Tag: Design

Every January, millions take on Dry January, a ritual of restraint and resetting after the holiday season. If that’s the benchmark for kicking off the year with moderation, Europe’s startup ecosystem clearly didn’t get the memo.  In the opening weeks of 2026, the region saw five startups join the unicorn club, crossing the $1 billion valuation mark across sectors as varied as cybersecurity, cloud optimisation, defence tech, ESG software, and education technology.  January was anything but dry for European companies. This burst of activity signals more than a funding spike; it invites a deeper look at what Europe’s innovation identity…

G2 acquires Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp from Gartner G2 has completed a major acquisition by purchasing three of the world’s most influential software discovery platforms from Gartner. The move significantly reshapes the global B2B software reviews market and strengthens G2’s position in how companies evaluate and buy software. Noora Saksaa appointed CEO of Slush Slush, one of Europe’s most influential tech and startup events, has named Noora Saksa as its new CEO. The leadership change signals a strategic shift toward expanding Slush beyond its annual event and building a year-round global founder platform. France moves public sector away from…

The software industry is increasingly questioning the growing influence of G2 following its agreement to acquire Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp from Gartner. The deal, announced in late January and expected to close in Q1 2026, consolidates several of the most influential B2B software discovery platforms under a single owner . How big is G2’s footprint after the acquisition? According to G2’s own disclosures, the combined group will host around 6 million verified software reviews and reach more than 200 million software buyers annually across thousands of categories. Individually, the platforms already commanded significant scale: G2 reports over 3 million…

We are all familiar with the subscription economy, and it certainly works as a reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were all hooked on our TVs watching Netflix or listening to our favorite music artist on Spotify. Despite how modern it seems to be, the truth is that the subscription economy has been around for some time, surprisingly dating back to around 1800, with the first magazine subscriptions, or the subscriptions for fresh British milk, around 1860. Over the years, the of subscription-based companies has turned the subscription model into an ideal business strategy since it provides unique benefits.…

Apple confirmed this week that it has acquired Israeli AI startup Q.ai in a deal valued at close to $2 billion, making it one of the company’s largest acquisitions ever, second only to the $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014.  But check your assumptions: this isn’t Beats 2.0. There’s no new headphone brand to flex. Instead, Apple is paying top dollar for tech that might let your devices understand you without you ever saying a word. ​​These days we put our phones on silent so they won’t disturb us; soon the phone will put us on silent so it…

G2, the Chicago-based software insights platform, agreed today to acquire three prominent software review and discovery properties from Gartner: Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp. The deal brings four of the largest B2B review sites under a single roof and signals a shift toward unified, AI-driven software recommendation and buying experiences.   According to the announcement, the combined business will include roughly six million verified customer reviews and tap into an audience of more than 200 million annual software buyers. G2 said it expects the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to standard regulatory and closing conditions.   G2’s…

AI adoption is creating a clear divide among employees. Some see AI as a tool to increase their impact, while others see it as a threat to their role. So, where does the truth lie between these two mindsets? Let’s explore. AI doesn’t eliminate roles, it removes low-leverage work Over the past two years, we’ve seen a wave of layoffs often attributed to “AI replacing humans.” Among widely discussed cases, IBM openly stated that over 7,000 back-office roles may no longer need to be hired because AI can absorb the work. Many other tech players, including Microsoft, Amazon, and HP,…

The Next Web (TNW) is making a bold move: its flagship conference is relocating to London, placing TNW’s main annual event at the centre of one of the world’s most powerful technology and investment ecosystems. The move marks a significant moment for TNW and signals a broader evolution of the brand’s global events strategy. A new concept: TNW Gathering Alongside the move to London, TNW is introducing a new global event concept: TNW Gathering. Designed as an intimate, invite-only format, TNW Gathering is created for members of the TNW Council and a carefully selected group of founders, operators, and investors.…

The way people discover information online is quietly but fundamentally changing. Instead of scrolling through links and choosing which article to open, users are increasingly asking large language models to answer directly. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity don’t send people browsing; they synthesise information from multiple sources and deliver a ready-made response inside the interface. For brands and publishers, this creates a new problem: what does visibility mean when nobody clicks anymore? The decline of the click-based era For years, search optimization revolved around a familiar feedback loop: publish content, earn rankings, drive clicks, measure performance. Traffic, impressions, and engage

In a bold turn of phrase and deed, Paris has quietly told Silicon Valley “au revoir.”  On January 26, 2026, France’s Ministry of Finance announced that by 2027, all public servants will switch from U.S. video apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to a homegrown platform called Visio.  No more license renewals for Teams, Zoom, Webex, or Meet, just one unified, French-built solution.  In one stroke, a long-discussed slogan “digital sovereignty” has leapt off the podium and into practice. This is not a press release; it’s a watershed moment: Europe’s second-biggest economy is wagering that, when it comes to critical…