StartupCafe

Every shirt-wearing man has been there. You’re feeling confident and looking good when out of nowhere an unsightly sweat patch appears, and knocks you off your stride. So, you put on your jacket to cover it up – despite the searing heat – or lock your arms down by your side to make a distinctly un-natural looking handshake… Well things are about to change, because the embarrassing and uncomfortable sweat patch is set to be banished to the annuals of fashion history, thanks to new British shirt brand FreshMax. Continue Reading »

This just in from University College London: “As part of a UCL Masters Programme, we are undertaking a marketing strategy study into entrepreneurs and their banking habits.”

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5YYC6X

“The purpose of this survey is to try to understand entrepreneurs’ and young business owners’ banking habits and preferences, to try to improve available banking services. Target group: below the age of 45 and in one way or another engaged with entrepreneurship.”

If you’ve tried to open a new bank account recently, you’ll understand how critically important this work is. Please lend UCL (and yourself and all of us!) a hand by filling in the survey now. I just did it: very quick and easy, and helps me hope that we might see improved—and better targeted—service from the banking sector sometime soon.

Today, NCR has announced the acquisition of Mobiqa, an Edinburgh based startup specialised in mobile ticketing. Founded in 2002 by Ronnie Forbes, they pioneered bar code delivery through mobile phones. CEO Nick Rankin refocused the sales effort on airlines, where they quickly became market leader. They also cater to rail operators, the entertainment industry (think TicketMaster), and to retailers. If you ever received a bar code on your phone, it’s likely it came from a noisy server locked in a cupboard in Edinburgh. Continue Reading »