At last, we have a functioning blog at Northern StartUp 2.0 (NS20). Recently, I have been speaking a lot about developing an ecosystem for digital product based companies in the North, and especially in the North West. I see Northern StartUp 2.0 taking a significant role in taking this initiative forward with our ever growing community and the community from Daresbury Innovation Centre where I am based at. Lot more to say about this subject later.

Going forward, this website will provide following functionality:

1. The event programme - ideally once a month except for the month of August, in Manchester and Liverpool
2. Directory of service providers that are keen to work with the NS20 community
3. Northern Stars - our way of tracking the progress of digital product based companies in the North
4. Job Board
5. Surgeries - 3 held so far with forthcoming surgery in July with VC from East Coast (to be confirmed)
6. Blog - opportunity for the community to share their thoughts, not just for me.

So, it's time for you to update your profile and get your company listed as either a Northern Star (free) or as a Service Provider (payable). I also encourage you to purchase annual membership at £250 per annum, which provides a significant saving over the year. Please note that annual membership excludes special events such as Digital Futures, but includes listings on Directory and access to all NS20 events.