Collider12 today announces the first wave of Brand Mentors for its accelerator programme. They include Chris Whiteley from BBC Worldwide, Robin Chhabra from William Hill and Dan Cresta from CBS Outdoor. Collider12 is a Creative England initiative backed with investment from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund*.
JIM FARMERY, Director of Business Development at Creative England said: “The first three mentors for Collider12 are a good start and we welcome the announcement of more over the coming weeks.”
DAN CRESTA, Head of Client Strategy at CBS Outdoor UK said “CBS is constantly looking to pioneer the use of new technologies to engage consumers in out of home spaces. Our product and asset innovation programme will benefit from the insights, perspective and radical approaches which startups can bring.”
ROBIN CHHABRA, Head of Strategy and Corporate Development at William Hill plc said “Innovation is critical to the continued success of companies like William Hill. This is a great opportunity to bring innovation and experience together, by combining the energy and new thinking of the start-ups with the insights and practical application of well-established and high-profile brands.”
CHRIS WHITELEY, VP Digital Strategy & New Business Development at BBC Worldwide Ltd said: “BBC Worldwide understands that new technologies and changes in consumer behaviour will continue to drive significant developments to the media landscape. We are therefore increasing our engagement with the start-up community in order to better understand their innovation and share our global knowledge of the market. We’re delighted to share our experience with the start-ups on the Collider12 Programme”.
DAVID PRAIS from Collider12 said: “Brands are increasingly clear that their corporate innovation programmes benefit from direct engagement with startups. As England’s “B2Brand” accelerator, this is our speciality. We’ve seen incredible financial success in the US come from combining brands with startups and we’re expecting much more of this here in England”.
*The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a £2.4bn fund operating across England from 2011 to 2015. It supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. Please see www.bis.gov.uk/rgf for more information