Recently PhoneFromHere.com were presented with the opportunity to attend next years Internet World as part of the Innovation Pavilion. As many of you will know PhoneFromHere.com are a NorthWest based Web/Telco startup, offering Web-based voice communications for Web users and online communities. We are active participants of regional, national and international tech and startup communities, having evolved from the long established and respected software consultancy Westhawk Ltd. As a local business PhoneFromHere.com were thrilled to win the Big Chip International Innovation Award earlier this year and to be recognized as a global web business. Attending Internet World 2009 would provide an ideal platform for us to build upon our previous successes and support our activities promoting and selling the PhoneFromHere.com service to the international web industry.

PhoneFromHere.com have been working hard over the past few months to secure financial investment to support marketing and promotional opportunities that would effectively grow our business more rapidly than would otherwise be possible. Budget to attend the Internet World 2009 had been ear-marked particularly due to the exhibition’s reputation as the leading event for the Internet business and the digital marketing sector, but also because of its proven ability to attract some 13,000 top decision makers from leading brands. The attendees profile is the Marketing, Media and/or e-Commerce Managers/Directors, 89% of whom are responsible for purchasing. They come to this show looking to for technology solutions, to make key business partnerships and to spend their budgets. 73% of visitors to the expo expected to buy from an exhibitor met at Internet World within 12 months, PhoneFromhere.com need to gain visibility with this, our target market and the Innovation Pavilion would provide a great opportunity to do just that. However, a few weeks ago to our surprise and disappointment our Investor, who had already issued PhoneFromHere.com with a term sheet pulled out, explaining that the fund had effectively run dry before our application could be processed.

Frustrated as we are by the situation we are now working to implement as much of our business plan as possible without the funding, which means cutting back in many areas, but also begging, borrowing and blagging whatever support and assistance we can. So here it the punch line… we are looking for a sponsor who would like to be associated with PhoneFromHere.com, an award winning, innovative startup, from the NorthWest but with global potential. We are looking to pitch our presence at the Internet World 2009 event in conjunction with our partner, showcasing their offering alongside our own.

If you have any ideas about how we might finance our presence at Internet World or have some suggestions about whom we might approach for help, we would greatly appreciate your input. I will be appealing LIVE at the Northern Startup event on the 28th of October at the KPMG offices; I look forward to hearing your thoughts then.

Georgia Brown
PhoneFromHere.com
+44 (0) 161 288 4242