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Ribbit rumours contribute to PhoneFromHere.com momentum

Posted by Georgia on Friday 11th of July 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Press Release - Manchester, UK - 10th July 2008

Ribbit rumours contribute to PhoneFromHere.com momentum

Rumours of the acquisition by BT of Ribbit have added to the weight of expectation around the web-based voice market. If the rumours are true, the award-winning PhoneFromHere.com will be one of the few independent players remaining in the market.

The UK-based company PhoneFromHere.com is a direct competitor to Silicon Valley-based Ribbit, which the rumours suggest has been acquired by BT for $55 million dollars. PhoneFromHere.com won the Big Chip International Award for Innovation recently, and was also part of a winning entry at the SXSW awards in the US.

"This raises expectations, and reaffirms our belief in the value of this market," commented Tim Panton, founder of PhoneFromHere.com. "Although it's sad that even British institutions like BT believe they need to look to the other side of the Atlantic for innovation, when they could find it much closer to home."

PhoneFromHere.com's solution is entirely standards based, unlike Ribbit's proprietary system. PhoneFromHere.com's unique interface does not rely on Adobe Flash like many competitors, providing enhanced flexibility in deployment and simple integration with key web standards like DHTML.

Contact:
Georgia Brown

www.PhoneFromHere.com

Giving the web a voice!

georgia@phonefromhere.com
+44 (0) 0161 288 4242

Coverage on Crain's Manchester Business

Posted by ManojRanaweera on Monday 30th of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Crain's Manchester Business

A number of Northern Stars were featured on Crain's Manchester Business today, including few comments from me on the internet start up world in Manchester. Here are the articles:

- Internet start-ups fail to achieve critical mass - What would it take to make Manchester a hotbed of Web 2.0 talent?
- Networking site to help unsigned musicians

This is my third time on Crain's Manchester Business, but yet to make the cover page. The early relationship formed with Stephen Brauner of Crain's Manchester Business is bearing fruit as more and more Northern Stars are featured on the weekly business publications.

Hopefully Insider, Manchester Evening News and EN will start covering the sector not in too distant future.

UPDATE
Crain's Manchester Business 30th  June 2008

edocr provides exclusive interactivity for Crain's Manchester Business. Look for page 11, 13 and 15 for more news on Northern StartUp 2.0, Northern Stars (Mgami, edocr, NetRecords) and NS20 community (Ed French, Manoj Ranaweera).

Do Startups need to think about scaling now ?

Posted by StewartTownsend on Monday 30th of June 2008 | 1 Comment(s)

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Who needs Scaling, not me ?

I attended an event a few weeks back called "Top Cats" hosted by Paul Walsh and I bumped into Richard Tyler from The Telegraph, as usual with these types of events you have a little catch up then discuss whats happening in the Startup Space,  myself and Richard discussed Scaling, do companies need to think about it now, we both agreed its an aspect of a small startup company that get's pushed to one side as their isn't time to think or plan, its all happening to quickly ? Richard quoted a fantastic video that the BBC made on Firebox in 2000, and the message in that still stands the test of time today.

So as a Startup, how do you plan for Scaling, what happens when you  bridge the chasm and find that users, useage and power are being consumed so quickly that you are in danger of crashing and losing your business in 24 hours, well its easy you talk to me !!!!

Without being a blatant advert for Startup Essentials, a few hints and tips that has worked for companies already that I deal with

1. Think Scaling long term growth now, to late when you are at near capacity and spent all your cash.

2. Investors love due dilligence and a credible business plan, that shows costings for short and long term growth.

3. Investors get even more excited when you show that you are thinking these aspects and are working with a large global enterprise vendor to overcome short and long term challenges.

4. We are a Startup, been their, have the t shirt and know the pains, but also we have expertise in scaling and architectural build out that we talk about everyday to key accounts, these same engineers can help you as well.

5. Then once you are scaling and ready to take on the world, work with our global PR Engine.

To read the full Telegraph article, go here and also watch the video from Firebox as well, some fantastic elements within that ring true in 2008.

Glorious Startup Colourvision- Scott McNealy how he recruited Bill Joy as told to 25 UK Startups

Posted by StewartTownsend on Thursday 26th of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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As discussed previously, Scott McNealy met with 25 UK Startup Essential customers/supporters and we had a fantastic hour of debate and debacle on his life and insights into what would help inspire these companies grow and scale.

If you would like to watch this, it was captured and now up on the Intruders.tv site, listen out for the story about Bill Joy it is hilarious.

So who attended this event and what did they get out of it ?

Oli Barrett

After dropping out of University, Oli became a Butlin Redcoat
(entertainer and compere) and worked with Hit Entertainment on the
launch of Bob the Builder, going on to work with the BBC, Disney and
Sony Wonder in New York. He founded his first company, Amazingyou at
University, growing the team to 150 people in 9 cities and hosting
events to connect students to young professionals for inspiration and
opportunities.

Tony Fish -  Mash Up Event

Tony Fish has been involved for over 20 years in the Technology Media and Telecoms industries, and has been associated with building hi-tech companies since his first IPO (OFEX) in 1994. Tony Fish is known for his probing questioning, clear decision making, simple no-nonsense attitude and robust financial views and governance controls. In additional to this, he has an excellent grasp of strategic and economic issues relating to growth businesses, their patterns for survival and brings an innovative flare to delivery, deal execution and fund raising. “Mobile Web 2.0” is the second book Fish has co-written and provides a detailed strategic analysis of the changing relationships in mobile, media and retail as the markets move towards openness

Jamie MurrayWells Glasses Direct

Jamie Murray Wells started Glasses Direct from the living room of his parents’ home in Wiltshire while studying for his University final exams. Four years later - without any formal business training - the 24 year-old has seen the company grow to become the largest direct retailer of custom made prescription glasses in the world.

Jamie has established himself as a national expert on emerging small enterprise in the UK, and is often asked to comment on current affairs matters for national newspapers and broadcasters.

Subjects he has spoken about include the postal strike, pre-budget reports from the Government, and capital gains tax. He has appeared on BBC News 24, Radio 5 Live, Tonight, GMTV, and is regularly quoted in a variety of Fleet Street newspapers including the Financial Times and the Daily Telegraph.

Jamie takes an active interest in his role as an entrepreneur, acting as an ambassador for UK Enterprise, providing advice and support to other young entrepreneurs as well as being a National Judge for Enterprising Britain 2007 and also in 2008.

Nick Halstead Fav.or.it CEO Founder

Richard Jones one of the  last.FM Founders

June Sarpong - about to launch Politics and the City

Vincent Camara Intruders TV

Manoj Ranaweeram CEO - Edocr

Join Startup Essentials and get ready for more to come like this ...

Can you really believe Alexa Rankings?

Posted by ManojRanaweera on Monday 23rd of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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I had a great chat with Shaun Fensom of Manchester Digital this morning discussing ways of how Northern StartUp 2.0 could collaborate with Manchester Digital, a well funded organisation by its membership and public sector. Given that Manchester Digital is well established and the organiser of Big Chip Ten awards, you would think the website would have a higher Alexa ranking than Northern StartUp 2.0. But it seems that is not the case. So here are the rankings today (3 months averages):

- Northern StartUp 2.0 - 555,468 (up by 32,898). UK ranked 23,766
- Manchester Digital - 1,327,652 (down by 83,032), UK ranked 68,986
- Mashup Event - 594,559 (down by 202,719), UK ranked 36,296
- GeekUp - 606,027 (down by 84,926), UK ranked 45,394

Can this be true? I bet Google Analytics show a complete different picture. Unfortunately, this functionality is yet to be installed here.

NWDA set to launch VC loan fund

Posted by ManojRanaweera on Monday 23rd of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Michael Fahy of Crain's Manchester Business reported today that NWDA is to launch a new VC fund. Here is the full story

The North West Regional Development Agency is set to announce the launch of an £80m venture capital loan fund within the next few days.

It has issued a tender document (see Contracts and tenders, page 18) requesting bids from potential managers to run the fund, whose objective will be to provide seed and growth capital for SMEs and fast-growth businesses.

The agency hopes to match its investment with private sector cash to create a total fund worth around £160m.

The funding, which has come from a pot of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) cash lasting until 2013, will take equity stakes in companies with a view to creating an “evergreen” fund which will last beyond that.

The initiative is designed to operate in areas where the NWDA has identified a “market failure” — lower-level, risky funds from early-stage companies which struggle to raise cash from private equity houses.

equity gap

James Dow, principal at Warrington-based corporate finance house Dow Schofield Watts, said he believed the need for public funding had been correctly identified.

“There is an equity gap at that level — anything less than £2m is not really supported by private equity houses any more,” he said.

Daniel Finestein, whose Manchester-based private equity fund Infinity Asset Management writes cheques of between £500,000 and £10m for equity stakes in businesses, said that although it operated in a similar space to the proposed fund, his company was not really interested in start-ups.

“We're after more established businesses,” he said. “However, if there was match funding available from the agency we might be more inclined to do it.”

Keith Turpin, a partner at Manchester-based DTE Corporate Finance, described the launch of the fund as “great news”. He said the equity gap for lower-level funding has actually widened as the size of private equity funds has grown. “In the last few years the banks have moved into that space but I think there's been less of an appetite from banks recently as well.”

Likely bidders for the contract include a number of companies which have run public sector-led funds before including Liverpool-based Alliance Fund Managers (MSIF), Preston-based Enterprise Ventures (Rising Stars Growth Funds) and Yorkshire Fund Managers (South Yorkshire Investment Fund).

No surprises here in terms of who will manage the funds. My gut feel is it will be split between the three of them, at least I expect a good proportion going to MSIF. In case you were not aware, Northern Startup 2.0 is supported by all three VCs through regular attendance. If you wish to have an informal chat with Doug Stellman of YFM Private Equity, Ed French of Rising Stars or Malcolm Stewart, Mike Bakewell, Peter Leather, Gillian Hunt of MSIF/Liverpool Ventures, why not attend the next event. We expect to see 6 VCs representing North of England, London and the USA

Cloud 9 for virtual weatherman

Posted by ManojRanaweera on Monday 23rd of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Simul-Logo.png

Crain's Manchester Business 23rd  June 2008

Our Northern Star, Simul run by Rod Kennedy was interviewed by Crain's Manchester Business during the last Northern Startup 2.0 DEMO event held on 15th June 2008 at eOffice Manchester. Here is the story:

For award-winning computer games developer Roderick Kennedy every cloud has a silver lining. Kennedy's Simul Software Ltd creates computer generated weather effects for computer games, so the gloomier the virtual skies the more business he does.

Kennedy, a former developer for Runcorn-based Evolution Studios, believes that his apparently small contribution could be worth millions of pounds in a growing games industry which turned over £16bn worldwide in 2007.

His software package, called Simul Clouds, enables game developers to insert 3D moving clouds directly into the computer games they are working on.

Kennedy (pictured), who is based at offices in Salford Quays and Daresbury Innovation Centre, claims his unique product, which creates “realtime, volumetric, dynamic clouds” will save them thousands of man hours and money. To develop a typical game takes 18 months, around £15m and 50 technicians. Kennedy, 35, said his input helps to make the developers' job less complex and expensive. “Games are now so advanced that they can't all be built in house. There is too much to do.

“The advantage is that it gives a really good looking result and gives them a complete solution. It is easy to integrate. You get clouds that move convincingly. If they are just a static picture in the background it does not work. The market for what we're doing is in the hundreds of thousands to a few millions. I don't expect to capture all of that.”

While at Evolution, which was brought by Sony last November, Kennedy developed the World Rally Championships game. Others he has worked on include the flight simulator Eurofighter 2000.

Within months of leaving the company in November the simulation software engineer started his own business which has one part-time member of staff as well as himself.

He has already sold the cloud package to a major games developer, who he cannot name because of a confidentiality agreement, and claims he has had enquiries from over 40 companies.

He added: “We hope we will make some more sales in the next few weeks. We have had enquiries from all over the world, the US, Japan, Bulgaria and Belarus. There is one company out there doing trees. We hope to be the main ones for clouds.” He also plans to develop similar simulations for explosions, waves, volcano eruptions, smoke and tornadoes.

Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, which represents games engineers worldwide, said: “While we are seeing more and more niche solutions, for example tree and foliage generation, I don't have a sense of the numbers as IGDA does not track sales or usage stats.

“But on the whole, the assumption is that developers are moving more towards off-the-shelf solutions and middleware for the nuts and bolts tech, while spending more of their time on the higher level "gameplay' programming and content aspects, as in story, characters, etc. What I will say is that this should be a thriving business as the industry and art form matures.”

Dr Richard Wilson, chief executive of UK-based Tiga, an association which represents developers, said it was unclear yet whether this type of simulation outsourcing was a trend as no figures had been collated on the subject.

He said games developers were outsourcing in some cases to cut down on costs and get the very best expertise.

He said: “The market is simply developing. Games developers are always considering new ways of creating more exciting products. The market has the potential to grow.”

Another compelling reason why you ought to consider joining the Northern StartUp 2.0 community and be part of building an ecosystem for digital startups in the North of England.

Follow up after a meeting with Venture Capitalist or Angel Investor

Posted by superuser on Tuesday 17th of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Here is a great video on follow up techniques

Northern creativity

Posted by superuser on Monday 16th of June 2008 | 1 Comment(s)

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Comments on a postcard to suit the vintage please.

Scott McNealy uncut!

Posted by ManojRanaweera on Thursday 12th of June 2008 | 0 Comment(s)

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Just got back from a great evening with Scott McNealy, web entrepreneurs and their friends. Before I forget, here is some of the advice I took home to the North West:

- Be controversial and embark on a startup that others do not get immediately
- Don't use your money, use someone else's
- Facebook, myspace, etc - digital tattoos of personal diaries, there is no privacy anymore
- Fire those who do not perform - don't keep employees for the wrong reason
- Do not take ethical, financial or legal risk. Take business risk on.
- Work for the people who report to you
- Ideal number of people reporting to you is 11 and not 6 or 7 as management gurus preach
- Above help drive culture across the organisation
- 9% should be managers, no more to ensure retention of message down the chain
- A meeting is not a place to make decisions. Listen to everyone. Decide 24 hrs after.
- “Good Luck, kick some butt. Google ain't the last answer here”

Had the pleasure to meet many new faces and enjoyed the train journey home with Anish Kapoor of Yuuguu. Couple of vital information came out of my conversations with Anish for those budding entrepreneurs:

- Regional investors are now following some of the thought process of the Silicon Valley, i.e. concentrate on user numbers instead of revenues.
- Brand equity is more important than revenues. Beware of building a channel at the detriment of end-user ownership

By the way, my feelings are opposite to the last two with respect to edocr.