My fav investors who I could not close and shall remain nameless inc this hilarious table in their annual update. So true on valuations 🤣

I've been told this is not the way you're supposed to do comms for this sort of thing but here goes... 🤷‍♂️ Today, the @StartupCltn found ourselves tangled up in a Daily Mail piece. Here’s how it went 👇 Yesterday we got an “urgent” email from a Mail journalist saying that we would be in a story they were writing as “part of our campaign against the proposed Al copyright exemption” (good to start with impartial journalism and facts in mind 😂). We were given a few hours to respond to claims of a conflict of interest because Entrepreneur First’s COO Tom Shinner sits on our steering board while Matt Clifford (who co-founded EF) is advising the PM on AI opportunities. This whole thing is hilarious to me for a few reasons. First - the idea of drawing an It’s Always Sunny meme link between startup orgs & Matt is kind of unnecessary. It would be much weirder if we didn’t have links to Matt. And weirder still if the Government appointed an AI adviser who didn’t know anything about the AI ecosystem he was supposed to be advising on. Second - Not only do we know Tom, Matt & EF, they and lots of other VCs are involved in our work including providing a lot of our funding. If the Mail had been interested in listening to what anyone had to say we would have happily told them. Funnily enough they didn’t bother & chose to completely ignore the statement we sent over instead of running it as any sort of response. Third -  Even if you’re writing a hit piece, I think we’d all prefer basic facts to be right - like the fact that Vinous Ali (my female deputy referenced in the piece) isn’t ‘Mr Ali’. Or that Matt isn’t ’the tech oligarch for the UK’ (as cool as that makes him sound). And finally - we can argue about the exact right approach to AI policy. But I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that we’d be on the side of AI startups & making sure they stay & build their models/companies in the UK instead of leaving to take their jobs & innovation with them to places like the US (indeed that’s what Vinous was saying in Parliament...).  Side note: I’m personally just amazed that we’ve found an issue where according to the Daily Mail the EU’s policy is too deregulatory 😂 The truth is this stuff isn’t really about the Startup Coalition, it’s not about Tom, it’s not even really about Matt (though there's been a raft of hit pieces on him over the past few months). It’s actually about the Mail, their proprietor & their commercial interests. Of course, they’re well within their rights to argue their case, I’d just politely suggest that they can make it by doing what Vinous did in openly contributing ideas to the legislative process rather than running pieces designed to defend their interests under the guise of impartial journalism. Whatever your opinion on the rights & wrongs of AI and copyright you too can contribute to the Government consultation until 25th Feb. I’d genuinely encourage you to do so whatever your views

When everyone becomes a victim, no one is a victim

It’s budget day! So here’s the thread of the most important announcements for tech startups and scaleups… 🧵

100% this. Not just for conservation areas - everywhere. You shouldn’t need planning for a heat pump. 19m out of 26m homes don’t meet basic standards. It would take 130 years to knock them down and rebuild them. Existing has to form part of the solution. Yet to be mentioned

⁦⁦⁦@AngelaRayner⁩, will your reforms also streamline #planning to facilitate #retrofit of millions of existing homes in conservation areas and make them cheaper more comfortable to live in? Residents, pls respond to 8-week consultation! on.ft.com/4cZALqW

Still can't get over the Tories spending an entire morning branding the Rachel Reeves plagiarism story "really serious" and then a few hours later having one of their own MPs arrested for rape.

So many crucial points made in this short video - bravo!!!

Alright @danmurrayserter is a good mate but I flipping (insert stronger word) love this entire thread Omg to number 1!

Our final guest speaker for the day is Alex Depledge MBE of @resi_uk “Difference, mine & yours, is our greatest asset” #WIBEC Sponsored by: @Inter_Trade @GlandoreNetwork @InvestNI @Entirl & Yes You Can | @adepledge

“Sometimes, if you want to get ahead you need to stay late and put in the extra shift” ❤️ @hwallop You can’t only ever expect to do fun stuff — it’s called ‘work’ for a reason thetimes.co.uk/article/7f859…

More speakers take to the stage at the All-Island Entrepreneurs Conference | 16th June at @Slievedonard 🏡@adepledge CEO of @resi_uk 🧵Sarah Thompson Owner of Ted & Stitch 💬@MauricaMackle Owner of Mackle Communications Early Bird tickets end 26th May: bityl.co/IqbT

.@adepledge is among a stellar line-up of speakers announced for the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Conference curated by @wibni. Taking place on 16th June at the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle, the conference will focus on the theme, ‘Dare to Compete'. syncni.com/article/10960/lea…

Top 10 reasons why prostitution is better than consulting. 1. You sometimes get to choose your clients 2. Hotel and other expenses are directly billed 3. You actually receive the high hourly rate clients are paying for you 4. No dress code 5. Close client interaction at all times 6. You are working nights anyway 7. Finally a way to fit exercise into a tight schedule 8. Singular and clear client satisfaction KPI 9. Not tied down working with a team (unless you want to be) 10. Either way you are getting screwed by clients

The spluttering progress of factory-built houses is further proof that a significant slice of the building trade is averse to modernisation. But a chronic shortage of bricklayers will ultimately force its hand. thetimes.co.uk/article/f15fd…

‘Britain’s once truly world-beating carbon policymaking has come to resemble a Potemkin village of grand-sounding promises with little substance’ #retrofit on.ft.com/3pP0AGs

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🤖💈We have undertaken a significant poll with @focaldataHQ and @JimmysJobs exploring how Artificial Intelligence could impact jobs now and over the next decade IBM has already paused on hiring 10,000 staff This will shape up to become one of the public debates 🧵👇 /1

I just paid £6.75 for a pint. I am not in London 👀

Last week I asked if I could feel my direct reports biceps. Quick @NicYeeles you better make a complaint!!! That dress suits your figure, CBI president ‘told colleague’ thetimes.co.uk/article/fd3fc…