Weekly Brief: Insane in the mem-brain?

Get the Weekly Brief straight in your inbox: Mind-reading tech is closer than you think. In July, Elon Musk announced that one of his companies, Neuralink, will start human trials by the end of 2020 for an implantable wireless system that purports to read minds. It already has over $158m in funding. Facebook is also […]

Weekly Brief: Insane in the mem-brain?

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Mind-reading tech is closer than you think. In July, Elon Musk announced that one of his companies, Neuralink, will start human trials by the end of 2020 for an implantable wireless system that purports to read minds. It already has over $158m in funding. Facebook is also working on a mind-reading headset, and has made big breakthroughs recently as Facebook-backed UCSF scientists have just demonstrated that it’s possible to use brain-wave technology to decode speech. Even Nissan have waded into the fray – their Brain-to-Vehicle Technology will enable vehicles to interpret signals from the driver’s brain, potentially redefining how people interact with their cars.

These developments are exciting… but they’re also terrifying. They could prove revolutionary (in a positive way!) for people with paralysis and other neurological disorders. In fact, Neuralink’s current goal is to create devices that, once implanted, enable people to control practically any device with their minds. This could drastically improve the lives of patients with debilitating physical limitations and usher in a new era of modern medicine. But, should we be wary of embracing mind-reading technology with open arms? If it’s not properly monitored and regulated the consequences could be devastating. Imagine a world where governments, corporations and even your boss (!) knew your innermost thoughts and feelings! Pretty scary. Who would own ‘brain data’ and what if ‘brainhacking’ became commonplace? The very idea of hackers gaining control of people’s brains and modifying them sounds like it should be the plot of a dystopian movie, but it’s a very real possibility in our lifetime. Pacemakers have been hacked before… so why not neural-implants?

So what’s the general takeaway? We need to proceed. with . caution. If used correctly and ethically, mind-reading technology could positively impact millions of people, but if used incautiously it could wreak global havoc. At Work in Startups, we love innovation and disruption in start ups – but we must innovate and disrupt responsibly!

We’re reading your mind and we know you want to check out this weeks hottest jobs:

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Happy Hunting! Happy Hiring!

The Edinburgh Startup Scene

Get the Weekly Brief straight in your inbox: Edinburgh’s technology sector has boomed in recent years and the city is fast becoming the Data Capital of Europe. Digital jobs in Edinburgh increased over 3x the UK average between 2014 and 2017, and the tech sector contributed a whopping £4bn in revenue to the economy last […]

The Edinburgh Startup Scene

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Edinburgh’s technology sector has boomed in recent years and the city is fast becoming the Data Capital of Europe. Digital jobs in Edinburgh increased over 3x the UK average between 2014 and 2017, and the tech sector contributed a whopping £4bn in revenue to the economy last year. Edinburgh is now the largest technology and startup jobs hub outside London! For those of you who want a start up job but don’t want to move to London (or want to get out of London!) – consider moving to Edinburgh. It can get a little cold… but its beauty and culinary scene more than make up for it. And we’ve hundreds of Edinburgh startup jobs on our site, so keep an eye out and consider making the move!

Three Edinburgh Startups To Watch:

Wallet.Services

Wallet.Services aims to streamline, simplify, and secure online activity by accelerating the use of distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain. They have already developed the first version of their SICCAR platform and are making waves in tech – launching a big recruitment drive and targeting international expansion. They have also recently been nominated for Scotland Tech Top 50 and successfully competed with 140 international companies for a place on the Telefonica O2 accelerator programme for scaling businesses. We reckon Wallet.Services would be a fantastic company to work for.

Care Sourcer

Care Sourcer is an Edinburgh-based health-tech startup that is making waves! It’s a technology platform that allows people to compare care providers in a particular region and source the best care for their needs. It’s revolutionising the care sector by bringing choice, transparency and control to the market. Too many people wait weeks, sometimes months, for care and Care Sourcer is changing this. They raised an impressive £8.5 million in a Series A funding Round and are growing fast! Definitely a startup to watch.

ShareIn

ShareIn is a cutting-edge fintech start up that provides companies with customisable investment platforms that enable them to find funding through their network of investors. Their software handles every step of the investment process and ensures compliance at every stage! Companies can now focus all their attention on profit-generating activities. To add to all this excitement, ShareIn has also launched an innovative new payment product! This post-seed startup is a big name in the Edinburgh Startup Scene. Keep your eyes peeled for future developments….

Check out our job board Work in Startups for all the hottest Edinburgh startup jobs!

Weekly Brief: Reach out and touch… face?

Get the Weekly Brief straight in your inbox: Over the past few years, six police forces around the UK (including the MET) have been trialling facial recognition tech. It is estimated that Facewatch, the fast-track crime-reporting platform that heavily utilises facial recognition, will have 5000 cameras across the UK by 2022. The public is divided. […]

Weekly Brief: Reach out and touch… face?

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Over the past few years, six police forces around the UK (including the MET) have been trialling facial recognition tech. It is estimated that Facewatch, the fast-track crime-reporting platform that heavily utilises facial recognition, will have 5000 cameras across the UK by 2022. The public is divided. Polemic articles by The Guardian, respectively titled “Facial recognition technology threatens to end all individual privacy” and “‘We are hurtling towards a surveillance state’, have stirred up a Twitter storm and everyone, it seems, is weighing in with their opinions.

So, let’s weigh in with ours. We think that if you have nothing to hide, you have no reason to worry about Facial Recognition Tech (in the UK anyway… China is a completely different story). But if you are a wanted criminal then you should be very worried! You will not be able to evade the law (or it’ll at least be more difficult). The CEO of Facewatch notes success in this regard in Brazil, where it was used to catch the number two on Interpol’s most-wanted South America list (a drug baron), and a murderer who had been on the run for years. And, as well as identifying criminals and deterring crime, facial recognition tech could be leveraged to find missing persons, which could be transformative! If the tech is in the law’s hands then we don’t care so much about our privacy – I mean, let’s be real, we waved goodbye to privacy when we bought smartphones (which track your location, your friends, your conversations and what you buy) – we care more about being safe. Let us know on our Twitter if you disagree?

Check out this weeks hottest jobs:

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Happy Hunting! Happy Hiring!

Weekly Brief: It’s Not Easy Being Green

Get the Weekly Brief straight in your inbox: Gretta Thunberg’s rousing and emotional speech at the United Nations last week has been hailed by some as “the most powerful speech” they have ever seen (and you should watch it if you haven’t yet!). Others have a different opinion, with no punches pulled by the likes […]

Weekly Brief: It’s Not Easy Being Green

Get the Weekly Brief straight in your inbox: Subscribe

Gretta Thunberg’s rousing and emotional speech at the United Nations last week has been hailed by some as “the most powerful speech” they have ever seen (and you should watch it if you haven’t yet!). Others have a different opinion, with no punches pulled by the likes of Jeremy Clarkson (no surprises there hey?), who branded her a “spoilt brat” and told her “to go back to school”. Putin has also weighed in – dismissing her as a “poorly informed teenager”. In my opinion, Greta Thunberg is nothing short of an inspiration. She has spurred a global climate change movement which is pushing communities, nations and corporations to act before it is too late.

Over the course of a week, Greta’s Instagram following has risen from 2 to 7 million. Twitter has exploded. Thousands upon thousands have taken to the streets demanding government action. Opponents, in a bid to seize control of the narrative, have torn apart her appearance, her state of mind and her family. The list goes on. Greta is gaining traction and the world (I hope) is waking up.

So, what can you do to combat climate change?

Support GreenTech startups (search for jobs in them, subscribe to their services etc.). Work in Startups is proud to have a number on our site – for example:
- Food sharing app Olio
- Renewable energy provider Bulb
- Returning packaging service CupClub
Make Small Changes – every little helps… as the saying goes…
- Switch to a diet with more veg in it
- Take public transport more often
- Holiday in the UK rather than abroad (aviation accounts for about 3% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions)
- Wear your wooly jumper instead of turning your central heating up
Think Smart… Politically
- Research your MPs views and policies on climate change
- Pay careful attention to government policy and think how your vote can make a difference
Post On Social Media
- Raising awareness is key. If you care, then tell your mum, sister, heck, even your grandfather about what is happening – humanity is truly facing an existential threat

Technology is only part of the solution. Whenever GreenTech startups post on Work in Startups it’s exciting! But more needs to be done – we (allegedly!) only have 8 years to stop irreversible climate change, so if there was ever any time to act – it’s now!

Act NOW on climate change and act NOW on your future. Check out this weeks hottest jobs:

As always, subscribe to our newsletter for more like this.

Happy Hunting! Happy Hiring!

5 Reasons You Should Work for a Startup After Graduating

Does the prospect of working at a corporate bore you? Do you want to learn about entrepreneurship? Do you want a ping pong table in your office? Read this article for 5 reasons you should work at a startup after graduating […]

5 Reasons You Should Work for a Startup After Graduating

You are required to “wear multiple hats“

It’s pretty natural to leave university and have absolutely no idea what job you want to do. The beauty of working in a startup job early on in your career is that you get exposure to different areas of the business, so you can experiment and try and solve that problem! For example, although your job description may be ‘Sales Executive’, it’s highly likely that you’ll be asked to chip in elsewhere in the company (e.g. in strategy, business development, social media, marketing, etc!). You can find out what you like, what you don’t, what you’re good at and what you’re not. This will prove invaluable when choosing to take the next step in your career.

You will develop a wide-ranging and diversified skillset

A startup role will tend to be a lot more varied than at a corporate, and consequently you will pick up a wide range of skills, quickly. Working as part of a small and genuinely nimble team typically means that everyone will be involved in coming up with new ideas, problem solving and strategizing. You’ll be given a lot of responsibility very early on and required to be creative, show initiative, think on your feet and really throw yourself into your job.

Your startup could (potentially) be the next Facebook, Airbnb or WeWork

For me, the thing I find most exciting about working for a startup is that there is so much potential. Microsoft, now one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world, was founded by Bill Gates in his parent’s garage. Airbnb evolved from two guys renting out rooms in their apartment on the internet. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook with his roommates and friends from Harvard. He is now one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. The point is your start-up could be the next big thing and you can directly contribute to its growth and success. There is something incredibly rewarding about working hard and seeing your hard work reflected in the company’s performance.

You learn so much about entrepreneurship

It’s not unlikely that you wind up sitting directly opposite the founders of the business. As a graduate, this is an insane opportunity to learn all things entrepreneurial. You can soak up their startup knowledge and expertise – amazing if you’re thinking about starting your own business one day, or just want to learn how a startup actually functions and grows (something you’ll never really understand if you’re a tiny fish in a massive corporate).

Great startup culture and work environment

Most UK startups offer a flexible and relaxed working environment. Unlike working for a big corporation, there is typically little hierarchy and no dress code at a startup. You can rock up to work in a bright purple bedazzled jacket, sit down at your desk (opposite the CEO) and people will pretty much accept it. You’re not breaking any rules. What’s more, startups are usually pretty tight-knit and regular social events really give you a chance to connect with your colleagues and make friends, with far fewer office politics or similar nonsense to worry about. Startups are young, fun and really, really vibrant, and startup jobs reflect this. Don’t be surprised if there is a ping pong table in your office… or a bar!

Convinced yet? Check out our website for ALL the best startup jobs! Again, (in case you have forgotten), we are the biggest startup job board in the UK!

The Perfect Work in Startups Ad

We want our startup community to get the best out of our site. We also want candidates to be able to easily see what they’re applying to. So killing two birds with one stone we have produced this helpful guide (You’re welcome!) Good startup ad copy is a must for everyone! Read on about how to perfect your ads to maximise response-rate! […]

The Perfect Work in Startups Ad

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that Work in Startups has had a bit of work done over the last few weeks. Now everything is shiny and new, we wanted to help you make the ads you post look as good as possible!

Given that our team have read hundreds and thousands of UK startup job ads, we think we’ve come up with the recipe to entice your perfect candidate, starting with…

About the Company

Up front, we think its always a good idea to include a brief overview of your startup and a look into what you do. Right at the beginning, if you can boast about your mission, milestones, awards, funding rounds etc, then you’ll (hopefully) have the candidate hooked. It’s all about selling yourself in the first 5 seconds! We also cannot recommend enough a “what we’re building section” including company goals and what everyone is working toward.

Remember to include a link to your company website in your admin account so the candidate can click through to your website easily (also its a free link for you!)

About the Role

The most successful ads on our site clearly display what the candidate will be doing on a daily basis. We recommend spelling out:

Specifically what they will be building/working on
Who they will be reporting to
Tasks and responsibilities they will be regularly undertaking
Things they might do in a few months time as they learn new startups skills

Categories

Now seems like a good time to acquaint you with some shiny new filters we introduced. We now have all the filters your little heart can dream of! Honourable mention to our new filters: Ops and Finance, Customer Support, Data and Product, and Other Jobs. These have been included to help candidates find startup jobs best suited to them, so make sure you pick the category that best matches your role!

General tip: By all means show personality and humour in your job ad (it always makes us smile when we see an eye-catching title) but be aware that candidates like to know at a glance what they’re applying to. E.g. “Sales and Marketing Superstar” is infinitely better than “[Your startup name] Superstar”.

Experience

There is an emerging trend in our favourite job ads on Work in Startups for experience; must have and nice-to have. We recommend splitting your experience expectations of the candidate into these two categories because it gives the candidate a better idea of the skill level required of them. We also think it’s a nice way to help them prepare for the interview (to save you time).

For example, you could say that a new junior developer must have 2+ years experience with Python, but a degree in computer science is a nice-to have addition. Easy.

Benefits and Company Particulars

We really recommend including all the fantastic perks your startup has to offer – now is the chance to show off that amazing co-working space in Shoreditch, team social calendar, or your unlimited flat white budget.

The key things to include in company particulars meanwhile (aside from the fun stuff) are any bits of salary information, potential for stock options (if any) and your startup office location. You can include details on hours too if they’re a bit irregular, but we recommend not bothering if they’re fairly standard or if the role is sufficiently senior – can make you come across as a bit too corporate.

Equal Opportunities:

We encourage all our employer community to promote equal opportunity practices in their HR and recruitment. Lots of our candidates have fed-back that they look for companies that value these principles when applying. The EOC has lots of information on these practices based on the Equalities Act 2010, both are worth a read if you want to promote diversity in your recruitment.

Application Information

We really recommend specifying what you expect your candidate to include in their application as there are many options available:

CV
Covering Letter
Essay or Application Questions
GitHub stuff (if a developer job)
Portfolio (if a designer job)
Their own website or projects they have created
Linkedin profile

We’ve found this helps weed out applicants who ‘spam apply’.

Note: if you want to have a chat about specifics or even partnerships, drop our team an email at contact@workinstartups – they will be able to help with bespoke options.

We look forward to reading your perfected ads, but if you’re struggling or want feedback feel free to contact the team! And finally don’t forget to pick a promotion if you want 4x the application number through! Happy Hiring!

We’re reading your mind and we know you want to check out this weeks hottest jobs:

Three Edinburgh Startups To Watch:

Check out this weeks hottest jobs:

Act NOW on climate change and act NOW on your future. Check out this weeks hottest jobs:

About the Company

About the Role

Experience

Benefits and Company Particulars

Application Information

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