Tag Archives: Tech Ecosystem

The Death of the Commons and the Piss-Taking Wannabee Founders

A wave of performative, over-leveraged start-ups is degrading the shared trust that underpins venture capital. By making absurd nine-figure asks on the back of debt and bravado, showboating founders extract attention while imposing costs on everyone else. The result is harsher funding conditions, deeper scepticism, and the steady erosion of the start-up ecosystem as a commons.

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Tech Nation Rising Stars Midlands Final 2025 – Notes from the Canopy

There’s a quiet satisfaction in sitting on the edge of things, absorbing detail, thinking clearly, watching structure unfold. Last April, at The Canopy at The Bond in Birmingham’s Digbeth district, I was glad to attend the Midlands Regional Final of Tech Nation Rising Stars 2025. This wasn’t just a pitch competition; it was a sharp snapshot of the region’s entrepreneurial promise, delivered without bluster but full of energy.

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