The event will focus on start up media businesses with a concentration on digital technologies – whether communications, applications or services and ranging from social media to the distribution of digital content to software as a service. It will follow on from the successful event staged by CIKTN and SIN in Berlin, which I also produced, in Sept 2011.

More details on dates, location, content and available funding support to follow shortly.

Some real highlights of 2011:

Producing on Media Sandbox 3, with the added interest of combining Open Data provided by Bristol City Council into the project. Overlay’s Hills Are Evil and Nudesine’s Alphasphere stood out as projects with incredible potential.

Content Across Continents 2011 repeated the unique co-development project between Singapore and Bristol. Whilst bumpier than last time the partnership with the Media Development Authority of Singapore remains strong and Interactive Video (UK) and Very! (Sg) will take “Heavenly Mysteries” to market shortly.

My role with the Creative Industries KTN focused on workshops around the country looking at the proposition of the UK as an innovation hub, plus a great event in Milan on designing connectivity. The highlight however was the hugely successful Connecting Digital Start Ups event staged in Berlin with Medianet, SIN and UKTI.

Towards the end of the year I won a contract as Creative/Digital Media adviser for UK Trade & Investment, more on that below but its not often your first event in a new role is at Buckingham Palace (even a republican like me was quite impressed)

Looking forward there are some incredible projects for delivery during 2012:

The work with UKTI will really start in earnest, supporting international companies to invest into the UK. Trips to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, SxSW Interactive in Austin and visits to Los Angeles and Berlin are already in the diary.

For Watershed I will producing a strand of activity for the European Capital of Culture 2012, Guimarães in Portugal. Focused on Open Cities, and defining openness as ranging for the personal to the political, innovation to infrastructure, this will be a series of commissions throughout 2012 – and some discussions already underway are extremely exciting.

The Creative Industries KTN relationship continues and in partnership with the UK Science Innovation Network we have plans for events on Digital Start-ups in Amsterdam, Copyright and IP in Milan and User-centred Design in Helsinki as part of Helsinki World Design Capital 2012.

With Paul St George I am helping develop a major interactive public art project, a massive meeting in January could kick start something truly worthy of the word landmark in London in 2013.

And there’s also the Heritage Sandbox to help iShed with too….

Looks busy….but can’t wait (well, need some rest and family Xmas first)

Happy New Year

The role will be a mix of three things:

Strategic – developing and articulating the UK offer in a competitive and increasingly global marketplace
Proactive – targeting sectors, markets and technologies in order to attract companies and projects to the UK
Reactive – account managing inward missions and enquiries to provide an efficient response for international businesses

Over the coming weeks and months I’ll post on discoveries and comparisons as I travel nationally and internationally for UKTI.

The ‘Connecting Digital Start-Ups Between the UK and Germany’ event in Berlin was enjoyable, informative, stimulating and productive. With a GDP of $3.3 trillion (£2 trillion) Germany has the biggest economy in Europe, a change from the downbeat news about everyone else’s economy

Elspeth Penny- 2BU

 This trip provided me with great insight into the German creative technology market. I was surprised to see the similarities not only between the markets but also the cultures. It was clear that the UK and Germany have similar issues when it comes to raising capital and developing new businesses.

Mark Mason – Mubaloo

 During the course of 1to1 meetings people pitched ideas, their company, themselves and sought connections, which I definitely found.  The day was full of information, cross-cultural insights and a common purpose – to find ways to make things happen, and create new businesses. 

Phil Parker – NYAC

 Coming home with a stack of business cards is easy; continuing the conversation the next day is the true sign of a successful ‘networking event.’ Sure enough my outbox was full the following morning, as was my inbox

Chris Roebuck – Quillu

I am now in discussion with CIKTN, UKTI and SIN on follow up events across Europe for 2012.

Opened by the British Ambassador to Germany, Simon McDonald, the event highlighted the scale and opportunity of the European digital media marketplace and explored the experiences of some highly successful entrepreneurs.

Charles Nasser, CEO of Claranet, charted his journey from “games distribution” as a schoolboy to corporate CEO – and described himself as an “adventure capitalist”, an entrepreneur who supports other entrepreneurs financially and through involvement in their businesses. He was followed by Burckhardt Bonello, a serial entrepreneur whose pursuit of the “revolutionary and disruptive” has led him from organizing student events to control of businesses with a turnover in excess of €500M (and he’s still under 40).

Joined by Mark Mason of Mubaloo and Alex Piutti of Games Genetics,  I then chaired a panel discussion to elicit advice and experiences which could be shared with the start ups in the audience. The entrepreneurs answered questions by highlighting their own journeys from initial idea to big business, providing a range of pointers: internationalise immediately, and look at Europe not US; customers are the best cashflow, VC’s are not always the route foward; hire the right people, don’t compromise. When asked to identify their biggest mistake the consensus seemed to be “missed opportunities”….

After lunch Olaf Jacobi of Target and Mark Adams of Pembridge gave highly distinctive and different presentations on the VC finance landscape – from Target’s result driven, high finance focus to Pembridge’s more approachable “Progress” early stage investment vehicle, now being launched across Europe. DailyDeals, a high growth Berlin based digital business then walked through their three rounds of financing in the past two years to provide a personal view.

The core of the event however was to connect businesses and throughout the day, and within a focused one-to-one session in the afternoon, purposeful and productive conversations were happening across the venue. The participants will be providing us with their comments and insight over the next few days – and I’ll share those with you.

Quick feedback from Julian McCrea of UK start up Portal Entertainment highlighted the value, “[I learned that] as a start up you can think globally, IF you have the networks in place in the market you are reaching. Events like this can make those introductions possible.”

Pictures here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/parameter/

I would in particular like to thank Miriam Ducke from UKTI Germany, Kenan Poleo from Science Innovation Network and Andrea Peters from Berlin Brandenburg Medianet.

The agenda for the Connecting Digital Start Ups event in Berlin is now finalised – download here.

Over the course of the day we’ll hear overviews of the UK and German digital markets, personal experiences from entrepreneurs including Charles Nasser, CEO Claranet, and Burckhardt Bonello, founder FairVentures, and finance perspectives from VC’s Olaf Jacobi from Target and Mark Adams of Pembridge.

A group of 12 UK businesses are travelling to meet the best of the Berlin start ups alongside established German media business and financiers.

We’ll capture the experiences and insight from the day in a later post – in the meantime follow the participants on twitter hashtag #ukberlinstartups

The concept of an Open City is one where an inclusive, and in many cases technology enabled, approach allows wide engagement in driving the social, cultural and commercial life of the city – whether in addressing specific local issues of governance, innovation and infrastructure, or wider societal drivers of sustainability, multiculturalism or social interaction.

Within the Open Cities project we will explore six specific strands of investigation:

1. Openness as a methodology for achieving positive change – the big picture
2. Designing the City – public ownership of place and space
3. Governance – citizenship and the relationship between the personal and the political
4. The Smart City – technology as a driver for action and interaction
5. Innovation – the network as a catalyst and collaborative organizer
6. Environment – sustainable actions in an urban context

This exploration will commission think-pieces, interventions and events across Europe and extend to both the US and Brazil.

Between now and December 2012 the Open Cities project will stage international events (including virtual events linked across the globe) and commission keynote speeches, articles and artworks, all building towards a Symposium and Open Cities publication in Guimaraes.

The first commissioned authors and partner international cities will be announced over the coming weeks and I’ll update here.

In the interim we’ll also be advertising for a project co-ordinator, preferably Portuguese / English bilingual – if you know someone who might be interested, get in touch.

My work with the CIKTN as Global Markets advisor has explored a key question: In an increasingly globalised world, with a permanent revolution in digital communications, how does the UK maintain a competitive position?

Alongside my contribution “Five Key Themes” features pieces from other “Champions” Frank Boyd, Gus Debarats, Chris Lefteri and Simon Hopkins.

I continue to work with the CIKTN on international connections, with the upcoming Berlin digital start-ups event part of that remit. Further activities are in planning for 2011/12 with Helsinki as a target next location.

The event will bring together the hottest Berlin start ups alongside established German media businesses and financiers, providing a unique opportunity to get an instant introduction to opportunities in one of Europe’s most dynamic digital economies.

Confirmed speakers have a spectacular track record in entrepreneurial business development and investment finance:

From Germany

Alexander Piutti – CEO & Founder at GamesGenetics, seed investor at Myco

Burkhardt Bonello – CEO & Founder at Found Fair Ventures

From UK

Charles Nasser – CEO & Founder at Claranet

Mark Adams – Partner, Pembridge Partnership

Mark Mason – CEO & Founder, Mubaloo

Additional names have also been added to the now 30 Berlin start-ups who will be participating (download here: Medianet Catapult start ups 2011_12 update ).

Produced in partnership with Berlin/Brandenburg Medianet, UKTI and UK Science and Innovation Network this event is open to any digital media business seeking to understand and find partnership opportunities in Germany.

If you are a UK start up (less than 2 years since incorporation) there is just one travel bursary left for up to £250 travel & accommodation costs – so hurry…

For more information and to apply click here

Or contact:

Mark Leaver – CIKTN producer – mark@markleaver.net

Miriam Ducke – UKTI Germany – Miriam.ducke@fco.gov.uk