This Easter HitMeUp have created the perfect way to combine your favourite childhood activity with their new location-based app. Starting tomorrow from 8am, various companies will be hiding treats all over London for you to find using the HitMeUp app. Treats include papery fun from the folks at Foldable Me, delectable jams from Rubies in the Rubble, and winter-fighting burgers from Burger Bear.
For more information, check out the HitMeUp blog and download the app from the App Store.
In the last twenty-four hours the tech world has been aflutter with the news that Summly was sold to Yahoo! for the princely sum of $30 million (with 90% of that being in cash). Not too shabby for 17 year old creator Nick D'Aloisio, who said that process has given him "an appetite for starting companies".
Skeptics may say that $30 million is an extraordinarily large sum for an app which is only just about to reach one million downloads since it's launch in December 2011. Clearly there is a lot more going on here than just a startup acquisition; Yahoo! have been buying a range of small mobile startups ever since CEO Marissa Mayer joined nine months ago.
Are Yahoo! staking a claim that the future will be mobile-only, instead of being mobile-first?
Importantly, this move by Yahoo! indicates a bright future for startups. It proves that large brands are willing to invest time and money into new industries and the brains behind them. Also, it shows what a difference having the right mentoring can make, as Summly was backed by a range of ventures and well-known names in tech as well as media.
Deadline Monday, 31 December 2012 at 23:59 GMT
The deadline for applications to Collider12 is today. If you have started an application or are considering it please complete it here now.
After today the process for deciding the final 10 startups selected for Collider12 is as follows: - 31st Dec 2012 at 23:59 - deadline for applications - 4th Jan 2013 - Screening Day 2 (15-20 startups come and pitch to the Collider12 partners in London (Screening Day 1 was held on 12th December)) - 18th Jan 2013 - Advisor Committee (Up to 10 from each Screening Day will invited back to pitch again with some investors and brands in attendance) - 22nd Jan 2013 - Acceptance Committee (The final 10 startups will be offered a place in Collider12)
If you have any queries, today's the day to email Matthew about them - matthew@collider12.com
Unilever Ventures Joins Collider12 Programme, Launches Investment Competition
Collider12 today annouced that Unilever Ventures (UV) has joined Collider12 as a participating investor. Collider12 is the “B2Brand” accelerator founded by Ingenious Media and Pembridge backed with £500k of loan finance from Creative England through the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). UV have also confirmed that they have set aside a further £100K which they hope to invest in one of the Collider12 participant companies at the end of the initial 13- week programme, which would value the investee company at a minimum of £1M (post money). The Competition, referred to as “The Unilever Challenge” will be administered by Collider12 and UV. It is open to any startup company which creates “B2Brand” services or products.
To enter, startups need to submit their Business Plans into the Collider12 entry process on www.collider12.com and be accepted onto the Collider12 Programme. Entries close on December 31st 2012.
Entries for The Unilever Challenge will be judged by UV at the end of the first phase of the Collider12 Programme in May 2013. The key criteria for UV will be to find a start-up that has the potential to be a game-changer for key Unilever brands in the way that these brands communicate and interact with their customers via digital channels.
John Coombs, Managing Director of Unilever Ventures, said: “There is a revolution in how people are relating to brands and what brands are for their customers, but the biggest revolution is in the types of services that customers can engage with using mobile and social techniques. The UK has always been at the forefront of media and marketing communications and we are seeing a lot of innovative startups at the moment. We are looking to work closely with a number of these companies to help them develop their capabilities to provide services to big brands like those of Unilever, not just in the UK but around the world.”
Bauer Media Joins Collider12 “B2Brand” Programme As Investor and Brand
Collider12 today announced that Europe’s largest privately-owned publishing group, Bauer Media, is investing in Startups and will act as both an Investor and Mentor on the Collider12 Programme.
Collider12 is the “B2Brand” accelerator founded by Ingenious Media and Pembridge backed with £500k of loan finance from Creative England from the government’s Regional Growth Fund.
David Prais from Collider12 said: “Collider12 was set up to bring Startups into a productive working relationship with Brands and we are delighted that Bauer is taking on this dual role on the programme”.
Paul Keenan, CEO of Bauer Consumer Media, said “We are a multi-platform international media group consisting of many household name brands across the magazine and radio sectors. Working closely with Collider12 will enable us to work with creative and technology startups throughout England which will provide us with an important means to continue our innovative approach to reaching and engaging with audiences and advertisers.”
