Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

2021’s coolest UK female founders making huge impact in tech

The Office of National Statistics’ latest figures say that women now comprise 31% of the tech sector workforce. While this might seem like a positive — it’s a significant proportion of a male-dominated sector — progress has been slow.

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

The #21toWatch shortlist for 2021 is revealed

The 2021 shortlist for next month’s coveted #21toWatch Awards can now be revealed - and it includes some of the most inspirational entrepreneurs, start-ups and innovations from the East of England.

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

5 myths you shouldn’t believe about fundraising (and one stark reality)

Seed fundraising feels like a rollercoaster when you’re in it. It feels like it’s going on forever, it’s tempting to let it gobble up all of your time and attention, and you’re never sure whether it’ll be who you know or what you know that will make you stand out in front of investors.

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

One step forward for self-driving cars

This week we are one step closer to a future of self-driving cars thanks to a new proposal the UK government is considering, which could see automated cars on the roads as early as next year. Our tech guru Peter Cowley told Eva Higginbotham more...

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

Is Cambridge one of the UK’s foremost business ecosystems?

In each edition of Business Leader Magazine, we profile one of the UK’s leading business destinations – in our last edition we focused on Cambridge. Through its role as a mecca for the world’s educational elite, its relentless drive to innovate new technology, and its proximity to the capital, have all made it an attractive proposition for businesses and entrepreneurs.

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

Serendipity may be a thing of the past, says Cleevely

Fewer opportunities for serendipity – chance encounters leading to unexpected ideas and relationships – may be one tragic outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Dr David Cleevely, serial entrepreneur, co-founder of Cambridge Network and a leading business figure in the region for many years.

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Charlotte Kirby Charlotte Kirby

Cambridge Angels' top tips for remote working

It’s no secret that Coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in the way that we work. Remote working has been part of our lives for a number of months now and it seems it will be a feature that will continue to influence the way we do business, even after a return to an office environment.

It’s no secret that Coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in the way that we work. Remote working has been part of our lives for a number of months now and it seems it will be a feature that will continue to influence the way we do business, even after a return to an office environment.

Cambridge Angels has since the start of lockdown, hosted regular online sessions with both its members and our portfolio. One of the key topics for us, as for most people, has been the non-trivial matter of making remote working work. We’ve collated a list of the top tips for remote working that we’ve heard from our portfolio and our members.

As we head into the summer season, and as remote working fatigue may be starting to set in, we hope that you’ll find these reminder tips handy.

Look after your and your team’s mental health

Exercise regularly, take regular breaks, create a routine, manage your information intake, set a daily ‘no meetings’ period in your team’s diaries

Set the tone

Create an informal chat or social sessions to keep spirits high. Allow for feedback for employees to submit improvement suggestions for how we communicate and work together at this time. Make remote working work for you. Change where you sit, put on music, whatever helps you work. And enjoy the perks – no commute or uncomfortable shoes, and all your home comforts!

Keep in touch

Have a ‘war room’ call with your team at the start of each day and keep all communication explicit and transparent. Keep up one-to-one contact. Be prepared for each meeting to communicate effectively

Conference call tips

Always switch on the camera. Seeing each other’s faces really helps. Use facilitation technologies to help (e.g. Mentimeter and Kaptivo)

Remote customer contact

Behave as if every dollar of revenue is the last you’re going to see from that customer and focus on upselling. Engage with your customers on a human level – their businesses are going through the same crisis. Consider the risk associated with every revenue assumption and put contingency plans in place for each.

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