Digital Mission Blog
The Digital Mission series is run by Chinwag to support UK-based digital companies expand into new markets and attract overseas investment.
Toy Collector: Future of Online Shopping in Social Media
eBay and Amazon may be the twin giants of online shopping but there's still plenty of space for specialist retailers with strong communities of buyers.
Meet Martingale, an alumni of the Digital Mission to NYC 2009. They’re helping to transform the world of buying classic toys by making things much more socially interactive.
Martingale belive that the success of traditional shopping sites like eBay and Amazon wil give way to web 2.0 specialist sites where the emphasis is on community and interaction.
The company has recently raised funding from some of the net's most successful eCommerce businesses, including OLX, an international calssified site, Mercado Libre the largest South American online auction site and QXL the largest Central and Eastern European online auction site.
This comes as no surprise to those who met CEO, Christain Braun on the Digital Mission, who managed to cram in an unprecedented number of investor meetings. A lesson in determination for other missioners on the hunt for funding.
Funding will be primarily chanelled into developing ToyCollector.com, a site for collectors of antique toys. It will be the first time that Martingale has married social media with this market. The web 2.0 special auction site will have a strong sense of community, category killer software to specifically target large communities and it will, in turn, bring the site inline with the big guns and give Toycollector.com a very strong USP.
Users can expect niche specific blogs, clubs, directories, competitions, events forums and friending systems. There will be a wiki-based catalogue for every toy ever produced and all content on the site can be filtered according to personal use too.
Robert Dighero, Chairman of Martingale is, “excited about having backing from a group bringing such a wealth of experience in online marketplaces as well the opportunity to leverage our networks in Asia, Europe, North and South America."
To keep up-to-date with Digital Missions and other export opportunities, sign-up forthe free Digital Mission newsletter or follow @digitalmission on Twitter.
Digital Mission Newsletter
Picture courtesy of Phil Jackman. Some rights reserved.
Digital Mission Company Win at Midem
BandCentral have been shortlisted for a BidemNet Lab award at the world's premier music festival, Midem, Cannes.
The Online Band Management company, that lets anyone be a music manager, have recenty launched a revamped version of their site with souped-up features and cutting edge enhancements.
It was only a few short weeks ago that BandCentral joined the Digital Mission to New York, run in conjunction with UK Trade & Investment.
The Midem festival explores all that's hot in new music, muscial trends, it brings execs and artists together and is an important forum for discussing legal and politcal wrangles in the industry.
Running in parrallel to the main festival, just like SXSWi, is the MidemNet digital equivalent. It not only shines a light on the digital music sector but puts the spotlight firmly on innovative digital companies that are building solutions in new media.
BandCentral will also be taking their owne stand at South by South West festival taking place in Austin, Texas.
Chinwag is taking a group of UK digital companies on the second Digital Mission to SXSWi, in March this year.
Keep an eye on the Digital Mission newsletter, or if 140 characters is more your style, follow @digitalmission on Twitter.
Picture courtesy of David Berkowitz. Some rights reserved.
Digital Mission SXSWi 2010 Companies Announced
Top UK Firms Selected for Prestigious US Digital Mission
PRESS RELEASE: London, UK, Thursday 21st January 2010
Forty of the UK's leading digital SMEs have been selected for the second annual Digital Mission to South by South West interactive (SXSWi), one of the world's leading conferences for interactive media taking place in Austin, Texas from 11-17th March 2010. Established in 1994, the conference provides an opportunity for the Digital Mission companies to attend hundreds of conference sessions and networking events.
The successful companies were chosen from over 120 submissions by an advisory board of industry experts drawn from the UK community including: VC's, export specialists, legal experts, journalist and industry pundits, to take part in the Digital Mission to SXSWi.
The companies selected for the Digital Mission to SXSWi '10 are:
- Amberlight
- Audioboo
- Blueleaf Digital
- Brainient
- Codegent
- Codility
- Cube Interactive
- Face Group
- FreshNetworks
- GigLocator
- Howard Baines
- Illumina Digital
- KMP Digitata
- Likecube
- Little World Gifts
- Littleloud
- Mendeley
- Mobilized
- MOFILM
- Moonfruit
- MusicMetric
- Nsyght
- oneDrum
- Orange Bus
- PageDo
- Pixeco
- Plug-in Media
- Qhub
- Rummble
- Silence Media
- Skimlinks
- Slicethepie
- Smidgn
- SubHub
- TweetJobs
- UberVu
- Vibio
- Videojuicer
- Wolfstar
- WorldTV
Detailed information and contact details for each company is available from the official Digital Mission website: http://www.digital-mission.org/sxsw10-companies
The trip organised by Chinwag (http://chinwag.com) on behalf of UK Trade & Investment (https://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk) to enable digital firms to make the most of the opportunities in the US market, builds on last year's highly successful trip. Delegates benefit from extensive marketing at SXSWi, a vast stand at the SXSW interactive expo and attendance at the now-legendary Great British Breakfast event where they'll mingle with 200 international delegates over a traditional British fry-up.
Attendees also have access to the exclusive Digital Mission Masterclass, which will unwrap the nuts and bolts of setting up an office or doing business stateside. The session covers legal and tax implications along with case studies from UK companies who've successfully made the leap across the pond.
This trip builds on a successful series of missions in 2009 including a trip to Los Angeles and San Francisco in October and the second annual New York mission. This is the second year of the joint venture to help UK digital growth by Chinwag and UK Trade & Investment, assisting firms to develop new business channels, partnerships, seek investment and providing a detailed knowledge of the US market.
The Digital Mission to SXSWi 2010 is generously supported by international law firm, Winston & Strawn (http://www.winston.com) and Sun Startup Essentials (http://uk.sun.com/startups).
Chinwag CEO Sam Michel said: "We're delighted to be heading back South by South West with another Digital Mission. The firms represented showcase the enormous breadth and depth of talent in the UK's digital sector and I'm looking forward to working with them to make the most of the opportunity."
For more information, please visit: http://www.digital-mission.org/sxsw10
Press resources including pictures, logos and a PDF/Word version of this release are available at:
http://digital-mission.org/press
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
About Chinwag
The Chinwag community is a focal point for digital media practitioners in the UK and beyond. Founded in 1996, it has grown into a community media company that publishes websites, discussion forums and blogs supporting the people and companies who work in the digital industry.
Since July 2008, Chinwag have worked closely with the UK Trade & Investment in organising the Digital Missions, which help UK digital SME's to expand their businesses abroad, forge partnerships with US companies and seek investment from overseas. They also publish Chinwag Jobs, the leading recruitment website for digital marketing, media, technical and design positions. http://chinwag.com
About UK Trade & Investment
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) can help you rise to the exciting opportunities and challenges that globalisation offers. We work with UK-based businesses to ensure their success in international markets. We also encourage the best overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through our national and global networks. It's our goal to enhance the competitiveness of companies in the UK, and to attract a continuing high level of quality foreign direct investment. http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/
About SXSW Interactive
SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.
http://sxsw.com/interactive
For further information, please contact:
Emily Fisher, Production Director, Chinwag
Tel: +44 (0)20 7183 2923
Email: emily
chinwag [dot] com
Site: http://chinwag.com
To keep up-to-date with the Digital Mission and other export opportunities for digital companies, sign up to the Digital Mission newsletter below or follow @digitalmission on Twitter.
Digital Mission Newsletter
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AudioBoo Coming to a Browser Near You
Back in March this year AudioBoo proudly claimed their mission to be the YouTube of the spoken word.
And it looks like they're just about there. Previously available in iPhone and Android flavours, the Audioboo team have announced a browser-based version launching today. Get in there people.
Following in the intrepid techno-savvy footsteps of users like Stephen Fry, he's been known to say "night night" to his Twitter followers with it, AudioBoo users will now be able to upload their recordings easily from their computers.
The service is PC and Mac compatible, runs on Safari and Firefox and the pre-launch jitters on IE are being smoothed out as I type. Unfortunately, there's no word about Chrome just yet.
Boo users can add pictures of themselves and, with Google Maps itegration, location tags. You'll be able to do all the same things you would on the iPhone and Android platforms. You can have your audio clips stored on audioboo.fm, and you have the option to download recordings as podcasts and send them off to your networks, á la Fry.
Audioboo founder, Mark Rock, joined the Digital Mission to Los Angeles and San Francisco earlier in the year and with admirable persistance used Audioboo to document the trip.
Picture courtesy of OurManInside. Some rights reserved.
Applications for the Digital Mission to South by South West Interactive (March 2010) in Austin, Texas close today.
UPDATE: A sneak preview of in-browser Audioboo has just been released.
Difference Engine Boosts North East With £20,000 For Ten Start-ups
The Difference Engine, a program to increase the growth of start-ups in Europe has been launched in the North East this week and will provide start-up capital of around £20,000, mentor support and a working environment that will allow ten teams of digital entrepeneurs to get their business up and running.
We got in touch with The Difference Engine's Managing Director, Jon Bradford for the deets.
CHINWAG: Can entrepreneurs
can apply from anywhere in the UK?
Teams can come from elsewhere in the UK and beyond (subject to working visas). They will be required to relocate to the region for the duration of the programme.
CHINWAG: What sort of companies are you targeting?
We have taken a very broad view about this - but typically web-based or software orientated businesses which version 1.0 or for more ambitious projects a prototype can be developed within the 16 week programme. In general, we’re interested in disruptive technology solutions that are not capital intensive.
CHINWAG: The initial grant is quite small, will there be further grants in future?
The initial £20k is an investment (rather than a grant) for which we take an 8% stake in the business. As an investment there is the opportunity for the programme to become sustainable within a few years. Initiatives such as the JEREMIE programme in the North East will bring £125m to the region in early 2010 - providing potential investment funds in the longer term.
It's clear the scheme is aiming for longevity with this one and trying to make a real difference in the North East, which with events like North East Digital Awards and the region's answer to the legendary (and expensive) TED conference, Thinking Digital (25% discount for Chinwag readers) is proving that it's a thriving part of the UK's digital economy.
The program is due to start on the 15 February 2010 and will run until 4 June. It will have two 16 week cycles, both of which will be based in the North East. The first in February, 2010 at Boho One DigitalCity, Middlesbrough and the second will be in July at Sunderland Software City.
Ten lucky teams will be choosen from a 20-strong short list. So, if you're an entrepreneur or if you know someone who would benefit from The Difference Engine, apply online at before 4 January, 2010.
Picture courtesy of Andy FCUM. Some rights reserved.
