Northern Startup 2.0: Tech Entrepreneur Series - Commercialisation - Users to Customers

Event Info

Thu 8 Oct, 2009 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm

eOffice Manchester

1 Portland Street

Manchester, M1 3BE, UK (Map)

Cost: £10-40 (see website)

How do you commercialize your product and achieve a competitive advantage? Listen to Anish Kapoor, co-founder and CEO of Yuuguu, explain the route they took to turn Yuuguu into a must-have application and learn all about freemium model. Phil Tapsell, who worked seven years with Richard Farley of Dragons Den and now with High Growth Programme, will contest that knowing who your target customer is key to achieving a leading market position. Doug Stellman of YFM Private Equity will highlight how through venture capital, they help commercialise as well as achieve successful exits. DataNovata, led by Howard Sherrington is the Startup4Slaughter this month.

Freemium Today, most of us use free services on-line from accessing the latest news to collaborating internally and externally. Those who provides such services need to find a revenue model to sustain this free culture. Whilst the advertising revenues have increased on-line, the sheer number of new on-line services means, advertising revenues per site is decreasing rapidly. So what are the options available for those who develop on-line products and services? Are these trends beginning to have an impact on other digital products, which do not have an on-line presence? Is freemium the model that we ought to follow? Or should we listen to 37signals who championed less is beautiful, but make sure you charge for your effort?

PANELISTS

Anish Kapoor - co-Founder & CEO of Yuuguu Anish closed the first round of venture capital funding for Yuuguu in 2006 and concentrated on product and building a large user base. The second round of finance was closed in 2008, at which point, the concentration diverted to generating revenues. Anish will share his knowledge and thoughts on the commercial model adopted by Yuuguu.

Anish was co-founder of TeleCity PLC, the pioneering European collocation and data centre service provider. He is currently NXD for Jacamar, an online gaming infrastructure provider and a NXD for Xware, a mobile gaming software developer. In addition he has held various executive roles at EXML Systems a mobile software applications developer.

Phil Tapsell, Managing Director, TechVenture Solutions Phil is a strategy consultant specialising in early stage technology companies, focusing on helping entrepreneurs achieve market leading positions. Phil will draw his experience from the seven years he worked with Richard Farleigh (BBC TV Dragons’ Den) and recent experience from helping entrepreneurs through NWDA's High Growth Programme.

Doug Stellman - YFM Private Equity Doug has worked in venture capital since 1993, working on investments ranging from start-up technology businesses through to general development capital investments. Prior to this he worked for Price Waterhouse on IT and systems. He is also a Chartered Accountant with a Bioscience background.

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