't win without also incorporating AI as Karakuri's fundraise shows
Karakuri uses robotics, machine learning, optics and sensors that will make personalized, freshly prepared, high-quality meals
Skift Top Travel Startups to Watch 2019
The startup then books trips, surprising customers with the destinations about a month before departure