BusinessCloud

Erin Meryl McGurk leads our Founder Friday newsletter with the story of how she went from South Manchester to Silicon Valley and founded Egoist Machines, Inc. (YC S26) with David Khachaturov. Also featuring are Stephen Turner Sean Brown James Tweed Martin Robert Hall Abdul Bangura Jesse Owusu Dr. Elsa Zekeng Rachel Allison Robbie Lyle Antonia Okonma Shittu 🚀

PE-backed ProofID, the pure-play identity security specialist delivering advisory, implementation and managed services, has appointed Neil Evans as its first Chief AI Officer. The newly created role will lead Manchester-based ProofID’s transformation into an AI-native business. Evans brings more than 30 years of technology leadership spanning software engineering, product innovation and C-suite roles across enterprise software and professional audio. You can read the full story here https://lnkd.in/eN2GSD7u

Founders can't move mountains on their own - they need a team. That's the message of Versori founder Sean Brown in the latest episode of The Naked Founder podcast. Earlier this year Versori was bought by US tech giant Avalara and Brown said one of his biggest mistakes he made in the early days was thinking he could do it all on his own. “I underestimated the power of the team,” he told The Naked Founder podcast. “At the beginning, I thought I could lift mountains on my own, which was completely wrong.” You can listen to the episode here https://lnkd.in/evPmXx5u #Founders

Northern Gritstone, the investment company scaling early-stage life sciences and technology companies in the North of England, has promoted Simon Braham to chief investment officer. Since Northern Gritstone began investing in May 2022, its team has reviewed more than 1,500 opportunities, leading to investments in 52 cutting-edge companies in the North based on world-leading science. It has backed spinouts from University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, The University of Manchester and The University of Sheffield - collectively known as the ‘Northern Arc’. Northern Gritstone continues to build out its investment team. James Bellis joins in the newly created role of portfolio director, while Narjeet Singh also joins as investment manager. Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, said: “Simon has made a positive impact on Northern Gritstone in the past year. “His appointment supports our profit with purpose investment philosophy and our firm belief that the UK’s first trillion-dollar company will be based on the science and technology that comes from academic research in our leading universities based in the UK Technology Diamond.” Full story 👇 https://lnkd.in/eAd6ynsA

Sports technology business Urban Zoo has secured a £20 million investment from BGF to back global growth. Founded in 2013, the Warrington-based company provides world-leading digital platforms for sports brands, clubs and federations – across mobile, web, streaming, eCommerce, and retail – to drive fan engagement and strengthen revenue streams. Urban Zoo works with more than 60 professional clubs across all tiers of English and Scottish Football Leagues, including Aston Villa Football Club, Everton Football Club and Celtic Football Club, as well as the Professional Darts Corporation and The Rugby Football League “Over the last 13 years, Urban Zoo has created a strong foothold in the UK sports market, working with some of the biggest brands, clubs and governing bodies to deliver digital platforms that engage fans around the world,” said CEO Chris Grannell. “We have a massive opportunity to take our platform into key global markets.” Geoffrey Finlay, former CEO of Lysanda and nCipher plc, will join as non-executive chair. He was appointed through BGF’s Talent Network – one of the largest groups of board-level non-executives in the UK and Ireland. Rhys Davenport, investor at BGF, commented: “We’ve developed a close working relationship with Urban Zoo over the last five years, seeing them go from strength to strength. That relationship has helped to underpin a flexible deal, centering on value creation and long-term, patient growth capital. “The company’s proven traction in the UK market creates a strong foundation for a significant scaling opportunity, with global potential and the ability to position itself at the forefront of the digital sports market.” Full story 👇 https://lnkd.in/eRvTfCCR

Millions of shoppers using BNPL services will be better protected by new rules that have now come into force. The government says they deliver on its commitment ‘to end the Buy Now, Pay Later Wild-West’. These products will now be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, giving consumers protections in line with other forms of credit.  Under the new rules, providers must also carry out affordability checks before offering credit. And anyone who falls into financial difficulty will be directed towards debt advice and support first, rather than being immediately handed to a debt collector. Rachel Blake, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, said: “We made a clear promise to give consumers the protections they deserve and today we are delivering." Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “Buy Now Pay Later done right, isn’t wrong. It’s fine for those who understand what they’re doing and make an active, one-off decision to use it to spread the cost over a few months interest-free. “Yet too many don’t do that. They fall for BNPL’s ubiquity, use it constantly and build up a bank of unaffordable debt. Worse, not everyone knows it’s a debt. That is why it has been unsafe for some." “These protections importantly include being able to appeal to the independent, free Financial Ombudsman Service over problems such as if your credit file is wrongly marked, or if BNPL has been mis-sold rather than properly explained as a debt.” Rocio Concha Galguera, director of policy and advocacy at Which?, which also campaigned for the changes, said: “It’s great news that this is finally happening and means users of these services will benefit from stronger safeguards." Vikki Brownridge, CEO at StepChange Debt Charity, said: “Following years of campaigning by StepChange and others across the sector, we welcome these new consumer protections. Bringing BNPL products into line with other consumer credit products is an important step that will give borrowers stronger safeguards and greater confidence.” Alison Walters, director of consumer finance at the FCA, said: “Our regulation will make sure people can continue to benefit from this type of borrowing; have the information they need to make informed decisions and the protections to help avoid unmanageable debt.” Lilly Aaron, senior policy manager and Buy Now Pay Later lead at the Money and Pensions Service, said: “As with any other form of credit, when using Buy Now Pay Later, consumers should always check they can comfortably afford the repayments, avoid taking on multiple agreements they may struggle to keep track of, and make sure they are aware of when payments are due.” Full story 👇 https://lnkd.in/ePC4tpW2

Online stalking victim Naomi Timperley FRSA has called on LinkedIn to review its policy on stalking as her attacker prepares to be released from prison. Sam Wall was jailed in October 2025 for 28 months for a ‘prolonged, deliberate and calculated’ campaign of online abuse against high-profile figures from the business and tech industry. Timperley, who was one of her victims, has been told Wall could be released as early as October after serving a third of her sentence. Despite her conviction Wall, who describes herself as a ‘digital strategist’, still has an active LinkedIn account with 28k followers (see image). Now Timperley has written an open letter to LinkedIn calling on the tech giants to think about the victims. She wrote: "When someone has repeatedly used LinkedIn as part of a criminal campaign of stalking, the platform cannot simply reset to zero because a prison sentence has ended." BusinessCloud has published the letter in full. Read her full letter here https://lnkd.in/eZyzNC5p

The funeral of legendary corporate finance figure Chris Silverwood will take place at 1.30pm on July 27. It will be held at All Saints C of E Church, Kirby Hill, Boroughbridge, YO51 9DX. Silverwood’s widow, Louise Silverwood, has asked mourners to dress casually in honour of her husband’s ‘favoured attire of cargo shorts/pants and a polo shirt’. A familiar and popular figure across the North, he was prolific on LinkedIn, and his last post came just before England’s World Cup match against DR Congo on July 1. Silverwood’s business partner, Tony Norwood, is organising a gathering in his friend’s memory in Leeds at a later date after the summer holidays. Silverwood was a corporate financier at Harrogate-based CorpFin, an independent corporate finance boutique offering entrepreneurs a range of corporate finance advisory services. Away from work, he was a proud family man and devoted father to his three young sons, Sebbie, Zachy and Leo, and his two daughters, Francesca and Niamh. Long-time associate Julian Kynaston, founder of Propaganda Agency, shared his favourite photo of Silverwood with Mike Fletcher of Arete Capital Partners LLP. He wrote: “The photo attached is my favourite of Chris, taken on a big day out we had in Liverpool as guests of his long-time pal Mike Fletcher.” More details here https://lnkd.in/eF3cneVj

With the World Cup now at the semi-final stage, Martin Robert Hall is the perfect person to talk about improving performance in business and elite sport. As part of BusinessCloud's founder series, he's written a powerful account of his own story and says courage comes before confidence on a founder’s journey. He wrote: "Getting my first book, Optimize Yourself, into Sir Alex Ferguson’s hands was always going to be a challenge. "Stood uninvited in a Stockport County tracksuit outside his PA’s office, even I began to question what I was doing. 'I hadn’t arrived at Carrington that day with a plan or permission. Simply turning up triggered an improbable chain of events – culminating in a letter of congratulations from Sir Alex himself on my book. "Once again, I had been rewarded for choosing courage over confidence. That principle has become the cornerstone of my journey as a founder." You can read the full article here https://lnkd.in/eXw_Dir8 (Special mention for the legendary Michael Finnigan) #founder