STOCKPORT DIGITAL INNOVATORS IN SHARE OF £700K FUNDING POT

Two Stockport based creative and digital companies, EventBeat (a product by Volcanic UK Ltd) and Movobi, are among ten Greater Manchester start-up and small business companies who have secured a share of £700,000 innovation funding.  

EventBeat’s product – ‘social signage technology’ that broadcasts audience social media comments and pictures direct to screens displayed at live events and the Movobi platform, of user generated metadata, which currently has the ability to capture data about on-screen information and present it to users via clickable screen shots – will have up to 60% of their innovative digital R&D projects funded by an initiative backed by the Creative and Digital Launchpad, a programme run by the UK’s innovation agency, and the Technology Strategy Board, in conjunction with the Business Growth Hub.

All ten winners will also be given the opportunity to pitch for further investment at a Launchpad Investment Showcase at Media City in June.

Nick Johnson, director of winning company EventBeat, said:

“The Technology Strategy Board has presented us with a huge opportunity as we strive to become recognized globally as market leaders in social signage technology. This project funding will enable us to develop a ‘self-service platform’ to deliver a scalable solution to a mass market.

“We are extremely excited at the prospect of the next eight months as we undertake our project which will look to grow our business, both within the Manchester community and to a global audience.”

Richard Jeffery, director of the Business Growth Hub, said:

“Today we recognise and congratulate these ten companies whose innovation and ideas have been justly rewarded.

“We will now go on to work with the winning companies to help them develop their ideas and to prepare for further investment and, just as importantly, we will also be continuing to work with all of the companies that entered this competition, to make sure that they are able to access the funding and specialist support services that will support and drive their future growth.”

The other winning companies are:

Shortbite Limited, Salford

Hardy & Ellis Inventions Limited,

Empiricom Technologies, Manchester  

Reason Digital, Manchester

Tickvantage, Manchester

Play Creative, MediaCityUK

Carbon Co-op, Chorlton

iBurbia Studios, MediaCityUK