This year, the Commonwealth Games are coming to Birmingham.So to celebrate, we’re doing our own baton relay. We’re making virtual visits to as many of the Commonwealth countries as we can, and exploring their start-up and scale-up scenes.This is our last episode of the series. We’re hearing from two final Commonwealth countries: Singapore and South Africa. We’re going to find out about how they’ve become regional leaders in lawtech and fintech.Hilary spoke to: Lavina Ramkissoon, co-founder and vice-chair of the Fintech Association of South Africa to find out more about the country’s growing fintech ecosystem, how it fits into the wider African region and the big trends Lavina is seeing. Jennifer Lim co-founder and editor of Lawtech Asia, about Singapore’s role as a legal innovation hub, how government support helps the sector and how Covid accelerated digital dispute resolution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this series, Beyond The Capital is celebrating the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham. We’re doing our own baton relay, exploring the start-up and scale-up scenes of as many Commonwealth countries as we can.The Global Talent Visa enables leaders and potential leaders to work in the UK. In this episode, Hilary Smyth-Allen speaks to Josh Winfield, Global Talent Visa Lead at Tech Nation. They discuss:- How the Global Talent Visa enables leading tech talent to move to the UK.- Why the UK punches above its weight when it comes to attracting talent.- Why India, Nigeria and other Commonwealth countries are hotspots for developing tech talent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we explore the links between India and the West Midlands, hearing from two businesses that operate in both places. Hilary spoke to Ravi Ranjan, co-founder of Voilo, a fintech start-up that provides payments solutions for SMEs, and to Vik Tara, managing director and chief technology officer of Technology Blueprint, an established player in the proptech space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we hear from some of the innovative businesses involved in UK Research & Innovation’s Next Generation Services Challenge. The challenge has invested in projects that are using AI, data and digitisation to transform knowledge-based services, such as legal, accounting and insurance.This episode was recorded on location at the UKRI Next Generation Services Challenge National Showcase at the NEC. Hilary spoke to:Melanie Knetsch, UKRI NGS Deputy Challenge Director & Deputy Director: innovation & impact, ESRC: UKRIAnthony Peake, CEO, Intelligent AIShamus Rae, CEO, Engine B Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we’re exploring the proptech scene in Australia and hearing from one Birmingham-based business that has recently expanded there.Shelli Trung is the Managing Partner at REACH Australia, a scale-up programme for real-estate companies wanting to expand globally. She explains how the country's proptech industry differs from other jurisdictions. Hilary speaks to Mike Bristow, CEO and co-founder of CrowdProperty, about the advantages of being based in the West Midlands and why launching in Australia made sense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we hear from Bermuda. The island territory has established itself as a global leader for regulating digital asset businesses. Hilary spoke to Rachel Nightingale, Senior Counsel at the law firm Walkers Global.This episode was recorded on 9th February. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigeria is our next port of call. This episode explores Lagos’ start-up and scale-up scene, the cultural differences between doing business in Britain and Nigeria and the opportunities for cross border expansion and partnerships.Hilary speaks to Birmingham-based Oyinkansola Adebayo, CEO & Founder of Niyo Enterprise and VC Scout for ADA Ventures, and to Lagos-based Faith Adesemowo, CEO of Social Lender, which enables people to borrow money based on their social media footprint. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off our virtual Commonwealth tour, we’re looking at no-code and low-code in Canada, the Caribbean and the UK.Hilary Smyth-Allen speaks to: Chelsey Cabaj, a Canadian private investor involved in the introduction of no-code to Canada,  Sergio Pengel - the CEO of Piedata and co-founder of No Code Caribbean, Ali Kazmi, the UK-based founder of Ethical Equity, an investment platform that connects ethical start-ups and scale-ups with investors. SuperTech Seeds is a pre_accelerator leveraging the benefits of no_code for early-stage founders. Applications are open now:https://www.supertechwm.com/seeds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new series of Beyond the Capital, we're celebrating the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham. We'll be doing our own baton relay and making virtual visits to Commonwealth countries to explore their start-up and scale-up scenes.Beyond the Capital is the UK’s first podcast dedicated to showcasing professional services technology outside of London, brought to you by SuperTech. Each episode explores how ProfTech industries and professionals can thrive beyond the capital. Whether you’re part of a FinTech start-up, an established law firm, a policy-maker or a techy entrepreneur dabbling in real estate; this series is designed for anyone interested in the future of professional services and the role of technology.Hosted by regional Professional Services champion Hilary Smyth-Allen. Want to be part of the regional conversation? Get in touch: [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we’re exploring how virtual reality and augmented reality are changing the professional services landscape. Hilary spoke to Spencer Welch, Commercial Director of Birmingham-based VR company Holosphere and Thomas Toomse-Smith, Head of Innovation and Digital (Regulatory Standards) at the Financial Reporting Council. To find out more about Holosphere's work, click here. To read the FRC Lab report on Virtual and Augmented Reality in corporate reporting, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.