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Exohood Labs: Britain’s £3.7B AI Sensation!
TGI Fridays’ UK Shake-Up Sizzles On
This is Cliff Equity, the UK’s business newsletter that keeps you informed on what’s important in tech, business and finance in less than 5 minutes
In today’s stories:
Exohood Labs: Britain’s £3.7B AI Sensation!
TGI Fridays’ UK Shake-Up Sizzles On
Airfares Skyrocket, Energy Bills Warm Up!
The summary: With a £143 million investment, a £3.7 billion valuation, and game-changing AI tech shaking up everything from biotech to video games, Exohood Labs is proving that British innovation is well and truly leading the AI revolution!
The details:
Exohood Labs, a UK-based AI trailblazer, just bagged a cheeky $189 million (£143M) from Poland’s Livsquare Capital, boosting its valuation to a staggering $3.7 billion. Not bad for a bit of British ingenuity!
The funds are earmarked for Exania, their AI marvel for scientific research, and GINETTE, an AI engine set to give creative industries—from filmmaking to video games—a proper shake-up.
With its Exania Orbe platform boasting offline capabilities and a security-first blockchain backbone, Exohood is already turning heads in government, space, and biotech circles, expecting to rake in a tidy $240 million from license sales alone.
Livsquare's investment is a tip of the hat to Exohood’s potential, as they sprint toward becoming one of the UK’s AI unicorns, with profitability looming in their first commercial year. Quite the British success story in the making!
Why it matters: Exohood Labs is putting the UK on the map as a serious contender in the global AI race, proving it’s not just the Americans and Chinese who can play at the cutting-edge. A hefty investment and soaring valuation show they’ve got the smarts and the tech to disrupt industries from biotech to filmmaking, all while keeping sensitive data securely under lock and key. Plus, profitability in year one? That’s practically unheard of—leave it to the Brits to pull off such a cheeky coup!
The summary: TGI Fridays UK is set for a shake-up as its owner, Hostmore, sells all 87 locations, leaving investors in the lurch but giving diners hope that their favourite spots will survive under new ownership.
The details:
Hostmore, the UK owner of TGI Fridays, is selling all 87 UK locations in a bid to transition the chain to a fully franchised model, but it's looking more like a farewell tour.
After abandoning a £177 million US acquisition, Hostmore’s share price nosedived by 90%, leaving investors clutching their pearls as the company prepares to be delisted and dissolved.
While TGI Fridays' doors remain open, the fate of each restaurant is up in the air, with a potential mix of new owners, rebrands, or closures on the horizon.
Hostmore’s sale likely won’t even cover the bill, as debts loom larger than its once-sizzling burgers—shareholders can expect little to no leftovers.
Why it matters: Hostmore’s fall from grace signals the end of an era for TGI Fridays in the UK, with uncertainty on whether your favourite American-style ribs will still be served at the same table. Investors are left picking up the scraps, with the company’s share value nearly wiped out and little chance of recovery. For customers, it’s a waiting game to see if they’ll be toasting with a Jack Daniel's cocktail at the same spot or waving goodbye to their go-to happy hour haunt.
The summary: Rents are up, airfares have taken off, and energy bills are warming up, but with the Bank of England keeping interest rates steady, it’s a bit of a balancing act where we’re all just trying to keep our heads above water!
The details:
Inflation remains steady at 2.2%, despite flights soaring in cost—thankfully, falling fuel prices and a calmer restaurant scene kept it in check.
Bank of England’s interest rates likely to stay frozen at 5%, while private rents decided to climb a sharp 8.4%—because, why not?
High-flying airfares shot up 22% in August, a record-breaking summer jump, but at least you can still afford to drive...for now.
While inflation is far tamer than last year's peak, expect energy bills to creep up again come October—just as we were getting cosy!
Why it matters: Rents are skyrocketing, airfares are flying high, and energy bills are about to nip at our wallets again—just in time for the chilly nights. The Bank of England, playing it cool, is holding interest rates steady, but the squeeze on households isn’t loosening much. While prices aren't spiraling like last year, it’s still a game of survival, with consumers dodging inflationary bullets left, right, and centre.
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