GUEST COLUMN: Rachel AshleyLead Investor Women Angels of Wales Women under 25 are now 20 times more likely to start a business than five years ago. Yet statistics also show us that women launch businesses with 53% less capital on average than men, they are less aware of funding options and they are less likely to take on debt. Furthermore, only one in three entrepreneurs is a woman, and just one penny in every pound of investment goes to female-led firms. All entrepreneurs can face a range of hurdles, from getting their start-up off the ground to overseeing day-to-day operations and ..read more

The latest quarterly report by the Industrial Agents Society (IAS) shows 72 transactions across South Wales, totalling 610,000 sq ft of industrial space. The figure is a 10% increase on the same period in 2023. There were six deals of over 50,000 sq ft, with the largest being the sale of 83,000 sq ft at Abergorki Industrial Estate, Treorchy. The largest leasehold deal for the quarter was the 49,517 sq ft letting at Mamhilad Park Estate, to Juvela Limited. Commercial property agents JLL and Cooke & Arkwright are acting on behalf of Johnsey Estates UK Limited to market available industrial ..read more

Some of Wales’ most innovative and creative food and drink producers have been celebrated with awards.  The third annual Wales Food and Drink Awards were held at Brangwyn Hall in Swansea, showcasing small start-ups through to established companies who have become household names. More than 300 entries were received for the awards, with more than 400 guests attending the ceremony. Bob Clark of Itch Investors chaired the judging panel. He said: “We heard from so many founders with such fire and passion for their business, no doubt some burgeoning dragons of the future and inspiring to see ..read more

A Newport distribution depot is the only Welsh recipient of an award. Monex Distribution has been recognised as one of only 10 UK winners, and the only recipient in Wales, of the 2024 Platinum Award, which recognises outstanding performance across the highest level of service for customers across the Palletways UK network. Depots are awarded Platinum status based on service levels, delivery and collection stats, growth of network, service sustainability, customer sustainability and new customer accounts. Kelly Hinchcliffe, Director, Monex Distribution said: “This award is absolutely te ..read more

A construction giant joined forces with carpentry contractors to give school pupils some hands-on careers learning. Kier worked with Careers Wales to construct an outdoor learning space for the pupils of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe in Swansea. A total of 43 pupils worked with the Kier team as well as with contractors Ian Williams Carpentry and HD Carpentry. The pupils were given a full health and safety induction before setting to work on building the outdoor space. They followed plans and drawings and carried out basic civil engineering checks along with initial groundworks, carpentry and ..read more

A former Cardiff and Vale College student has been selected to represent the UK at the ‘Skills Olympics’. Ruby Pile, who studied an HND in Hospitality Management at the college, will compete as part of Team UK in the WorldSkills competition, commonly known as the ‘Skills Olympics’. The competition takes place in France in September. Ruby, who works at the prestigious Michelin-star Restaurant Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa near Bath, will compete in the Restaurant Service category. Team UK is selected, mentored and trained by WorldSkills UK in partnership with learning company Pear ..read more

Vehicle subscription platform Wagonex has announced a transatlantic partnership. The Cardiff-based firm is a leader in the UK’s fast-growing vehicle subscription market, specialising in building, launching, and growing subscription platforms for vehicle manufacturers and retailers. Now it has launched a platform with OneSummit, one of Chile’s largest car dealership groups. The strategic partnership aims to help OneSummit expand its fleet solutions across the South American market with its own branded subscription platform. The platform is one of the first car subscription propositions in Chil ..read more

A leading innovation hub has secured funding to boost student spinouts and creative tech projects across Wales.   Building on the success of its GreenTech and Convergent Content programmes, Tramshed Tech is unveiling two new initiatives designed to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship. The programmes will be run as part of Barclays Eagle Labs Ecosystem Partnership Programme and funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The first offering, the Convergent Content Scaler, is a 12-week programme designed to help companies scale up t ..read more

An education and industry partnership has created a pioneering ‘data dashboard’ for an engineering solutions company. Medru – a joint initiative between Coleg Cambria, Bangor University, and The Open University in Wales – teamed up with AMRC Cymru to create the system for Hawarden-based LCA Group Ltd. The project highlights the synergies between academia, industry, and technology in driving forward digital transformation in North Wales. They developed a proof-of-concept data dashboard that showcases the power of real-time data analysis and visualisation. Medru’s commitment to leveraging adva ..read more

The Welsh team who will be competing in Sharjah (from left) Jordan Howorth, Dylan Evans, Harry Paynter-Roberts, Calum Smith, Sion Hughes and Connor Smith. A team of six young chefs – including three debutants – are set to represent Wales in a prestigious international culinary competition in the United Arab Emirates. The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) has been invited to compete against eight other countries in the Alen Thong Golden Coffee Pot Young Chef Challenge at The International Emirates Salon Culinaire, during Expoculinaire 2024 Sharjah. Flying the flag for Wales will be captain ..read more