Monzo, Revolut and N26: Banking on community

Digital banks Monzo, N26 and Revolut offer nearly identical services. So why do their customers hold such fiercely emotional ties?

Away co-founder Jen Rubio on opening up shop

‘Our strategy has always accounted for retail. It just became part of it a lot sooner,' she says.

What’s next for podcasting?

The podcasting industry isn't dying and it's not a bubble – it's diversifying.

Capital gains: the out-of-town breweries opening in London

Independent breweries are opening taprooms in London, bucking the trend of pub closures – all in the name of freshness.

How London’s restaurants are surviving

Amidst doom and gloom in the restaurant sector – chains closing down all over the country, business rates and rents rising apace – a handful of young London businesses are thriving by putting staff first.

The 1%

Having sensed a rise in demand for lower-ABV bevs, breweries are launching beers which range from 0.5 to 3.5% in strength.

Inside Market Halls’ new Fulham site

A look inside Fulham's new high-end food market.

Supermarket sweep: The new food upstarts

A new generation of young and hungry food and drink founders are taking over and transforming the supermarket shelf.

Startups and instability in Istanbul

Courier heads to Istanbul to see what it’s like running a business amid the turbulence.

The travel startups transforming trip booking

Five startups offering a fresh perspective when it comes to organising a holiday.

Spotify’s big play

As Spotify prepares to go public, there’s a high-risk plan inside the company to become ‘the Airbnb for artists’. But will it clash with music labels?

Special report: female founders

A crop of ambitious women are leading the formation of a new startup ecosystem built by and for women. It’s a milestone moment.

The trials and tribulations of raising money as a female founder

Why do companies led by women receive far less investment than those led by men – and how can that change?

Startup 2018: Who’s shaping the year ahead

Courier's full run down of the key startup sectors, companies and issues set to influence the year ahead.

Calling for crowd control

The two dominant equity crowdfunding platforms, Seedrs and Crowdcube, are under pressure to iron out their wrinkles and generate more wins for investors.

Dakar: Bringing Gelato to West Africa

Monica Gelati co-owner Ndary Sylla left his Senegal home for Italy, in search of work. Little did he know that 14 years later he would be back, making a living from gelato.

The phone fixer

Federico Cerva on how everything changed after his dad broke his Playstation.

Co-working spaces are saving under performing locations

Startup 2018: We Work has proven that co-working is big business. Now unlikely candidates – from banks to tube stations – are jumping in.

Dakar: Building a bus business

Starting any kind of public transport service inevitably means a clash with local authorities. Niokolo Transports has encountered its fair share in Senegal.

How Instagram is creating its own marketplace

Startup 2018: Shop-as-you-scroll: a new level of technical sophistication is coming to Instagram’s billion-dollar influencer economy.

The pressure is on for new banks to deliver

Startup 2018: Monzo, Atom, Starling and Revolut need to keep gaining customers fast and prove they can make money.

The digital doctor will see you now

Startup 2018: A vast chunk of primary healthcare could soon be provided through a smartphone.

Believe in the hype: Streetwear’s next act

Startup 2018: Forget the clothes - the influence the radical business strategies of Supreme and other streetwear brands could have on the fashion industry is far more important

The ‘dark’ future of delivery: the rise of off-site kitchens

Startup 2018: The business of takeaways has been remodelled over the last few years. Now, it’s set for an even bigger change as kitchens gets outsourced.

Tackling the last mile in same-day delivery

Startup 2018: Robots, lockers and shops that function as warehouses are being tested to realise same-day delivery.

The turning point for augmented reality

Augmented reality is tipped to transform education, medicine and the DIY sector thanks to the latest iPhone software.

Camden: Creating a hyperconnected district

Startup 2018: A company has bought 16 acres of Camden and is, somewhat controversially, transforming it into a highly ‘connected’ neighbourhood.

Get on your bike: navigating around city officials

Despite the rift with Uber, London’s transport honchos are increasingly in the mood to work with startups – so long as they play by the rules.

Overcoming the teething problems of voice activation

Startup 2018: A flood of apps built around voice are expected to emerge in the coming year, while audio content is set to get a long-awaited boost.

Can meat-free go mainstream?

Startup 2018: Vegan businesses could be set to go beyond being just part of a food trend. There are signs of a wider change in attitudes.

When blockchain meets luxury

Startup 2018: The brutal transparency of blockchain is set to give luxury goods, from coffee to clothes, a new gold standard.

The golden opportunity in looking after older people

Startup 2018: The elderly care sector is at the start of a momentous transformation.

The big insurance shake up

Startup 2018: More and more investment cash is going into insurance startups. Many expect it to be as big as the fintech phenomenon.

The five stages of stock management

Getting a grip on stock management – and building a process that can scale with the business – requires more than Excel sheets.

Two is the magic number: co-founders share the secrets of their partnerships’ success

The relationship between business co-founders can be the most emotionally demanding in a person’s life.

Networking for coders and founders

Courier’s senior reporter goes co-founder dating at Hipsters, Hackers, Hustlers.

The challenges of co-founding a company as a couple

For co-founder couples, pillow talk can be a professional minefield.

Havana’s hustlers: what it takes to start a business in the Cuban capital

Will bricks and mortar lead the reinvention of retail?

Every type of retailer is trying out new looks, embracing technology and redefining the role of shop staff.

Breaking the art market one post at a time

Instagram has given rise to a new type of savvy artist doing work and commissions for big brands.

The restaurants that St John and Ottolenghi alumni launched

Many who have got their start in the kitchens of these two Michelin star restaurants have gone on to found their own successful ventures.

What will the modern chain look like?

A retailer’s success can’t be judged from the number of shops it has. If it’s smart, it will probably have fewer.

The blueprints that helped four thriving distillers

Four independent distillers share how they managed to get off the ground with four very different formats.

Launching a successful small-batch gin company

In a seemingly unfashionable and difficult break industry, craft gin producers employed ingenious tactics to succeed.

How craft distillers took on the gin giants

The once unfashionable spirit is experiencing a renaissance and it's the new entrants who are responsible.

Emily Weiss: Glossier’s architect of content, community and commerce

Meet the woman behind the cult US cosmetics brand that is poised to launch in the UK with a plan to service the beauty obsessed of Britain.

The search for a digital fitness business model that sticks

It's easy to get people pumped. It seems harder to get people to pay for it.

The company that paved the way for the gin boom

Gin wouldn't be such a hot commodity if it hadn't been for Sipsmith leading the way.

Black-owned, British-made and worth a fortune

The epic transformation of the black hair and beauty industry.

Founders with a fresh take on black hair and makeup

We speak to three founders who are transforming the business of black hair and beauty.

How budget gyms are muscling out Fitness First and Virgin Active

The relentless cost-cutters that are clobbering Virgin Active and Fitness First.

Why people are betting big on boutiquey fitness studios

Hot on the heels of SoulCycle’s explosive growth and £90m annual sales, a bunch of UK startups are attempting to build a blockbuster fitness business out of London. Is there substance behind the lifestyle fluff?

Hoxton Mini Press: The small publisher that’s created a book-selling brand

People don’t tend to shop for books by publisher. But three years after Hoxton Mini Press released its first photobook, it has built up something of a cult following.

The case for disruption in retail banking

There are two reasons to believe this spirited band of digital upstart banks will achieve mass-market success. Firstly, the smartphone is still underexploited as a tool in various facets of everyday life. The other is that big banks can’t innovate. It’s this second sentiment that appears to be the bigger driver in the case for proper disruption than anything the startups have up their sleeves.

Athens: The Apocalypse?

The devastation of the Greek economy has been an absorbing saga over the last year. Beyond the brinkmanship and bailouts, many Greeks have had their lives and livelihoods torn apart. Courier went to see the impact on a workspace for creative startups in Athens.