Ground Floor Venture - Jan 2011

SPONSORS

YOUR HOST MITCHELL SYMONS AUTHOR

Introducing your host for this evening...

Mitchell Symons Mitchell Symons is a writer and broadcaster from London. He was a principal writer for the early UK editions of the world renowned board game Trivial Pursuit and has devised many television formats.

He wrote an award-winning opinion column for the Daily Express and currently writes a weekly column for the Sunday Express.

Among an impressive catalogue of over forty books, he is the author of: •

How to Avoid a Wombat’s Bum!

• • •

Why Eating Bogeys Is Good For You Don’t Get Me Started Do Igloos Have Loos?

(Winner of the 2010 Blue Peter Non-Fiction Book of The Year)

(currently shortlisted for the 2011 Blue Peter Non- Fiction Book of the Year)

THE ENTREPRENEURS Anthony Ogunbowale-Thomas Emerging Students FUNDING £10,000

About the business: Emerging Students is a university news company which has set itself the goal of redefining UK university culture.

University has long offered the shorthand to students in preparing them for the real world and life after university as well as rich collegiate culture.

We produce high quality editorial, original photography and short film on emerging students and university culture in an attempt to inform, inspire and propel students whilst at university and thereafter.

About the entrepreneur: • • •

Graduated in Entrepreneurship and Management from Kingston University.

President of Kingston entrepreneurs society 09/10 Future 100 Leader: PowerList/Barclays Capital 09/10.

CONTACT email: aot@emergingstudents.com mobile: 07984 669 874

Tom Lock MOOCLUCK FUNDING tbc

About the business: Moocluck is a unique and innovative brand of ice cream, made with no added sugar, with a portion of real fruit juice in every tub.

Moocluck is made using just four ingredients: fresh milk, fresh cream, free range egg yolks and fruit juices. No sugar, emulsifiers, stablisiers, colours, flavours or preservatives About the entrepreneur: •

After spending a year working in the city, Tom chucked it all in to start Moocluck with the dream of one day challenging the ice cream conglomerates that crowd supermarket freezers

CONTACT email: tom@moocluck.co.uk mobile: 07938 770 669

THE ENTREPRENEURS Svitlana Surodina crowd media FUNDING ÂŁ30,000

About the business: CrowdMedia engages online influencers with brands through expertise requests and surveys.

The team locates users with high level of online influence (based on number of followers, reposts etc) and engages them into interaction with brands on its platform, thus creating product affinity, collecting user personal data, generating sales and creating buzz through social sharing.

The company qualifies for EIS tax relief.

About the entrepreneur: •

Eight years in Online Media as entrepreneur and advertising executive handling multimillion accounts for brand like Air France, Harrods, Gucci. University of Oxford MBA.

CONTACT email: team@crowdmedia.net mobile: 0203 239 3683

Jonathan Webster Yearbook Builder FUNDING £10,000

About the business: Yearbook Builder is a social and fun way of making a yearbook using an online website.

The yearbook culture is established in many countries across the globe including US & UK, and growing in others. The platform was developed when the founders saw an easier way to build their yearbook. Students can effortlessly design their book and produce content while engaging socially.

About the entrepreneur: • • •

Currently studying Information Systems Engineering (Meng) at Imperial College London Started a small webdesign business during my GCSE’s, helping users to sell their products online.

President of the Entrepreneurs society at Imperial College

CONTACT email: jonathan@yearbookbuilder.co.uk mobile: 07983 639 689

THE ENTREPRENEURS Zulfiqar Deo U-Recommend.co.uk FUNDING £30,000

About the business: U-Recommend.co.uk offers a subscriptionbased text messaging solution to UK-based Service Sector SME to make greater use of customer feedback.

About the entrepreneur: • •

MBA in International Business Management.

His work on Business Strategy was recently published by the Asia Pacific Journal for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

CONTACT email: zufi@bizstuff.co mobile: 07768 300 349

Stefan Nowak & Dominic Burkhalter sn2 apps FUNDING £50,000

About the business: Using efficient cross-platform development tools, we produce rapid prototypes to prove ideas before developing and publishing apps.

We primarily source content by building relationships with book publishers (including Osprey Lettermen and Random House), individual authors and radio producers, allowing us to publish a number of apps, including the Osprey Aviation Series and The Lettermen children’s books.

Currently developing four Sherlock Holmes apps using audio from independent radio plays which dramatised the Conan Doyle short stories.

About the entrepreneur: • •

Extensive experience in interactive technologies both in development and publishing.

Unusual combination of technical and creative skills.

CONTACT email: stefan@sn2apps.com mobile: 07958 608 951

THE ENTREPRENEURS Jan Shure & Cyndy Lessing so sensational FUNDING £48,000

About the business: SoSensational.co.uk will be the go-to fashion website for every woman in the baby-boomer demographic.

It will fill a gap in the market for women who perceive the high street as not meeting their fashion needs. Women aged 45-69 will shop at the SoSensational website for on-trend, ageappropriate clothing, accessories and beauty products, hand-picked for their lifestyle.

SoSensational is designed for women aged 45 and over who do not wish to be defined by the age on their birth certificate or by the traditional image of “older women”.

About the entrepreneur: •

•

Jan Shure is the fashion editor of the Jewish Chronicle and has written a bestselling health and beauty book called “Girl: A Complete Guide to Looking and Feeling Good”.

Cyndy Lessing switched from a successful career as an insurance broker to image consultancy a decade ago, following her passion.

CONTACT email: janshure@sosensational.co.uk mobile: 0208 500 5916

Josh Mann MooLearning FUNDING £40,000

About the business: During my finals my roommate would come to me and ask to be tested on his Law revision. I worked out very quickly that unless you know an equal amount or more about a subject, it is very difficult to test someone, because they move too quickly through their notes. I also learnt that people only ask to be tested once they’re pretty confident with the information, so there is a gap in the revision process.

MooLearning is the new revision website that encourages students to do proactive and independent revision, throughout the year.

The benefit of a computer is that it tests you methodically and effectively if you put your notes into the system and identified the information you wanted to memorise. MooLearning is the Facebook or Google of revision sites: the revision site that becomes a part of taking exams, the revision site you’re compelled to use/visit daily.

About the entrepreneur: •

Recently graduated in Film & Television Studies from Warwick University

CONTACT email: josh@moolearning.com mobile: 0207 207 9929

THE ENTREPRENEURS Adam Baker blottr FUNDING £250,000

About the business: Blottr is a user generated news service that enables anyone to capture, report, collaborate and consume news happening around them.

Blottr is the only news service in the UK that enables users to edit and contribute to other people’s stories so we deliver news coverage from multiple view points across the full cycle of an event.

Blottr also rewards its users for their contribution by paying them based on the popularity of the content.

About the entrepreneur: •

•

Serial entrepreneur and founder of NewNew. co.uk the UK’s first product comparison site in 1999 and the UEP group, a vertical search business, founded in 2003.

CEO of LeatherXchange.com and helped cofound BView, now Europe’s largest voucher network.

CONTACT email: ab@blottr.com mobile: 07590 294 239

Jade Cooper-Collins & Amy Power cellardoor FUNDING £10,000

About the business: Cellardoor is a magazine for young women, with an eclectic mix of fashion, art, music and culture - currently online, but looking to expand into print.

With whimsical design and captivating content, it is completely different to other magazines on offer and has already gained a very loyal following.

It is published quarterly, with a specific seasonal theme for each issue and includes interviews with up-and-coming musicians, designers, artists amongst other interesting personalities.

About the entrepreneur: • •

Studying fashion journalism at Southampton Solent University.

Currently have full-time jobs as well as working on Cellardoor in our spare time, however we are looking to expand the business and turn it into a career.

CONTACT email: jade@cellardoormagazine.co.uk

THE ENTREPRENEURS Matthew Cassidy Cassidy Guitars FUNDING TBC

About the business: Cassidy Guitars has been around since 2007 and consists of one man whose aim is to provide you with high quality Acoustic and Electric guitars.

Every Cassidy guitar is made by hand using only the finest materials with every instrument being completely unique and comprising luxury tone, playability and aesthetics.

Cassidy Guitars also offers a custom design service so you can design the ideal guitar to suit your playing style from elegant fingerpicking to heavy metal.

About the entrepreneur: •

•

Currently in my third year of studying for a degree in MIT (Musical Instrument Technology) at London Metropolitan University.

Acoustic and Electric guitars and hope to expand to other areas of stringed instruments such as the Resonator guitar and mandolin.

CONTACT email: cassidy_guitars@live.com mobile: 07849 036 028

David Clancy supply chain reaction FUNDING £25,000

About the business: The new SupplyChainReaction webservice is about building better communities and winning new business through informed, integrated and emotionally intelligent social networks.

And it’s not just any old social network but a highly practical one which integrates contractual CSR targets, performance and tracking in the engine room behind the social tools.

About the entrepreneur: • • • •

Consultant Group Education Director, Laing O’Rourke CEO at Digitalbrain PLC Associate Director at Nomura International Manager at Swiss Bank International

CONTACT email: dclancy@supplychainreaction.net mobile: 0845 837 3560

THE ENTREPRENEURS Shed Simove ideas man FUNDING TBC

Shed Simove is a performer, author and serial entrepreneur. Harnessing a constant stream of ideas from his astonishingly active mind, Shed has learned to transform his unconventional concepts into lucrative new business ventures which form the basis of his completely unique stand-up routines and coporate speeches.

Following a degree in Experimental Psychology at Balliol College, Oxford, and two years working in DisneyWorld, Florida (as a Sixteenth Century Gentleman), Shed worked in TV Production, heading up programmes including ‘The Big Breakfast’, ‘Space Cadets’, and ‘Big Brother’. Shed soon became known industrywide for making innovative, groundbreaking television shows. In 2003, Shed was appointed Commissioning Editor of Channel 4’s ‘Big Brother’ and throughout his TV career was also involved in discovering and launching many stars including Kelly Brook, Tess Daly, and Russell Brand.

As well as a successful career in television production, Shed has forged a highly innovative merchandising empire – creating novelty gifts, executive toys, best-selling adult sweets, books, greetings cards, and even his own currency!

THE dragons Alan Edwards carpenter box

Alan is a Chartered Certified Accountant (qualifying in 1998) He was appointed to the Board of the LLP on becoming a Director in April 2006. Alan’s expertise is in owner managed businesses, he has particular experience with the medical profession, acting for a number of GP Practices where he specialises in providing accountancy and tax support. His passion from an early age was cycling in which he was Sussex Schoolboy Champion in 1991 and he is now a keen and very competitive golfer.

Graham Constantine WholeBeing

Graham’s glittering career as a former MD of telecoms company Ericsson led him to forming his own company applying NLP in business and personal development. His business mentoring company WholeBeing is based in Littlehampton. Graham’s expertise is in transformational change in small business and the corporate and public sectors.

THE dragons Spencer Gallagher Pure Innovation

In 1999 after being made redundant twice in just one year, Spencer founded Bluhalo, a digital agency from a shed in his mum’s back garden with the princely sum of £4,500 from his redundancy payment.

Bluhalo’s grew 1100% between 2002 and 2007. 9 years after he founded the business he successfully sold Bluhalo to Gyro International in April 2008, the worlds largest independent business to business marketing agency. Spencer has since worked on over 3,000 website projects with major international clients.

Spencer is an angel investor in several businesses and co-owner of a technical development company that builds innovative technology products that can be incubated as new business start-ups. His expertise in in digital growth, eCommerce turnaround, real-time loyalty programmes, mobile, HTML 5.0, Web 3.0 and is a great connector of people.

Terry Mills serial entrepreneur Terry Mills is a 54 year old serial entrepreneur born and bred here in Worthing. After serving 6 years in the armed forces from the age of 15 he left and started a Contract Cleaning Company which he built to a staff compliment of 350 employees before selling the same in the year 2000. Other successful Company’s built from scratch include an independant Bottled Gas Company, and an award winning Drainage Company.

His efforts are now concentrated more as a business consultant and he is accredited recently to transforming the turnover of a local company from £250,000 in 2009 to £2.5m in 2010 with a target of £5m in 2011.

In 2010 he also invented, developed, and will take to market a unique product for the catering industry. Poweboat Racing is his main hobby and he is the current British Champion as he was in 2002 and 2005.

Allan Moulds splash fm

Allan Moulds started his career in the clothing trade where he was professionally trained with the Institute of Management Services. By the age of twenty he had full P&L responsibility for a £3 million turnover factory.

In 1999 he was appointed Production Director for clothing brand Viyella, a role which was expanded two years later to include the Jaeger clothing brand. During his time as Production Director he managed a £110,000,000 supply chain, introducing major process change and significantly reducing costs by moving production offshore.

In 2004 he left the clothing trade to run Media Sound Holdings Ltd, where he has expanded the business by 400% through a combination of organic growth, acquisitions and mergers. Media Sound Holdings runs four radio stations across Sussex: Arrow FM, Bright FM, Sovereign FM and Splash FM. Allan is also Managing Director of the Letting People Ltd and has other business interests that include property development.