Blog

We’re eight months deep into this pandemic with no clearly defined end in sight. Despite the struggles that we as a global society have experienced as a result of this pandemic, it has also provided a unique moment in time to really reflect on the grave issues currently faced by societies worldwide. These issues include climate change, global public health, and of course, racial discrimination.  In the wake of the global Black Lives Matter movement, which has been brought to the forefront of the news due to the public outcry after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, this...

In 2019 companies founded solely by women earned 2.8% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups in the US making fighting for a place in the male-dominated tech scene one of the toughest challenges for feminism. However, the growth of entrepreneurs, companies and products describing themselves as “FemTech” sheds hope that perhaps innovation in the tech sector is no longer exclusively for outdated older men in Silicon Valley. In 2018 the FemTech market was valued at 17 Billion USD and this is just the tip of the iceberg, with the market forecast to hit nearly 50 billion USD by...

“Stockpiling” has gone viral, Corona beer has gone flat, hand gel has become the hottest accessory to come out of Milan fashion week and Megan and Harry are the only ones still going on holiday. So far the 2020 events calendar is looking disappointingly familiar to the departures board at San Francisco Airport with delays and cancellations splattered everywhere. Big headlines and moaning tweets aside what practical steps, other than washing our hands (which here at Gallium we suggest you maintain indefinitely) can we take to mitigate the impact of cancelled events and stop hard work, opportunities and investments going...

We’ve all at some point seen the hit TV show The Apprentice, which takes a look (albeit a slightly over the top look) at what is required to become an apprentice in a well-known business. It shows us how diverse teams can often lead to creativity as well as better insight into the areas in which a team works. At Gallium Ventures, we believe apprenticeships are incredibly important and shouldn’t be overlooked as part of the hiring process as they provide an incredibly valuable experience for both companies and talent alike. The UK Government recognises this too, as we are...

CES 2020 is here and we’re all set to bathe in neon lights, the joyous sound of slot machines, and of course the seemingly endless maze of consumer technology. But what can we expect from the first CES of a new decade? One of the first major stand out keynotes at the event is from NBC Universal titled “If TV Was Invented Today: NBCUniversal Reimagines the Future of Entertainment”. With TV streaming services becoming almost as big as cable, it comes as no surprise that a major player in the entertainment industry is taking center stage to discuss the future...

South Dakota’s PSA anti-Meth campaign is my new favourite ad fail. The double entendre, that I’m sure Minneapolis ad agency Broadhead thought they were so clever about, has completely missed the mark. If you were left confused and bemused at your initial look at the creative, you’re in good company – just take a look at Twitter. Even having worked in branding and marketing for a number of years, I initially thought the campaign was about the endemic closeted use of Meth by people of all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds and how that needs to be tackled. Imagine how...

We face stressors in our day-to-day life. This is nothing new, even as a child I’m sure you can remember the torment of going to school. We spend years of education, gaining both useful and useless information. We invest countless hours of work (and tears) striving to achieve the best exam results or fancy extra-curricular activities in return for big batches of debt that loom over us.  Everything is motivated by the need to build a CV that will get a 2-second scan by a potential employer (or nowadays, an AI algorithm) to determine if we checked enough boxes. The...

It’s no secret that the toy industry is still playing catch up to this generation’s more open and accepting society; with toys still being splashed in shades of blues and reds for boys and pinks and purples for girls. But things are changing with notable companies leading the way, such as Mattel, who recently announced their line of gender-neutral Barbie dolls. You may have also heard about the inspirational teen Greta Thunberg who has been making the headlines with her passionate speeches about the environment and how we need to do more to protect the planet for our future generations....