Insights

Jan. 7, 2026 - Five Predictions for 2026 + The Latest News Russian grey zone warfare will intensify. Putin’s calculation is that Europeans will divert resources from Ukraine if they perceive a threat to their homeland. Meanwhile Western Europe is struggling to grasp that it is living “in a space between peace and war”, as Blaise Metreweli put it in December. Let’s see if Putin can change that perception. Space X will become the most valuable company on the planet. It already

Jan 3, 2026 - PitchBook Research AI momentum and new liquidity channels set the stage for a 2026 venture rebound The venture market heads into 2026 with a mix of optimism and realism. Liquidity challenges remain front and center, but improving market stability, easing interest rates, and a wave of AI-driven innovation are setting the stage for renewed activity across the ecosystem. While exit values in 2025 are expected to fall short of previous cycles, signs of recovery are

Dec. 24, 2025 - PitchBook Research While dealmaking has picked up overall, activity has slowed down in some of the continent’s biggest economies. After three consecutive years of decline, VC funding for European startups is in recovery, but the rebound is uneven across the continent. According to PitchBook data, VC investment in Europe is projected to reach €66 billion (about $78 billion) this year, up 6.5% from 2024. However, the number of rounds has continued to decline for

Dec. 10, 2025 - Major developments in dual-use and defence tech. UK launches Atlantic Bastion to counter Russia at sea 
 The UK is unveiling Atlantic Bastion, a new undersea surveillance and anti-submarine system that integrates autonomous vessels, AI-enabled sensor networks, and existing naval assets. Unusually public for a traditionally secretive domain, the program reflects rising concern over Russia’s efforts to target undersea cables and pipelines as part of grey-zone wa

Dec. 4, 2025 - Ragan Employees don’t just want better communication from leadership — they’re saying unclear communication is preventing them from doing their best work. And new data shows that this clarity gap is shaping employee experience. DHR Global’s Workforce Trends Report 2026  revealed that employees feel that communication can have a direct impact on maintaining and improving employee experience. In the study of over 1,500 professionals from North America, Europe and

Dec. 3, 2025 - Major developments in dual-use and defence tech. Taiwan builds golden dome Taiwan has unveiled its T-Dome air-defence concept—an Iron Dome-style shield backed by a proposed $40bn budget jump—as it shifts from buying big-ticket US systems to a more mobile, asymmetric defence inspired by Ukraine. Fixed defences won’t survive a China strike, so Taiwan is being pushed toward cheap, mobile, and even underground systems. US federal agencies begin C-UAS collaboration

Dec. 1, 2025 - Harvard Business Review Strategy doesn’t fail for lack of ambition. It fails when words meant to unify instead divide. The obligation of leadership is ensuring language acts as the bridge between vision and execution. That means treating words as infrastructure—the scaffolding that supports every decision, action, and behavior inside the organization. When leaders choose clarity over abstraction, they reduce the risk of drift. Ultimately, the real test of strat

Nov. 26, 2025 - Major developments in dual-use and defence tech. UK government buys counter-drone laser The UK is spending £316m on MBDA’s DragonFire laser, a £10-per-shot system aimed at stopping the growing drone threat. But with limitations in urban and civilian airspace, it’s only one piece of a rapidly expanding, fragmented counter-UAS market that now spans everything from airports to cartel hotspots—and lacks a unifying platform. China develops counter-AI playbook China

Nov. 24, 2025 - PitchBook News Just four of the 1,086 VC deals recorded for AI startups in Q3—funding rounds for xAI, Anthropic, Nscale and Mistral—accounted for nearly half of the quarter’s total deal value, according to our latest Emerging Tech Research . As fears over a potential AI bubble fester, VCs are backing fewer companies—but investing heavily into that select group. Investors are continuing to pour capital into startups developing large language models because nea

Nov. 21, 2025 - Major developments in dual-use and defence tech. First, the UK is preparing to restart large-scale explosives production, identifying more than a dozen potential sites as demand for artillery surges. After years of cuts and shifting priorities, the return of great-power competition has underscored that traditional munitions remain essential. Second, Britain is sending counter-drone teams and equipment to Belgium following multiple drone sightings near sensitiv

Nov. 17, 2025 - MIT Sloan Management Review When terrible things happen in an organization — a partnership ends in disaster, expenses outpace income by a mile, or outside economic  forces throw progress way off course — employees look to leaders to explain what’s going on. Good communication requires leaders to determine what happened and what comes next. They can start by articulating the answers to two questions: Where does responsibility for the problem lie? And is the sit

Nov. 12, 2025 - Three major developments in dual-use and defence tech. Hegseth announces procurement overhaul US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced a sweeping procurement overhaul that prioritises speed and mandates a “commercial-first” approach, signalling a shift away from bespoke, cost-plus contracting and toward productised, software-style defence technologies. That is good news for early-stage defence startups. European Space Agency takes on defence role The Eu

Nov. 11, 2025 - PitchBook News Surging electricity demand from AI and data centers has pushed sector investment to €38.6 billion across 245 deals as of Nov. 10—already beyond 2023 levels and on track to set a five-year high. Data center growth alone is expected to raise Europe’s electricity use by up to 15% over the next decade. Easing monetary policy and stronger economic stability have further boosted investor confidence, leading to fewer but larger transactions. Foreign ca

Oct. 23, 2025 - MIT Sloan Management Review Top chief executives reveal what they do to drive change from within their organizations. Interviews with 83 top-performing CEOs show that the most effective leaders navigate strategic transitions by involving others in shaping the plan, cocreating strategy with their teams, activating multiple organizational levers, and adapting their own leadership style.   Between three and five years into their tenure, the best CEOs typically ta

Apr. 28, 2025 - MIT Sloan Management Review Unpredictability is the new normal — and leadership must adapt and navigate through the chaos. Navigating today’s level of volatility demands not just agility but a willingness to rethink how we lead, plan, and adapt. Leading through chaos is about learning how to ride the storm — and helping our teams do the same. Consider 10 insights to rethink strategy, speed, and resilience: 1. Build resilience for surprises. This resilience ma

Jan. 4, 2024 - Harvard Business School Measuring your business strategy’s success is vital to strategy execution. Despite its importance, research by SurveyMonkey shows that only 35 percent of business owners set benchmarks or goals. Among those who set them, 90 percent consider themselves successful. Of those who don't, only 71 percent report the same. If you want to achieve organizational objectives and avoid common strategic planning pitfalls, here’s why it’s important to