Last week, the UK hosted the global ‘AI Safety Summit’ which addressed the growing concern over AI-powered cybersecurity attacks, among many other topics. This comes as experts in the field predict AI’s impact on humanity is becoming less and less positive.
Despite Rishi Sunak’s recent announcement to scale back the UK’s drive to net-zero, there is some good news for the electrification industry. According to Zapmap, EV chargepoint installations in the UK were up 82% YoY in the first half of 2023.
Bootstrapped companies face unique challenges when it comes to mergers and acquisitions (M&A). These companies may not have the same financial oversight, legal and compliance matters, and intellectual property (IP) management as their larger counterparts, which can make the M&A process complicated.
The global shift to widespread use of generative AI highlights its immense value. This limelight has not come without critics, with leading figures in AI discussing the risks associated and how AI may pose a threat to humanity.
Academia’s ‘ivory towers’ suggest a detachment from the practical concerns of business and societal issues. However, boundaries between the academic and corporate worlds are becoming increasingly blurred.
In the face of a global slowdown, European public-to-private (P2P) transactions increased 43% YoY in the first half of 2023, as tracked by Mergermarket at the end of June. P2P transactions almost matched IPOs in 1H23, totalling 53 and 57 transactions respectively.
Recent analysis done by PitchBook shows that 36% of top-flight clubs in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have private capital ownership in some form. These investors include private equity and venture capital funds as well as consortiums of high-net-worth investors.
Given the number of current players as well as new entrants in the IT services market, private equity investors are encouraging ‘buy and build’ strategies to inorganically grow their investments. According to EY, over half of all private equity deals within the IT services industry were buy and build acquisitions in 2022.
In recent years, corporate venture capital (CVC) has emerged as a dynamic force in the investment landscape. Last year, CVCs participated in 21.7% of all European VC rounds, the highest annual percentage to date, according to PitchBook.
Following an increase in unusual weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere this summer – including record heat waves across Europe – many have started to wonder what a future shaped by climate change might look like.