Intelligent SME.tech Issue 27 | Page 6

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SMEs fear inflation and rising energy costs are a long-term threat to their business
The UK is currently in a state of economic crisis . A recent report by Energy Live News found that many small businesses are ‘ struggling to stay afloat ’, and it ’ s anticipated that ‘ nearly 53 % of small companies expect to stagnate , downsize or fold in the next year ’ as a result of the energy crisis .
CIPS also reported that 74 % of SMEs said energy bills , inflation and rising living costs are a long-term concern for their business . As a result , start-ups are failing ; between January and March 2022 , there were 205,171 new incorporations and 150,810 dissolutions in the UK .
With a lack of time , funds and resources at their disposal , SMEs are looking for innovative ways to save money and digitise previously costly services , leaving funds available for other areas of the business .
Digital solutions such as Docue , Xero and Hubspot have seen a year-on-year growth in users , as more SMEs look to go digital .
Airly secures funding to fight air pollution and save lives
AWS and Plexal unite with start-ups to tackle issues in EMEA healthcare
Air pollution is the most-pressing environmental health crisis of our time with approximately nine in 10 people around the world breathing unclean air .
Helping to spotlight this existential threat , Airly has announced a US $ 5.5 million Series A funding round as it targets cleaning the air by understanding the exact sources based on sensor data and comprehensive actionable insights .
With this funding round , Airly has raised US $ 8.8 million from investors since March 2021 , as it now scales to realise the potential of its complete air quality monitoring platform and supporting local governments determined to fight for clean air with an end-to-end solution .
“ Monitoring with our sensors has helped bring the issue to the surface and now with our dashboard offering actionable insights and nudges , we believe this will be the catalyst that helps move measures and policies into place to repair the air we breathe ,” said Wiktor Warchałowski , CEO and Cofounder of Airly .
The pandemic , burnout , decreased budgets and increased patient demands have put pressure on healthcare systems across EMEA .
This has led to burnout for doctors , nurses and support staff , with people leaving the health and social care systems in droves .
To help solve this healthcare staffing challenge , Plexal will work with Amazon Web Services ( AWS ) to deliver the global AWS Healthcare Accelerator . Plexal will be joined by AlchemistX in the delivery of this international accelerator programme .
The AWS Healthcare Accelerator is a four-week programme for health start-ups seeking to create positive impact and prevent the workforce issues thwarting efficient patient care .
“ I ’ m delighted to launch our partnership with AWS , which will focus on removing technology barriers to create a productive workforce and satisfied patients in the healthcare sector ,” said Andrew Roughan , CEO at Plexal .
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