Latest news with #Chris Martin
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Connectd Raises $7m To Help ‘Fractional' Careers In Tech
Connectd British restaurateur Chris Martin knows what makes a good meal. So in 2023, he had an idea: build the Uber for private dining, where people can order personal chefs to their homes to whip up high-quality dinners. Chris had spent years in hospitality, building a network of talented chefs who could potentially power the platform. But when it came to actually building an online marketplace, he quickly hit a wall. He had never fundraised or scaled a tech product. He was breaking eggs, without an omelette to show for it. That's when Chris discovered Connectd, a London and New York-based company that matches startup businesses with 'fractional' workers. Distinct from consultants or freelancers, fractional executives are senior expert professionals who advise multiple organisations simultaneously. These individuals are building what is increasingly becoming known as 'portfolio careers'. Connectd is announcing today that it has raised $7 million from Anker Capital and Stena & Swerve. Not only this, but the company says they have surpassed $11 million in annual recurring revenue, achieving 80% year-over-year growth and facilitating over 25,000 connections between fractional executives and startups since 2019. Roei Samuel, CEO and Founder of Connectd, spotted this opportunity to power fractional work when he exited his first startup, RealSport, in 2018. 'When I tried to transition into advisory work, I realised there was this massive disconnect,' he says. 'Startups desperately needed expertise but could rarely access full-time hires at the skill level they required. Meanwhile, incredibly talented people wanted to share their knowledge across multiple companies and get compensated for their experience.' With this funding, Connectd is capitalising on a major trend rippling through the workforce. Three years ago, only 2,000 people on LinkedIn called themselves 'fractional'. That number has exploded to over 111,000 today, and according to a report by Flywheel Associates, 71% of top senior talent intend to build this kind of portfolio career in the coming years. Chris Martin went on to find a fractional advisor via Connectd, who transformed My Chef Market into a fundable business. This extra cook in Chris's kitchen made the broth better. 'It was a game changer,' says Martin. 'I had this great concept, but couldn't get any traction. My advisor helped us completely overhaul our business model, sharpen our pitch deck, and actually understand our unit economics. What would've taken me months of expensive mistakes, we solved in weeks.' My Chef Market is now preparing for its first funding round, with investor meetings already lined up. Connectd CEO Roei Samuel For startups and scaleups, working with fractional staff in this way allows leaders to access elite perspectives and guidance without the associated cost and long-term commitment of a senior hire. Connectd's AI technology looks at a startup's financial systems — such as Stripe for payments, Xero for accounting, Shopify for e-commerce transactions — and analyses exactly when and where a company needs help. This is especially relevant to early businesses that don't need certain full-time C-suite roles but require expertise at specific, business-critical moments in the early stages of their growth. A spike in burn rate? You need a fractional CFO who has experience in cash flow optimisation. Customer acquisition costs creeping up relative to conversion rates? Here are three fractional CMOs who've dealt with that problem before. Product development stalling? Meet a fractional CTO who's shipped similar products at scale. 'Imagine Warren Buffett coming into your office one day a week to tell you where you're going wrong. Or Jony Ive giving you an hour's feedback on your latest product rollout,' comments Samuel. 'With fractional engagements, companies can access some of the best minds on the planet without the associated costs.' This latest batch of funding will help Connectd double down on its proprietary AI technology as well as continue expanding into the US market, where it has already seen momentum in states like Florida and New York. As with most technology sectors, competition stateside is higher, and it remains to be seen how Connectd will fare across the pond. Jonas Anker, Founding Partner at Anker Capital and an investor in the round, feels confident, though, 'We back paradigm-shifting startups, and Connectd does just that. Roei Samuel's UK platform has evolved beyond smart investor matching to offer on-demand fractional talent—plug-in specialists who give founders instant execution power alongside capital and advice. By leading this round, we're reaffirming our confidence in Roei and Connectd, and fuelling a fairer, faster blueprint for building early-stage companies.' For Chris Martin and the thousands of founders like him, the message is clear: in an economy where expertise can be accessed on demand and talent flows freely between companies, the old model of building a business feels as outdated as a fax machine. The future of growing businesses isn't about collecting employees. It's about connecting the right expertise with the right moment. With 111,000 professionals now calling themselves fractional, and with well-capitalised platforms like Connectd on hand to support, that future might already be here.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Gallagher Pokes Fun at ‘Snidey' Coldplay Kiss Cam Scandal During Manchester Show
Liam Gallagher has made a playful dig at the kiss cam scandal that's enraptured the internet, saying that there won't be any jumbotron revelations at the upcoming Oasis shows. Speaking from the stage during the band's final show of their six night stand at Manchester's Heaton Park (July 20), Gallagher made reference to the incident at a Coldplay show in San Francisco last week, which saw a pair of attendees embracing but sheepishly hiding from view when they appeared on stage's jumbotron. More from Billboard 9 Best Moments as Oasis Reunite at Triumphant Comeback Show in Cardiff, Wales Justin Bieber Charts 16 Songs on Hot 100 From 'Swag' - And Ties With This Legend for 10th-Most Top 10s Jane Eugene, Loose Ends Vocalist, Detained by ICE The couple were later identified as colleagues at IT company Astronomer. The viral TikTok clip showed Andy Byron (CEO) with his arms around Kristin Cabot (chief human resources officer) at the event. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy,' Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said from the stage. Byron has since resigned from his position at the company. On Sunday, Gallagher was speaking before the band's performance of 'Slide Away' and asked the crowd 'do we have any love birds in the house?' He added, 'don't worry, we won't have none of that Coldplay snidey f–ing camera s–t here.' 'Doesn't matter to us who you're f–ing, mingling with, tingling with, fingering with… it's none of our f–ing business. This one's for the love birds anyway,' he said to laughs and cheers from the crowd. Throughout Coldplay's Music of the Spheres global jaunt — the biggest rock tour of all time, according to Billboard — the group have used a segment where they film audience members and Martin sings an impromptu song to them. In June, Celine Dion was the subject of one song alongside other fans. At Coldplay's following show in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday (July 19) Martin warned the crowd before starting the segment. 'We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd,' he said. 'How we're gonna do that is we're gonna use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen.' Flashing a grin, he added, 'So please, if you haven't done your makeup, do your makeup now.' It's not the first time that Gallagher has made a quip at Martin's expense, famously dubbing the frontman as looking like a 'geography teacher' and called the band a 'bunch of students.' In 2017 the pair performed together at the One Love concert in Manchester following the terror attack at the city's arena. 'I take back everything I've ever said about you,' Liam later said to Martin. 'You sound f–ing really good.' Oasis are in the midst of their Live '25 reunion tour, with a run of shows set to kick off on Friday (July 25) at London's Wembley Stadium, before the U.K. leg concludes in Edinburgh, Scotland and then heads to Dublin, Ireland. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Coldplay's Chris Martin breaks silence after kiss cam CEO saga as he issues warning to fans
Coldplay 's Chris Martin issued fans a warning at his first concert since a kiss cam at his band's previous gig exposed a CEO and his subordinate getting cozy. The frontman, 48, gave the crowd at the Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin a heads up that they might end up featured on screens at the show. 'We'd like to say hello to some of you in the crowd,' Martin said. 'How we're going to do that is we're going to use our cameras and put some of you on the big screen.' The warning came after former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were caught in an embrace when a Jumbotron camera panned to them mid-song. The colleagues abruptly covered their faces, with Byron diving out of view and Cabot turning her back to the camera. But despite their efforts to avoid the limelight, their apparent awkwardness caught Martin's attention. 'Oh look at these two!' the singer said mischievously as they spun around. 'Oh what? Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy.' The camera stayed trained on the pair, while an astonished woman stood next to them appeared to laugh uncontrollably at the uncomfortable situation. The moment at Boston's Gillette Stadium quickly went viral and prompted an internet frenzy. Public records suggest both Byron, 50, and Cabot, 56, are married - but that they live at different addresses to each of their spouses registered abodes. The controversy grew so large that Byron even stepped down from his role after Astronomer launched an investigation. The company provides generative AI software to a number of major companies including Uber, Ford and LinkedIn. In a statement announcing Byron's departure, Astronomer addressed the controversy. 'As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding,' it read. 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met. 'While awareness of our company may have changed overnight, our product and our work for our customers have not. 'We're continuing to do what we do best: helping our customers with their toughest data and AI problems.' Byron heaped praise on Cabot in a November 2024 post about her appointment to the firm. 'Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory,' he said. 'She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.' Byron became CEO in 2023, and the startup rapidly grew under his tenure including a reported 292 per cent growth in revenue for its 'Astro' platform that year. The startup has been valued at over $1 billion, and last week Byron appeared on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) TV to celebrate the company. He has been replaced by Peter DeJoy as interim CEO.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
15 Funny Women Who Made This Week A Little Less Hellish With Their Witty Sense Of Humor On Social Media
We survived another week, and this one has been wild. From Chris Martin calling out an affair to Stephen Colbert's late show sadly being Jimmy Kimmel not being too happy about it, amidst speculation that CBS's decision was influenced by politics. So, let's turn our attention to some humor by women for relief. We've rounded up the best jokes from Bluesky, Threads, and that we can't endorse the latter, but we are pleased to bring you the comical relief that can still be found on the platform, free of the surrounding chaos. PS: Be sure to give these funny women a follow! Related: 1. 2. 3. 4. Related: 5. 6. 7. Related: 8. 9. 10. 11. Related: 12. 13. 14. finally, the rudest "good" news you'll get: Check out our last roundup of women's tweets if you missed it! Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
New Ramsey Commissioner 'ecstatic' to join local authority
A new Ramsey Town Commissioner said he felt "ecstatic" to join the local authority following his by-election Martin was elected in the Ramsey South Ward after picking up 278 of the 554 votes cast on Thursday. The local authority district recorded a 21% voter Jimmy Cubbon and Karl Drinkwater were elected to the local authority in Port Erin after they respectively received 378 and 331 votes. The southern local authority by-election had a 19.4% turnout. 'Hard work begins' Martin said that while Ramsey was not a bad place to live, "I would like to try and enhance what we have got, and hopefully I have got the skills to make that said a "burning issue" was the condition and accessibility of the town's "elated" to win the election, he said "now the hard work begins".It had been a "hard campaign, treading round about, visiting people, finding out what people want from the town", said Martin, who promised to learn how the local authority worked "so you can make a difference and make sure that you can be effective".The by-elections were held after both local authorities failed to attract enough candidates in April's general Commissioners, which had two vacant seats to fill, did not have anybody putting themselves forward. Meanwhile, in Douglas Central Ward only Arwid Hall was two seats to fill, Jurby Parish Commissioners, only had one Allanson has filled one of the vacancies in an uncontested election. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
