A year on from its initial announcement, Nottingham’s Games Workshop has entered into an agreement with Amazon Content Services LLC for the prospective development by Amazon of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and television series, together with associated merchandising rights. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Games Workshop has granted exclusive rights to Amazon in relation to films and television series set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, together with an option for Amazon to license equivalent rights in the Warhammer Fantasy universe following the release of the initial Warhammer 40,000 production.  

Games Workshop and Amazon will work together for a period of 12 months to agree creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon. The agreement will only proceed once the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon.

Innovative and ambitious startups in the East Midlands are being offered the expertise of dedicated disruptor entrepreneurs to help drive transformation and resilience – as well as access to multiple perks including more than £70,000 worth of hardware and software credits – as part of the CBIT Venture Builder programme at Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University.

The fully funded Venture Builder is a core part of the Centre for Business and Industry Transformation (CBIT) at NBS. It focuses on nurturing entrepreneurs who are looking to challenge and disrupt industry norms and revolutionise their business operations to propel them from the early stages to scalable and sustainable growth.

CBIT Venture Builder’s sparring partner approach delivers a customised journey tailored to each startup, featuring four key offerings: in-depth business model clinics and innovation; business process and product road mapping; strategic growth hacking; and investment readiness. This personalised journey ensures that a business’s growth is strategically guided and robustly supported at every stage.

Start-ups gain access to an array of perks, including advanced hardware and software technologies such as drones, AI development-ready stations, 3D printers for prototyping, and credits for essential services like Notion, Miro, AWS, Stripe, and other essential tools.

Professor Xiao Ma, director of CBIT and an internationally recognised thought leader and educator in entrepreneurship, business transformation, and digital economy, said: “Our role at CBIT has been pivotal in assisting numerous startups in pivoting and understanding their unique value propositions, aiding them in transforming business norms.

“We are committed to nurturing more businesses, helping them to innovate and challenge conventional industry standards, with the aim of establishing them as leaders in their respective fields.”

Businesses supported by the Venture Builder so far include IoT workforce and security management business, Jakin ID, and its parent company, Actatek, which has just won a major contract for the supply of state-of-the-art access control and workforce management hardware and software solutions, and UK grooming brand BarberBoss, which is currently working with the programme on a £230,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership to improve supply chain efficiency and reliability through the use of artificial intelligence.

Recent additions to the portfolio are Freeaim VR, whose groundbreaking virtual reality shoes offer a highly immersive experience in virtual reality environments, and Healthy Air, a Nottingham-based venture pioneering in the field of air purification technology. Its advanced air purifier product is designed to significantly improve air quality in both workspaces and homes, effectively addressing the critical challenge of air pollution and ensuring a healthier environment.

The Venture Builder has also assisted DOCK-Y, a technology innovation company with a mission to make micro-mobility safer, smarter, and more secure. Experts from the programme helped DOCK-Y through the process of developing and launching its Advanced Rider Assist System (ARAS) that leverages artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning to revolutionise the safety of e-scooters and e-bikes, among other micro-mobility device.

Manish Pillay, founder and chief executive of DOCK-Y, said: “DOCK-Y’s journey in the CBIT Venture Builder program has been significantly beneficial. This opportunity has allowed us to have access to valuable expertise, aiding in the refinement of our business model and processes, and enhancing our growth tactics. CBIT has been more than just a collaborator; they’ve been a valuable partner, propelling us forward in Dock-Y’s journey towards having a strong foot in the micro-mobility sector.”

The CBIT Venture Builder is fully funded but businesses must meet selection criteria as places per year are limited.

It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.  It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years. Here we speak to Edward Grant-Salmon, Managing Director of Xtra Express Logistics. I believe that businesses, particularly those in the logistics sector, will need to work hard on their sales pipelines in 2024. Interest rates and inflation on fuel have massively impacted cash flow for businesses in our industry in 2023, so logistics companies need a steady flow of new contracts coming in to negate this and be sustainable. The businesses that are cash rich and not paying high interest rates on business debts will weather any further storms that 2024 sends our way. Ultimately, the 2024 economy will be driven by government decisions on fuel duty, inflation, interest rates and other changes to legislation such as rises to the living wage and National Insurance contributions. Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and eco/sustainability will be key considerations for logistics firms in 2024 too, with many prospective clients looking to them to demonstrate what they are doing to reduce their carbon footprint and tackle climate change.

Flexible working, continuous personal development and maintaining a work-life balance are top of the list for the next generation of business, according to a report by East Midlands Chamber’s network for young professionals. A healthy work-life balance was ranked as the most important aspect of a job by employees aged 18 to 35 in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, with 34% citing this as being above all other considerations in a survey by the Generation Next network. This was followed by salary (30%), entrepreneurial freedom (20%), benefits (10%) and innovation (7%). When asked how important hybrid and remote working is to securing a role, respondents gave it an average score of 7.3 out of 10. Generation Next, which runs professional development events and mentoring services for 18 to 35-year-olds, carried out its first-ever Young professionals in the East Midlands survey, with the aim to help businesses and other key stakeholders in the region understand the development needs and preferences of the future and existing workforce, as well as to align the network’s offering to members. The findings, which also covered challenges encountered by young employees and the type of learning they desire, will be discussed at the inaugural Generation Next Conference, held at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground stadium, on Friday 12 January. Lucy Robinson, director of resources at East Midlands Chamber and Generation Next lead, said: “Undertaking this survey has been a really important piece of work for us, not only to help the wider East Midlands business community to retain and attract young talent, but also to ensure our services are still relevant in developing the region’s skills. “Our Generation Next board of champions, chaired by Daniel Nikolla and featuring young professionals representing a broad range of sectors across the region, have spearheaded this work as they felt it was integral to giving a voice to young people working in our businesses, while enabling the network to stay committed to our mission of helping the young business community in the East Midlands to thrive.” Other key findings in the survey, which was completed by 116 participants, included: · While four in 10 of respondents use to LinkedIn for career development opportunities, 22% look to their own organisation, with local business groups and education institutions also accessed. Some 77% said a company’s training policy is an important driver for recruitment. · Continuous learning was valued by 82% of respondents throughout their careers, with 32% interested in accredited learning. · Networking was found to be either a somewhat or incredibly significant driver of career development for 98% of respondents, and 82% expected their employers to finance a subscription to a membership organisation, such as the Chamber or Generation Next, to support their skills development. · Thirty-six people said they had been mistreated for being young or inexperienced, with other challenges reported including a lack of resource, disrespectful behaviour, a lack of self-confidence, resistance to change from their employer and restricted flexibility. Generation Next chair Daniel Nikolla added: “I’m delighted to launch the results of our first survey, and I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the study. It is important to give young professionals a voice among our community to ensure we are retaining the top talent for the future of business.” Daniel commissioned the survey as part of his goals during his first year heading up the board. Fellow board member Harsh Shah, who is a data analytics manager at East Midlands Chamber, created the survey.