Fledgling internet firm bolstered by funding

A digital project on Teesside which aims to transform the way businesses market themselves on the internet has secured £500,000 in funding.

Middlesbrough-based ibod - or intelligent business on demand - provides free business search engines, social networking and advertising for charities, SMEs and corporate organisations.

The business has already created eight new jobs and is expected to add a further 20 staff in the coming year in the fields of sales and technology.

The venture has emerged from three years of research and development buoyed by £500,000 in financial backing and on target to generate £12m in turnover over the next four years.

ibod was the brainchild of marketing expert Kevin Robinson and IT specialist Haniff Din who have spent the last three years developing the technology with a team of experts.

According to its founders, the venture is already attracting global interest and could eventually become a rival to online empires such as Google, Yell and Yahoo.

Mr Robinson said: “We believe that this is the first British-led business search engine of its kind that supports and helps local small businesses and social enterprises.

“We have a passionate team of investors, who totally believe in developing ibod, and an incredibly committed team that is continually developing new products which are already attracting interest from around the world.

“Despite offers to re-locate to other areas ibod is and always will be a North East business which has the potential to create many new jobs for local people in the coming years.”

The £500,000 in financial backing it has received has come from several North East sources including Thornaby haulage business Scott Bros, Newcastle venture capitalist company NorthStar Equity Investors, Cal2 Fire and Security in Middlesbrough and Stockton-based commercial lawyers the Endeavour Partnership.

Digital Media Consulting in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool accountants and business advisors, Waltons Clark Whitehill, have also backed the firm.

ibod is a free service which allows businesses and charities to use internet marketing more effectively and more easily to build closer relationships with customers and develop their brand to attract new markets.

All users get their own free networking website which can be customised and used as a promotional and sales tool. Members will also benefit from forums where they can exchange ideas and contacts.

Revenue will be generated through advertising from larger businesses and offering cost effective web design and search engine optimisation services.

Story courtesy of www.bdaily.info

Compete For New Business.

Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Thursday March 10^th 2011. 07:30 – 10:30. Darlington Football Club.

Business Link are hosting an event which will help small businesses in the North East to understand what business opportunities there are related to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, how to access them and how to respond to the contract opportunities.

Hear directly from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and discover how to access the billions of pounds worth of work and thousands of new business opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Crossrail and other large projects.

Join us on Thursday March 10^th at Darlington Football Club to find out how to take advantage of these opportunities for your business.

CompeteFor is the official portal for contracting opportunities linked to the London 2012 Games and also to Crossrail.

Are you registered on CompeteFor?

Do you want to discover how to make the most of CompeteFor and find real opportunities for your business?

Join Compete North East and Chris Bell, Buyer Engagement Manager from the Olympic

Delivery Authority, for a short breakfast session on Thursday 10th March to discover:

What CompeteFor is and how to register:

• How to create an effective profile on CompeteFor
• How to find real business opportunities for your organisation
• How to respond to different types of contract opportunities
• What happens after you respond to a contract opportunity

Tickets are now available for the event at just £25+VAT per person. For further information or to book your place, please call 0191 281 5777, email karen@btob.co.uk

Compete For New Business.

Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Thursday March 10^th 2011. 07:30 – 10:30. Darlington Football Club.

Business Link are hosting an event which will help small businesses in the North East to understand what business opportunities there are related to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, how to access them and how to respond to the contract opportunities.

Hear directly from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and discover how to access the billions of pounds worth of work and thousands of new business opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Crossrail and other large projects.

Join us on Thursday March 10^th at Darlington Football Club to find out how to take advantage of these opportunities for your business.

CompeteFor is the official portal for contracting opportunities linked to the London 2012 Games and also to Crossrail.

Are you registered on CompeteFor?

Do you want to discover how to make the most of CompeteFor and find real opportunities for your business?

Join Compete North East and Chris Bell, Buyer Engagement Manager from the Olympic

Delivery Authority, for a short breakfast session on Thursday 10th March to discover:

What CompeteFor is and how to register:

• How to create an effective profile on CompeteFor
• How to find real business opportunities for your organisation
• How to respond to different types of contract opportunities
• What happens after you respond to a contract opportunity

Tickets are now available for the event at just £25+VAT per person. For further information or to book your place, please call 0191 281 5777, email karen@btob.co.uk

R&B Group brings science to life

Events, production and communication specialist, R&B Group arrived back home in Newcastle this week, to complete the last in a series of high profile science events.

R&B Group were contracted by client Education Live, to provide AV and production support for the events, aimed at inspiring GCSE students to take up careers in Science.

The nationwide programme, starting back in November of last year in Leicester, has seen R&B Group travel over 5000 miles, battling through some of the worst weather to hit the UK in years, in order to deliver the 13 road show style events throughout the country.

Presentations were delivered to some 20,000 school children by some of the UK's top scientists including Lord Robert Winston.

During each session, scientists each presented their cutting-edge research to the 15-16 year old students, demonstrating how science offers solutions to some of the world's greatest problems.

Barry Fox, R&B Group Director comments "It was fantastic to be awarded the contract for a second year. It's a great series of events. The weather did create an added challenge but we look forward to the autumn programme which begins in November".

Daniel Powell, Director Education Live "The work of R&B Group is essential to these events, which aim to engage young audiences in Science. We ask some of the world's most eminent scientists to speak to GCSE students, which is a good start. But, the great audio and visual set-up provided by R&B Group makes very good lectures into unforgettable ones."

Record Start To The Year For Software Company

South Shields-based software firm DEF Software has had a successful start to the year, achieving record sales amounting almost £300,000 in one month.

Despite the current economic climate DEF Software achieved a record month in January in sales of expert software to newly acquired public sector clients across the UK.

The new contracts include wins with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, Gloucester City Council and Eastbourne Borough Council.

The software contracts include DEF software systems for local authority planning, which helps improve efficiency of the planning application process; highways response, developed for highways development officers controlling work flow from initial request to final response; and building control, aiding building inspections

The young business has seen great success from the outset and quickly set up sister company DEF Apps servicing the private sector, meaning DEF is now working lucratively in both sectors.

DEF Software founder David Frame said: "We are very proud to have had such a successful start to 2011 as we move into our third year of trading.

"The business we have had in January alone has put us well ahead of our target turnover for 2011 / 2012 of £1m.

"We have continued to expand our reach across the UK with our highly beneficial software in the public sector which is how we have managed to clock up such strong sales in our first month. We are now starting our financial year with an order book just shy of £900,000.

"It is pleasing to see this achievement is from all-new clients, which demonstrates our strength of reputation is growing within local authority circles.

"DEF Apps has also taken off alongside very productively within the private sector and I believe we are well within reach of meeting the two businesses' combined target of £6m by 2015."

Orange Bus Takes New Sage Accountancy Website Live

Creative digital agency Orange Bus has successfully completed the design and build of a website for an online subscription-based service for accounting software giant Sage.

Sage One is aimed at sole-traders and start-ups with a hosted software package sold on a monthly subscription as a secure, simple and low-cost way to manage finances. Business owners can work on invoices and VAT returns, and assess their business performance in the office or at home remotely.

Orange Bus won the competitive tender to carry out the design and build of the site, which provides a high volume of help and advice articles across all of its products. It was essential to make the site athttp://www.sageone.com/ as accessible and easy to navigate as possible to allow users to find answers online rather than via the call centre.

Julian Leighton, director at Orange Bus, says one of the keys to success with the project has been the huge emphasis on user experience: "We're delighted with the finished product but what is most exciting is to see business owners are already using it easily and effectively - and in the ways we expected they would.

"It was imperative to the success of Sage One that we effectively structure the content of the online help centre and this is a perfect example of where our user experience knowledge comes into its own."

Orange Bus continues to win prestigious contracts off the back of its specialism in both user experience and interface design, and on the strength of its creative input, strategic insights and delivery.

The firm, which recently expanded into bigger premises on Newcastle's Quayside, has an enviable client list including global names such as Barclays, Tommee Tippee, Family Lives (formerly Parentline) and most recently, international media, publishing and education company Pearson.

Simon Black, managing director of Sage Online, said: "The launch of Sage One is a significant addition to Sage's online software and services. What's most exciting about it is the feedback from our beta customers - we're providing a real boost to their business and enabling them to manage their accounts in a way that suits them.

"That's why we believe Sage One will meet and exceed the expectations of a new generation of sole traders, small businesses and entrepreneurs that see the web as a natural way to work."

Sage One marketing manager, Michael Barber, said: The guys at Orange Bus really know their stuff. We set out to deliver a great customer experience with Sage One and the work Orange Bus contributed helps us do that."

NEA2F Publish Second Access To Finance Guide

Over 200 key figures from across the region gathered at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, for the launch of the second Access to Finance Guide produced by North East Access to Finance (NEA2F).

The 2011 Guide was introduced by Chairman, Hugh Morgan Williams OBE and guest speakers at the event were Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy Chairman of the Government's Regional Growth Fund and Rory Earley, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Capital for Enterprise Ltd.

Reflecting on what many have seen as a challenging year for business, Hugh Morgan Williams said "I cannot believe that it is almost a year since our first Access to Finance Guide was published in 2010. Since then, it has become an indispensable tool for fund managers, accountants and corporate finance lawyers as they seek to guide their clients through the complex web of finance initiatives both within the North East and beyond."

"SMEs (small and medium enterprises) have also benefited by having all the important information and contact details in a handy sized booklet that is duplicated on our website www.nea2f.co.uk

"Accessing finance has not got easier for SMEs during 2010. Whilst the Finance for Business funds are beginning to get to grips with financing growth businesses with equity solutions, there remains a problem for companies accessing traditional debt finance; both on demand overdraft and term loans from the high street banks."

"During the year, some of the main lenders assembled a £1.5 billion pound fund to help businesses with sales of more than £10 million pounds, but there remains a significant issue for the majority of companies beneath that threshold. Often the businesses are new, without a track record, or significant tangible assets to pledge against lending propositions from the banks that have become increasingly difficult to access for this sector."

"Nationally, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has helped, but most businesses appear to find the security requirements onerous and the costs high. There remains a need for loan funds that target companies that the banks deem do not meet their credit criteria."

"Since the General election in May 2010 there have been a number of significant changes in the sources of money to help our stock of SMEs. Badly hit have been grant schemes that have practically disappeared from the Access to Finance guide. The main newcomer, of course, is the Regional Growth Fund which aims to help meet this Government's ambition to rebalance the economy. In addition this year, we have included a section on business support listing the main providers of help and assistance to SMEs."

Morgan Williams went on to say, "Here at NEA2F we are working on a number of schemes that we think will help business in the North East, and we will be announcing details of these throughout 2011. Of course, any changes will be reflected on our dynamic web site www.nea2f.co.uk, and we will be emailing our data base of regional contacts with regular updates."

Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy Chair of the Regional Growth fund, outlined the issues around access to finance for the region through the RGF and Rory Earley, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Capital for Enterprise set the regional scene in the context of the national picture in terms and funding for business.

*The Regional Growth Fund, which only applies to England, will operate for over 3 years from 2011 to 2014. The RGF is a £1.4bn challenge Fund, which has two objectives:

(1) To encourage private sector enterprise by providing support for projects with significant potential for economic growth and create additional sustainable private sector employment; and

(2) To support in particular those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector make the transition to sustainable private sector led growth and prosperity.

**Capital for Enterprise Limited (‘CfEL') is the Government's principal centre of knowledge, expertise and information on the design, implementation and management of finance measures to support Small and Medium Size enterprises (‘SMEs') across the UK.

· North East Access to Finance.pdf [4.8MB]