Calling All Manchester Brands

Hoorah! Another great Brand Day has been arranged and you are officially invited.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for all Manchester-based experts in marketing, eCommerce, corporate venturing and technology to have a chance to meet and network with the Collider12 startups, mentors, and investors. We have also secured two excellent guest speakers; Rob Coupland, MD of Telecity Group UK and Ben Hookway, Co-Founder of TechHub Manchester, who will both speak about the Manchester startup scene, and the important role it is currently playing.

During the day, the Collider12 startups will be presenting their pitches to you and offering a Q&A session. Towards the end of the day, you'll be able to vote for the startup which you feel has the best value proposition.

It promises to be a worthwhile occasion for all parties and we'd love to have you there. For more details regarding location, schedule, and registration, simply click here. [googlemaps https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=77+Dale+Street++M1+2HG+Manchester+United+Kingdom&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=77+Dale+St,+Manchester+M1+2HG,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&t=m&ll=53.479669,-2.231941&spn=0.035755,0.102997&z=13&output=embed&w=600&h=350]

MediaWeek Feature

Collider12 has been featured on MediaWeek, who wrote a great piece about the startups, their mentors, and the accelerator's partners. The article includes positive statements from Paul Keenan, chief executive of Bauer Media, and Christopher Sponiar, principal at Unilever Ventures, who both  how unique Collider12 is with its B2B focus.emphasise

To read the full article from MediaWeek, click here.

Easter Treasure Hunt from HitMeUp

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.

Is Flexible Working the Future?

Imagine a work schedule not measured in hours, days, and weeks, but in tasks completed. Welcome to the new world of flexible working that combines the freedom of freelance with the financial security of full-time employment. Recent research has shown that a flexible schedule improves productivity, is actively cost effective, and encourages creativity. Sick days are also reduced and it helps build the company's reputation as a forward-thinking workplace that keeps employees happy. 

So why are offices holding back on making the all-important change?

Insecurities are one of the main reasons, from the bosses (who worry about a lack of control) and the employees (who are concerned that their absent desk will promote negative attitudes). Breaking the 9-5 mentality is hard too, as our lives outside of work are also built around this schedule.

As new startups emerge, they have the power to decide how best to structure their time to fit their tasks.

A Summly Sell

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.