By Paul Watts-Barnes Founder & Director, No.20 Berkeley Square On 14 May 2026, a San Francisco startup called Gatsby says it made U.S. history by sending a humanoid robot to clean a customer’s apartment, booked through its consumer app. Gatsby is positioning itself not as a robot manufacturer, but as the consumer distribution layer for humanoid robotics — starting with home cleaning. At first glance, that might sound like another Silicon Valley headline. A clever demo. A piec

Mulberry, British Pasture Leather and Bristol’s Moment in Global Fashion By Paul Watts-Barnes, Founder & Director, No.20 Berkeley Square Bristol and the South West have just been handed a reminder of something we should say more confidently: We are not on the edge of the UK economy. We are one of the places shaping what the next generation of British luxury can look like.

If you’re a UK founder, a management team, or a private equity house looking at 2026 with cautious optimism, you’re not alone. The early signals coming out of the investment banking market point to a meaningful shift: confidence is rising, financing is more available, and the long-delayed exit pipeline is starting to move again. In plain English? More deals are likely to get done — and more exits are likely to happen. The ingredients for a stronger exit market are lining up

Bristol is one of those UK cities where the numbers and the lived experience finally agree: it’s a place with genuine momentum. Not hype—momentum. A strong base of knowledge-led employers, a deep engineering heritage, an expanding tech ecosystem, and a city identity that attracts talent and keeps it. For businesses looking for their next growth market, Bristol is an unusually attractive mix of opportunity, decision density, and relationship-driven commerce . It’s also a city