Equixly has announced the expansion of its European operations, with significant investment in go-to-market roles aimed at modernising how enterprises secure applications and APIs.

The move comes as organisations increasingly recognise the limitations of traditional penetration testing, which relies on periodic assessments that struggle to keep pace with continuously changing application environments.

“Our Series A marked the start of our scale phase,” said Mattia Dalla Piazza, Co-Founder and CEO of Equixly. “We’re investing deliberately in go-to-market expertise, hiring leaders with deep cybersecurity backgrounds to help accelerate our expansion across the UK and Europe. These hires strengthen our ability to execute on our mission to make offensive security continuous, autonomous, and intelligent, empowering every organization to meet AI-powered attackers with AI of their own.”

A key part of the expansion includes the appointment of Stephen Schouten as Regional Sales Director for the UK and Northern Europe. The hire reflects Equixly’s focus on building experienced leadership in markets where enterprise demand for modern security approaches is growing rapidly. Schouten previously held senior positions at Snyk and BeyondTrust, where he helped scale security-led businesses.

“Enterprises are under enormous pressure to innovate through APIs and modern applications, but penetration testing hasn’t kept pace,” said Stephen Schouten, Regional Sales Director at Equixly. “Attackers operate continuously and use automation and AI, while most organizations still test periodically. Equixly enables a proactive shift, continuously attacking applications and APIs the way real adversaries do. That’s a meaningful step forward for the industry, and I’m excited to help bring this approach to enterprises across the UK and Northern Europe.”

To support large-scale customer adoption, Equixly has also strengthened its technical and commercial teams. Paul Harland, formerly of Snyk, joins as Solutions Engineer, while Stephen McCafferty, previously with Cymulate, has joined the business development function.

The company has also invested in marketing leadership for the first time, appointing Gavin Sutton to lead global marketing and category development as Equixly works to define a new approach to offensive security.

“Security investment has long been driven by reaction,” said Gavin Sutton, Head of Marketing at Equixly. “Leaders often ask, ‘Has this happened to us?’ because known incidents are easier to justify than unseen risk. Our role is to help shift that mindset from reacting after breaches to continuously exposing real, exploitable risk before attackers do.”

Equixly was founded to enable organisations to move away from scheduled penetration tests towards continuous, autonomous offensive security. Its platform is already in use across leading European financial institutions, using an Agentic AI Hacker to emulate real attacker behaviour against modern applications and APIs.

As it continues to grow its footprint across the UK and Europe, Equixly will be engaging with customers, partners and the media at TechEx.

About Equixly

Equixly is the Agentic penetration testing platform for securing modern applications and APIs in constantly evolving environments. Its purpose-built Agentic AI hacker enables a continuous offensive security approach by attacking like a real adversary, uncovering exploitable risks across APIs, workflows, and business logic, and delivering actionable insights so security and engineering teams can fix issues faster and innovate with confidence. Trusted by leading European banks, insurers, and payment giants, Equixly was founded by Mattia and Alessio Dalla Piazza, and backed by 33N Ventures, Alpha Intelligence Capital, JME Ventures, 360 Capital and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze. Learn more at www.equixly.com

Tradesman Saver, one of the UK’s leading providers of insurance to tradespeople, has kickstarted ambitious growth plans for 2026 by expanding its services alongside the reveal of new branding.

Already well-established in the construction sector, Tradesman Saver has now launched four sub-brands – Electrician Saver, Carpenter Save, Cleaner Saver, and Professional Saver – to cater for more people operating in various lines of work.

The expansion of its services coincides with an update to the Tradesman Saver branding, featuring a more refined visual identity that reflects the modern, professional business it is today and creating a stronger, more relatable connection with its customers.

Launched 18 years ago, Tradesman Saver became one of the first specialist insurance providers to offer a digital end-to-end experience for customers, enabling them to quote, buy and renew entirely online and at a time that suits them. After hitting the 10,000 customer mark in 2019, the brand continued to expand and in 2024 was acquired by Jensten, a leading broking and underwriting group, with the aim of achieving further growth. Having recently announced its own acquisition by leading global private equity firm Bain Capital, Jensten has invested significantly in Tradesman Saver’s digital presence to reach even more customers.

Dean Laming (pictured), managing director for Tradesman Saver, said: “We’ve always had a clear goal to become a leading provider of specialist insurance in the UK, particularly within the construction sector. To achieve that, we knew we needed greater investment and the ability to scale at pace, which is why the acquisition by Jensten in 2024 was such an important milestone for us.

“As the business has evolved, our brand needed to evolve with it. The launch of these targeted sub-brands for key trades and professions shows we’re serious about supporting more of the UK’s workforce, while our refreshed look and feel is a sign of our ability to compete effectively amongst established brands. We have real credibility and confidence embedded in the business today.”

Tradesman Saver’s unique, value-led offering to customers goes beyond basic insurance requirements, with 24-hour access to legal support, free mental health counselling services, and accidental death and overseas work cover provided as standard.

Dean added: “While price plays an important role in customer buying decisions, the cheapest policy doesn’t always deliver the right level of cover. What matters most is having insurance that provides comprehensive protection, backed by a professional partner who understands the unique challenges and working environments faced by tradespeople and other professions.

“Our focus has always been on delivering value, not just low prices, ensuring customers have the protection they need for every part of their work. These recent changes in the business make a clear statement about our commitment to quality, clarity and specialist cover that goes above and beyond to help those who need it.” 

Find out more about Tradesman Saver here.

A British manufacturer specialising in safety-focused kitchen knives is launching a new collection of round-ended blades at Spring Fair 2026, with the aim of reducing injuries and fatalities linked to knife use.

The Be Blunt range centres on a premium four-knife set designed with rounded tips, combining safety-conscious design with high-quality materials. Consumers can choose between sleek black Pakawood handles or traditional rosewood finishes.

The product launch aligns with increasing national awareness around safer knife alternatives. The Let’s Be Blunt campaign, established in 2025 by Southport attack survivor Leanne Lucas, has played a key role in this shift, encouraging families and communities to replace pointed kitchen knives with round- or blunt-tipped versions as a preventative measure against knife crime.

The campaign frames knife safety as a public health issue, focusing on everyday actions that reduce harm and drawing parallels with long-standing safety measures such as seatbelt laws and restrictions on indoor smoking.

Be Blunt’s knives are designed to retain full culinary functionality while removing the sharp point commonly found on standard kitchen blades, allowing users to prepare food as normal.

The rounded tip reduces the likelihood of impulsive weapon use and limits the severity of accidental injuries, including frequent kitchen accidents involving hand injuries.

All knives in the range use full tang construction, with the German steel blade extending through the handle. This provides improved balance, strength and longevity, ensuring consistent performance without weak points.

The company has also embedded social responsibility into its business model. Each knife set sold contributes funding to knife crime charities and community interest companies working at a grassroots level.

Calls for safer alternatives have grown louder following a number of widely reported knife incidents across the UK. In 2025, actor and campaigner Idris Elba publicly advocated for dulled and round-tipped knives as part of a broader response to knife violence, helping to bring the idea into the mainstream.

Recent crime data shows that police recorded around 51,527 knife-related offences in England and Wales in the year ending June 2025, with sharp instruments continuing to play a major role in serious violence.

Healthcare figures further underline the scale of the issue, with approximately 3,494 hospital admissions for assault involving sharp objects recorded in 2024/25, alongside thousands of additional treatments each year.

Be Blunt spokesperson Dominic Vanderstay said: “Our safety knives are safer alternatives to the pointed-tipped knives that most people use in their kitchens, but they’re just as effective.

“Too many lives are ended because a kitchen knife was an easily available weapon at a moment of crisis. I was determined to come up with a solution that doesn’t compromise food prep performance.

“We collaborated with professional chefs, testing a vast array of blade types and handle designs. Our goal was to create a high-performance safety knife that fundamentally addresses the safety risks posed by a traditional blade. Judging by the feedback we’ve received, I believe we’ve achieved that goal.”

The knife sets are now on sale at beblunt.co.uk, with prices set at £59.99 for the black Pakawood option and £69.99 for the rosewood version.

Be Blunt is inviting the public to take part in the discussion around knife safety, highlighting how small, considered changes at home can play a role in preventing harm and protecting lives.

Increasing reliance on private healthcare services in the UK is driving a notable rise in practice sales and external investment, according to business brokerage Verilo.

As NHS waiting times remain at historic highs, more patients are choosing private healthcare solutions. Research from YouGov shows that one in seven UK residents sought private treatment within the last year, with public attitudes continuing to move in that direction.

Supporting data from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network reveals that 71% of people would now consider private healthcare, compared with 63% just two years ago. This marks a clear shift in how private care is perceived by the wider population.

The trend is attracting growing interest from investors and strategic buyers, many of whom see private healthcare as a stable sector underpinned by long-term demand.

Verilo says buyer registrations have risen sharply, with a new potential acquirer joining its marketplace approximately every six hours during 2025.

Founder Joshua Catlett notes that demand is coming from a more diverse group of buyers than in previous years, extending beyond traditional healthcare operators.

“Private healthcare is no longer a niche or boutique offering. It’s becoming a core part of the UK health ecosystem. Buyers see a sector with rising patient demand, strong fundamentals, and operational headroom for growth. For practice owners, that creates liquidity and choice that simply wasn’t available ten, even five years ago.”

On the supply side, Verilo reports an increase in practices coming to market, particularly those run by clinicians who never anticipated the scale their businesses would reach.

What often begins as a patient-focused clinical operation can evolve into a complex organisation, requiring founders to take on responsibilities far removed from frontline care.

“Some practice owners describe themselves as accidental business owners. They set out to provide great clinical care, and the demand grew. Over time, their role shifts from treating patients to managing HR, staffing, and compliance. For many, selling the practice allows them to release capital while staying on clinically, and passing growth to an organisation better set up to scale.”

According to Verilo, the alignment between buyer interest and seller intent is leading to a more sophisticated and predictable transaction market.

Rather than full exits, many deals now involve staged sales, retained clinical positions or gradual transitions that reduce risk for founders.

The brokerage reports sustained annual growth in completed deals and a 90% completion rate, reflecting strong confidence from both buyers and sellers.

Catlett says the developments point to an industry coming of age.

“Private healthcare is entering a new phase where ownership transitions are planned, orderly, and strategic. Buyers are looking for scale, and owners are looking for sustainability. Those forces are meeting in the middle.”