We asked Nick Ray, CEO Of aiHit, should we be worried following David Rowan’s piece on the ‘data disenfranchised’?


“In the emerging yottabyte age, let’s ensure the sovereignty of the people over the databases by holding to account those with the keys to the machine…” (David Rowan, Wired Magazine April 2013)

We asked Nick Ray, CEO of aiHit, should we be worried?

Nick Ray“David Rowan’s article perfectly sums up both the potential and the risks of a “big data” world.  Knowledge is power and big data increases that power.

In his article, David worries that the power is concentrated in the hands of big business and not in the hands of the hapless consumer, who’s surfing habits, shopping habits, social media presence, credit score and much more besides is being covertly harvested, aggregated, dissected and analysed.

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Where is the architectural blueprint and vision for a neighbourhood at the forefront of London’s digital revolution?


We asked Peter Murray, Chairman of NLA (London’s Centre For The Built Environment)

London's Centre for The Built Environment“Blueprint?! Vision?! Masterplan!? That’s not how these things work in London! Silicon Roundabout happened because there was NO masterplan. It grew because there were cheap, no nonsense buildings with high ceilings and clear floorplates that suited the pocket and workstyle of new digital companies. These were the sweatshops of the industrial era; in the post-industrial city they became nurseries for growing businesses.”

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‘Has the ideas machine broken down?’ We asked eight leading entrepreneurs.


On 12th January 2013 The Economist ran a piece ‘Has the ideas machine broken down?’.

The briefing said ‘a small but growing group of economists reckon the economic impact of the innovations of today may pale into comparison with those of the past…’. It went on ‘As Mr Thiel and his colleagues at the Founders Fund, a venture-capital company, put it “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters”’.

We asked eight entrepreneurs if they shared the pessimism.

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The Europas are tonight in Berlin. We caught up with five nominees ahead of the prestigious awards!


The EuropasWith an attendee list that reads like a who’s who of the most innovative and exciting tech companies in Europe we caught up with Victor Henning (Mendeley), Raf Keustermans (Plumbee), Alice Regester (33Seconds), Alex Depledge (Teddle) and Nic Brisbourne (DFJ Esprit) and asked them a question often raised by entrepreneurs:

‘How fundamental is a great story to selling a vision?’

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Apply by 8th January for Seedcamp London 2013. Seedcamp Principal Philipp Moehring tells us what it’s all about.


Seedcamp2012 was a busy year for Seedcamp: They hosted 10 events all around the world, made 23 new investments, took their startups on a four-week tour of the US and hosted the flagship week-long Seedcamp Week event in September.

Since launching in 2007, the Seedcamp portfolio now includes more than 80 of Europe’s most promising startups – all ambitiously building global businesses – and has seen several acquisitions (including Mobclix bought by Velti and RentMineOnline bought by RealPage).

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Leading European Accelerator Startupbootcamp hits London on January 8th; Why should you apply?


StartupbootcampStartupbootcamp Amsterdam hits London January 8th. Patrick de Zeeuw, Co-Founder of Startupbootcamp Global & Amsterdam, explains what makes this acceleration program unique and why you should apply!

Startupbootcamp Pitch Day comes to London on January 8th! – We pitch to you, you pitch to us! Your chance to get to know Startupbootcamp Amsterdam and some of its alumnus teams. But one question remains: How is Startupbootcamp unique from other programs and why should I – as a startup – apply?

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Are the Government investing £50m in ‘Silicon Roundabout’ just as soaring office rents are driving the tech community out?


old street developmentTo survey the skyline of Silicon Roundabout is to embrace a varied and growing expanse of building types. One should be under no illusion that the cranes will be descending upon the area in the near future as Landlords, inspired by their respective architects, set to work with rigour in transforming ‘redundant’ building stock. Sickening to some but illuminating and a glimpse of something better to others.

However the ‘noise’ from twitter and other media channels is growing daily as both existing occupiers and fast growing businesses are showing anything but systemic indifference to rising rental values allied to limited office supply.

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Guest Blog; Rosemary Forsyth of Forsyth Group on ‘How to hire the right executive for your tech start up’


Rosemary ForsythYou have secured funding for the business and now hiring a CEO, COO or CFO means it’s time to grow up fast for a tech startup. Rosemary Forsyth explains how to avoid a costly mistake!

“The founders have done a great job getting to the stage where an experienced investor will invest their time and firm’s money in the company. Now the founding team needs to be strengthened with one or more executives so that the company can scale to the next level.

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Five founders who have raised over $16 million in funding in the last 12 months share their top tips for a successful pitch


During the last 12 months Qinec, Makielab, Mojiva, Mindshapes and Click A Taxi have raised over $16 million in funding.

We asked the five founders what advice they could offer to other startups on delivering the perfect pitch?

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Guest Blog; ‘Bill Earner, Managing Partner of Connect Ventures, provides his top tips for an effective pitch!’


Connect VenturesAs part of my job I get to see a lot of startups pitch their businesses. So what makes the best ones truly stand out? In my experience the most effective pitches share a few traits in common. I’m going to share eleven of them with you here (ten is no fun, eleven is one louder anyway). Crafting a pitch with these ideas in mind will hopefully give you a leg up when you are trying to get potential investors’ attention.

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