Gimme 5 March 2, 2014 …STARTUPS CROWDFUNDING THIS MONTH Blue Crow Media Target: £50,000 for 5 per cent Creates apps for consumers to discover casual food and drink venues in London and New York. Raised: £13,850 via Seedrs 79 days left BodyFire Target: £200,000 for 10 per cent Fitness and nutrition business created by England Rugby player James Haskell. Raised: [...]
Wake up and smell the coffee February 23, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to Coco di Mama founders Daniel Land and Jeremy Sanders – the childhood friends and pasta fanatics who are bringing quick service Italian to professionals across the City UK PASTA sales grew by 6 per cent between 2011 and 2012 to reach £557m. We’re not the only ones engaged in an ongoing [...]
Gimme 5 February 23, 2014 …upcoming events for entrepreneurs How to attract the right investors 27 February, 2pm-6pm Half day workshop from The Funding Game to explore how to attract the right investors to your business. The British Library, £40 Silicon Drinkabout 7 March, 6.30pm-11.30pm Regular after-work drinks evening for startups of all sizes to meet like-minded people. Google Campus [...]
The Digital Effect February 16, 2014 Annabel Palmer discusses trends with Gwyn Jones, BBH’s group chief executive BRITISH advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) has been Agency of the Year twice at the Cannes Lions Festival, and has created notable campaigns including “Vorsprung durch Technik” for Audi and “The Lynx Effect” for Unilever. Group chief executive Gwyn Jones tells City A.M. [...]
Brothers who built brand with purpose February 16, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks travelling, Topman, and the English weather with Rob Forkan – the tsunami orphan who co-founded new flip flop brand Gandys INNOCENT may have pioneered a whole new approach to marketing (the company has even published a book about its “story,” and “what they’ve learned”), but no business tale will ever be as [...]
Innovation Diary: Entrepreneurs are right to be overly-optimistic – it’s the rest of us who have the problem February 16, 2014 IF YOU’RE an optimistic sort, you may be more likely to live longer, feel less lonely, and be generally happier than those eternal pessimists who eke out their existences in constant worry. And it should come as little surprise that entrepreneurs are glass half-full types. A 2004 study by Manju Puri and David Robinson of [...]
Gimme 5 February 16, 2014 …NETWORKING SITES FOR ENTREPRENEURS The Supper Club Offers access to a vetted peer group; events; connections to other entrepreneurs; media coverage opportunities. Joiners fee of £495; social membership is £250 a month; growth membership is £500. supper-club.net OpenIDEO A global, web-based platform for innovation where designers and creative thinkers create together. Organisations or individuals can [...]
Unlocking the secret to startup success February 9, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks to the co-founders of Secret Escapes about their adventures in the online travel industry IF YOU watch television, it’s likely you’ll have been exposed (and possibly raised an eyebrow) to Secret Escapes’ marketing campaign – arguably the most provocative advert since Cindy Crawford donned denim hotpants for Pepsi. Brand ambassador Camilla Arfwedson’s [...]
Innovation Diary: There will be plenty more Wongas to come – even as the fintech sector begins to grow up February 9, 2014 FEW NEED telling about the growth of peer-to-peer lending. Whether driven away by dissatisfaction with traditional banking, or pulled by attractive returns and convenience, lenders and borrowers are increasing interested. According to Nesta, P2P business lending grew by 211 per cent between 2012 and 2013. And while P2P lenders control just 1 per cent (about [...]
Gimme 5 February 9, 2014 …CO-WORKING SPACES FOR ENTREPRENEURS ClubWorkspace A growing network of creative drop-in business bases. It has six locations: Bankside, Chancery Lane, Chiswick, Clerkenwell, Kennington and London Bridge. club.workspacegroup.co.uk Exchange at Somerset House Home to inspirational new startups including Hailo, Somerset House offers flexible office solutions in a community environment at competitive rates. somersethouse.org.uk/work One Alfred Place [...]