Pebble watch, this week signalled the beginning of the end of what has been a stunning crowdfunding campaign by shipping their first batch of watches to backers. The poster child of the new funding model raised $10.2m through pledges from almost 70,000 backers in exchange for rewards, 102...

So the bank is out of the bag. Today (24 September) at the Lib Dem party conference, Vince Cable announced the establishment of a state bank to get credit flowing to businesses. But as the last five years have taught us, there are all sorts of banks: good banks, bad...

Nesta's new report sets out a plan for how innovation can deliver growth. Four whole years after the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy kicked off a global financial crisis, we are still agonising over how to jolt the economy back to life. The debate between Plan A and Plan B, austerity and...

Today the government announced £9bn worth of investment into Britain's railways. This will include upgrading track and electrifying several lines. It's good to see the UK's 19th century infrastructure finally brought into the 20th. But if we want real economic growth, shouldn't we be thinking about 21st century...

George Osborne is renowned for his sense of political timing. His proposal of an inheritance tax cut in 2007 is widely credited with preventing Gordon Brown from calling an early election while Labour still led in the opinion polls. Perhaps now, with business lending still in the doldrums and the...