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Business Dating for Entrepreneurs: FounderDating.com
It’s a conundrum that many people face when starting a business – how to meet the right partner. For those lucky entrepreneurs amongst us, this has never been an issue. You had a friend or a business associate who shared the same passion or business idea as you and your venture was born. For some of us, however, beyond the great idea is the need and desire to have that partner who shares the joint vision.
The solution:
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Co-Founders, Jessica Alter and Saar Gur, recognised the hole for this new niche in the dating industry:
‘Like so many good ideas, FounderDating was born out of a cup of coffee (or maybe it was diet coke) and personal frustration. We have met countless uber talented people who want to become entrepreneurs, but haven’t yet found the right co-founder(s)/team or idea to work on. We started FounderDating to help introduce smart, dedicated and inspired people, start making matches and lower the hurdles to company creation.’
Identifying a person who brings with them a killer combination – say, coding skills or other the traits that would make a strong co-founder – is challenging, especially for people without established connections from say, previous work in business development at Bebo or business school. So in partnering with venture capitalist Saar Gur last year, Jessica co-founded an event series that works to bring people passionate about starting their own endeavours together with other entrepreneurs displaying complimentary skill sets.
The process is very simple, with three basic rules:
- Be Committed
- Don’t Meet and Tell
- Be Prompt
Currently running in San Fransisco and Seattle, they are soon to go global, starting with Israel.
Female Tech Start-up, Completely Novel, Shortlisted for the Young Publishing Entrepreneur Award 2010
The British Council has just announced its shortlist for the UK Young Publishing Entrepreneur Award 2010, in which 3 of the 6 finalists are female and one from a technology start-up – Anna Lewis of Completely Novel. Launched in 2004, the British Council’s Creative Economy Unit first pioneered the IYCE awards – International Young Creative Entrepreneur – to ‘celebrate the achievements and develop the potential of young creative entrepreneurs from emerging economies.’
The International Process
Initially focusing on publishing, they have since announced awards for design, music, screen (film and television), fashion, communications, interactive, performing and visual arts. Run annually, and open to young creative entrepreneurs from emerging economies, 8-10 countries are selected each year to take part from which one national finalist from each country is selected to enter the international competition. Once finalists are selected, they visit the UK on a 10 day tour during which they learn from their UK sector and judgement is made on the overall winner.
Born from the Success of an International Programme
Since its inception, over 45 countries have taken part – including Oman, India and Yemen – and as a direct result of this success, the UK compatriot programme was launched in 2007 with its initial award, again in publishing. In partnership with NESTA and The Cultural Leadership Programme, the list of awards is now equal to that of the International Programme. As for finalists of the International awards, the UK finalists take a tour of their sector in an emerging economy after which they share their experiences at a number of events.
This year’s publishing finalists, who are set to tour South Africa at the end of February, are:
• Anna Lewis, Co-founder and COO of Completely Novel Read more
Expert Interview: Opportunistic Female Entrepreneur Georgia Hall On Mixed Marketing Strategies
In a rapidly growing Digital world we shouldn’t forget the powerful marketing tools provided to us by offline mediums. People still walk past buses, sit on tubes, read the paper and watch television. Here, self-proclaimed ‘opportunistic entrepreneur’ Georgia Hall, formerly of Zinc Digital Agency, Yo! Sushi and now Searcys, highlights how on- and offline marketing strategies are not mutually exclusive, and how her first child was the catalyst she needed to make a very dynamic career move.
I am definitely an opportunistic entrepreneur, I like to take an existing project on and then really make it work.
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When you started Zinc in 1996 did you ever think the business would grow to over 100 staff and have clients such as Virgin, Microsoft and Vodafone?
When I first started Zinc, I set it up in partnership with one of the UK’s leading direct marketing agencies, Evans Hunt Scott, who had clients including Microsoft, BMW, Tesco etc. So my brief was to introduce their clients to digital media and the business plan was to organically grow the business. Within the first 6 months it became very apparent that the business was on a fast moving curve, in tandem with the digital revolution beginning back in 1996, and yes I absolutely knew that the company would be successful with such a great business backing and access to a great portfolio of world class clients.
You originally studied fashion before running advertising campaigns for the likes of Max Factor, joining Tower Records as Marketing Director and finally selling touch-screen music kiosks with Ken Frakes. Where did the idea for Zinc eventually come from? Were you fuelled by a desire to be an entrepreneur or by the online revolution you could see ahead of you?
I was fuelled by the desire to push this new medium into a major interest. My first job ever after completing my fashion degree in Newcastle was as a designer for a trend prediction company in New York. I have always wanted to do new things, work in untried areas and work on projects that are ground breaking.
I first met Ken Frakes when I was Marketing Director for Tower Records, I was his client and he came to see me with an idea to launch interactive multimedia kiosk systems into retail stores. He was working, as a designer, with multimedia designers and an IT company who had a range of touch-screens. This was back in 1993 and it was so exciting, internet and email was still only an academic communication tool and the concept of showing video, audio and information on a touch-screen to the mass market via the internet had not been conceived at all.
I started talking to all the record companies I knew about this idea and they all expressed a huge commercial interest. I joined forces with Ken and we set up some prototype kiosks in Tower Records, soon after Coca Cola, HMV and other major corporates wanted to trial this technology. I resigned from my day job at Tower Records to market and launch digital media and was then asked by Terry Hunt, the chairman of Evans Hunt Scott, to set up a digital agency for him which I named Zinc.
Did you have an extensive online and/or technical background before setting up Zinc – an interactive consultancy – or were you a forward thinker who could see the need?
I am simply a marketing person who can identify a gap in the market and likes to work on new concepts and challenges. Digital growth over the last 15 years is one of the most exciting communication revolutions we have ever experienced and I am very proud to have been one of the innovators.
Considering you had only just had a child, did you think twice about entering the world of start-ups or did the agency Evans Hunter Scott provide you with financial security and support you required? Read more
Founder of Zinc Digital Agency, Georgia Hall Joins Catering Giant Searcys
Georgia Hall – of Zinc digital agency and Yo! Sushi – has joined Searcys as their Sales & Marketing Director.
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Georgia Hall cc: mad.co.uk
After successfully starting Zinc, a leading digital agency whose clients have included: Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and Vodafone, Hall sold to Havas advertising in 2002 before moving to YO! Sushi as Head of Marketing. Proving that success online can lead to success in equal measures offline, she helped build the Asian fast food brand to £52m worth at March 2008.
Searcys, one of the oldest established catering firms in the world, was founded in 1847 and now runs iconic catering and retail establishments at locations including The Gherkin, St Pancras Grand, Pavilion Road Knightsbridge, the National Portrait Gallery and the hugely successful Searcys Champagne Bars at Westfield and St Pancras.
With the brand already well established at the most socially glamorous venues in London, the company has briefed Georgia to focus on its core brand as well as launching a series of champagne bars to attract a younger clientele with large disposable incomes in a challenging economic climate.
Georgia sees this as a remarkable opportunity to raise the profile of the Searcys brand and her mission is to make sure that Searcys becomes known again as the leading brand behind Britain’s best restaurants, bars and events.
Talking of her move, Georgia said: Read more
Female Ambassador, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah Speaks at LeWeb 2009
This week saw LeWeb 2009, in which men and women from across the web addressed almost 2000 attendees in Paris.
One of the first keynotes came from Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdulla who ‘through social media has found a way to champion education and the right of every child around the world to go to school’. Introduced as the World’s most tech-savvy Queen, the enigmatic Queen Rania started her speech by promising the remainder would be in ‘140 character sound bites or less’. Her talk broached social media, its impact on people’s lives and the world as a whole, touching on the future following of inanimate objects on Twitter – think your local airport or train station, although Queen Rania was also very interested in knowing when her fridge had run out of chocolate. Her thoughts on the internet are incredibly visionary and yet intensely personal. As a Queen the internet, and in particular Social Media, has opened up her life, helping to demystify the myths of what she does.
Here, you can see the full address in which she states: ’souls will get an IP address’ and ponders the ability of the realtime web to bring about real world change.
Keynotes from other female figure heads included: Read more
Start-up Interview: Female Entrepreneur Jenny Buccos of ProjectExplorer.org
Providing cross-cultural education without the cost of a flight is invaluable to children across the globe. With the recent launch of Brightwide – YouTube for Social and Politcal Cinema – we look at what is offered to children in an attempt to make the world a smaller place. Here, The NextWomen talk to female Entrepreneur Jenny Buccos of ProjectExplorer.org about the strengths of being a non-profit organisation, the effects her exposure to many cultures has had on her attitude to business and wishing she had founded Pandora.com Read more
Start-up Interview: Female Entrepreneur Iveta Tancheva of Mums Like You
Since the advent of the Internet, networks have become an increasingly popular way by which to share knowledge and experience with like-minded people. For Mums and parents, the ease of access to such information provided by these networks has meant online communities are rapidly playing as significant a role in their lives as offline ones are. Here Iveta Tancheva talks to The NextWomen about launching Mums Like You, the merits of using social media sites and funding a business when the banks are not yet interested.
How did you come up with the idea of your start-up?
I decided to set up Mums Like You, early 2009 when I lost my job in the City and was at home looking after my baby daughter. The idea was initially to create a networking site which enables new and first time mums to stay connected and find friends .
When I did research on what is already out there and what mums want, two things quickly became clear – that a lot of mums live away from their families and friends as a result leading them to feel quite isolated at times, and that they increasingly rely on the Internet to find the support and information they need when on maternity. In addition my research confirmed my own experience as a first-time mum – that word-of-mouth is an extremely important source of information. These findings were instrumental in extending the capabilities of Mums Like You to enable mothers to share valuable information and solve real-life problems online.
The Reviews section for example is becoming a place where mums share their opinions about products and services and find out what other mums think before making a purchase. Another example is the Marketplace area, which enables mums to list and sell baby kit they no longer need or advertise to find childcare help.
How did you form your team?
Mums Like You is an Internet based business, and at the moment does not require a large team or infrastructure to support it. The team is small and selected on the basis of their expertise and ability to contribute to the growth of the site. For example my technical team works remotely but is available on a 24-hour basis if there is an issue to be resolved. I also work closely with mum bloggers who are enthusiastic about building Mums Like You into a thriving community for mums online. What’s very exciting is that most of the members of the team are other mums, with their busy lives trying to juggle kids and family. So we don’t work office hours but we know that if we need to get something done we’ll do it even if it means working late nights.
How did you fund it, with how much money, and what is the business model?
I funded the business with personal savings, as I couldn’t count on bank finance at this very early stage of the development. The start-up costs were about £10,000, and the time I have invested in setting up and developing the company over the past months. Read more
Start-up Interview: Jo Hodges Provides Women with handbags from heaven
With still no real end to the recession in sight and disposable incomes lower than they once were, online rental has become hot internet business. With a similar business model to the likes of LOVEFiLM and Blu Blangle, handbags from heaven gives handbag lovers the chance to use a bag they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Here, founder Jo Hodge talks to The NextWomen about their growing turnover and visions for the future.
What was your start date, founding team and initial funding?
handbagsfromheaven was founded in July 2007 by myself, an IT Project Manager by trade and full time mum of one. The business was funded by the redundancy payment I received from my “day” job.
What is your business model?
Our business model has four facets of revenue generation:
1. PAYG service. This is targeted at the women who require a designer handbag once or twice a year to attend special events such as interviews or weddings.
2. Premium membership. Customers have the option of paying a monthly subscription to access additional benefits. These benefits include free bag hires, discounts off rental prices and reduced prices at other e-tailers we have partnered with. This service is aimed at the fashion savvy woman who aspires to the celebrity “it bag” lifestyle
3. Corporate clients. Hiring our products to corporate clients such as TV and Film production companies, PR agencies for advertisements and photographers for fashion shoots.
4. Subscriber data access for email marketing. We are looking at implementing paid for advertorials in our newsletters/blog for companies that wish to target our customer database.
What was your turnover in year 1 and 2? What is your projected turnover for the future?
Our turnover has increased significantly year on year since our launch in July 2007 and we are expecting a 15% increase year on year in the next three years.
Who built the website?
The website was a joint effort between myself and a local web design agency, like design. I now solely manage all aspects of the design, updating and payment processing.
What is your vision for next 3 years? Who are your competitors and what is your advantage?
Our vision for the next three years is to provide a “one stop shop” for hiring luxury accessories. We will expand our product range into watches, jewellery, hats, scarves and sunglasses. Our main competitors at present are Fashion Hire and Handbag Hire HQ. However, we provide a distinct advantage over these two companies. We offer a “pay as you hire” service that allows women to hire a handbag for a one off special event without signing up to the membership scheme – with both Fashion Hire and Handbag Hire HQ, however, they will not hire out items unless customers sign up to their membership for a minimum of three months. In addition to this, our membership scheme provides a whole host of benefits that our competitors do not, including free hires and discounts on products and services from companies we have partnered with. This allows us to give our Members added value in other areas of their lives.
Any news?
Next month we will be launching a competition with two leading companies in the luxury clothing hire arena to provide a once in a lifetime designer hire outfit for the new year. Details are still being finalised at present, but keep your eyes open, as we be releasing them shortly.
e-trader Announces Buyout of Koodos as Miriam Lahage Passes the Helm to Miranda Grubb
The e-trader group, today announced its acquisition of the award-winning discount site, Koodos. One of the UK’s leading fashion e-tailers, the site offers consumer discounts of up to 80%. The deal, involving a part cash, part share consideration for an undisclosed sum, represents the next step in the company’s strategy to become the UK’s leading e-commerce business focused on the fast growing clearance and overstock market.
Miriam Lahage, original CEO, will remain with the company for the interim to ensure a smooth transition as she passes over to Miranda Grubb, Managing Director of what a find and new CEO of Koodos. When asked about her next step, and considering her 20 years’ experience in merchandising, team leadership, negotiation and market relationships, Miriam told us:
‘I am looking at a lot of things, and have a feeling that I will be making a decision quite soon. I will definitely be looking at projects in the online fashion world…’
The company, which launched in 2006, is presently estimated to have an off price market place worth in the region of £14billion annually. With the recession causing problems for many businesses, it is clear it has had a positive impact on the venture as people shift their buying patterns towards online sites which enable them to continue shopping, yet at lower prices.
The e-trader group, which specialises in the clearance and overstock sector by offering retailers and manufacturers access to both the trade and consumer markets via one single easy-to-use online platform, was no doubt a wise choice to ensure continued success of the business. Yet the good choice gets even better, when you consider their new CEO, Miranda Grubb, comes from a site, Whatafind, which has itself built sltrong relationships with over 50 luxury homewares brands. Read more
Funding and Pitching Event Speakers Announced
The NextWomen announce two female internet heroes to speak at their upcoming Darwinian Business Event sponsored by Sun Startup Essentials. For more details visit our Events page.
Karin Loeffen, Founder of Libersy
Karin Loeffen
Founded by Karin Loeffen in 2006, Libersy developed a booking system to make online appointments, and offers a Click-to-book (TM) white label solution to directory services and search engines, which adds a book-now-button to any business listing or profile page. Service providers can market themselves on the Internet, as it is available for bookings 24/7 and accepts online payments. It is one of the first e-commerce solutions for companies in the service industry, such as hairdressers, restaurants, sports clubs and consultants. Libersy has launched with British Telecom in the UK under btbookitnow and in The Netherlands with ilocal and Stageplaza, an online booking system connecting students and employers directly.
Karin studied Fiscal Economics at the University of Tilburg, and the theater academy in Maastricht and has previously worked for Philips, Canon and Sanoma Publishing, in functions ranging from financial controller to European Marketing Manager. Led by her conviction that the booking of services is the next big commercial step for the Internet, she is eager to develop Libersy to a global level. In the last seed round Karin raised 1.5M euro of funding, supported by informals, staff and a great board of advisors (o.a. Value Creation & Company) all of whom she brought together herself.
Sarah McVittie, Serial Entrepreneur and Co-founder of Textperts
Sarah McVittie
Sarah McVittie proves that you do not have to be a business veteran to be an internet entrepreneur. Founder and former CEO of Texperts.com, Sarah has won such accolades as a position in ‘The top 35 women under 35’ by the Times, and recently having sold Texperts is working away on a new venture that will no doubt surpass the success of her last.
After a brief career as a city analyst, Sarah founded Texperts (originally 82ASK), a quick text Q&A service for mobile phones, in 2003. Texperts allows anyone in the UK with a mobile phone to get his or her question answered by texting a question to UK number 66000. Texperts then uses a combination of innovative internet technology and human resources to send users the answer to their questions.
Since the service launched in 2003, Sarah not only raised £2.5m from investors, while ensuring that its service could operate across all UK mobile networks, she also collected a host of prizes for her innovative idea and business. In 2007 Texperts won the Innovative Company of the Year prize at the Real Business/CBI Growing Business Awards and the National Business Award for Best Use of Technology. In 2008 Sarah she was runner up in the ‘ rising star’ category of the Media Guardian awards and won the “Businesswoman of the Year” award at the Cambridge Evening News Business Excellence Awards.
With the world of instant answers well and truly conquered, Sarah and her co-founder Thomas Roberts, sold the company at the end of 2008 to kgb giant 118118. The tech community is now waiting patiently to see what Sarahs next move will be.
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