In fact, at first glance there are A LOT of worthy projects which we would love to fund. Unfortunately, the huge interest means that there will undoubtedly be a lot of good projects which don’t get funded this time around so …

• We would STRONGLY encourage ALL applicants to apply to the Creative Industries Innovation Fund as well. It closes this coming Thursday (Feb 23rd) and you can download the application form here. You can apply for up to £10,000 grant funding.
• You should also have a look at the current Innovation Vouchers call, which has a large digital media element. You have until the end of Feb to apply.
• For those proposals that have the potential to become businesses in themselves, we will be opening SeedComp II in a few weeks with a total prize fund of £25,000. You can see details of last year’s comp here.

Regardless of whether we fund any particular project in this round or not, we’re very keen to work with just about all of the applicants to help them realise their projects. With that in mind, we hope to speak with ALL of them in the coming weeks and months to see how else we can help – or where else we might find funding.

In the mean time, everyone should know how they got on by this Friday so hang tight and we’ll be in touch. This is going to take a little time.

By my reckoning I have seen over 40 proposed digital media businesses or projects in the last few months. Unfortunately that’s not the same as 40+ companies. And that’s where we need to start focusing our attentions.

So what’s the difference between a good project idea and a good business?

Well, first off not all projects make good businesses – and that’s fine. One of the reasons we’ve been so keen to make small amounts of money relatively easy to come by is that it encourages experimentation. The fact that some of the projects we support or fund never go much further is OK. It’s the price of innovation. That said, those ideas that could go further don’t always realise their potential – and there are a few common reasons.

Ambition

Lack of ambition is particularly common and disheartening. Not wanting to take over the world is fine. Not wanting anything more than a great ‘lifestyle’ business is fine too. However, thinking that you can sustain a business by trading only in Northern Ireland is not fine. Digital companies need to be export businesses. Setting your sights so low that even a ‘win’ isn’t exciting is not fine either. Your business needs to motivate others to get involved.

Make Money

Digital businesses also need to make money, just like any other business. We see too many proposals that rely exclusively on public funding, not only to start off but to actually survive. This is not OK. If you don’t know how you might make money, start thinking about it. You might not be 100% certain but you need to know your options.

Plan B

Along the same lines too many projects simply never get off the ground if they don’t receive funding through an application form. There are lots of ways to fund new projects – public funding pots are just one – and if you aren’t committed to making it happen regardless, you’re not likely to succeed in the longer-term anyway.

Think of it like a sales process, you wouldn’t expect to knock on one door and sell 100% of the time. The more doors you knock on the better your chances of success. And if you knock on enough doors, you nearly always get there in the end. I applaud everyone who has or will apply to Culture Tech, but for most it should be the first, not the only, pitch they make.

Learn to Sell

And that ability to make a good pitch is the final reason many good ideas go no further. The idea may be sound and you may be the perfect person to deliver it, but, if you can’t make a compelling case in writing or in person, you will struggle to get the support that you need. Enthusiasm and a ‘can do’ attitude goes a long way here and we have too many pessimists in the system right now.

It’s brilliant to see so many exciting projects being proposed. It tells us that there is undoubted potential in the city and that it’s worth supporting. But whether or not we fund any particular project, great businesses backed by great people will find a way to make things happen.

Great to see three Derry startups in the mix for the Start Summit in Derry – go place your vote for SeedUps, Hubb.it and Dog Ears.

You can find out more and cast your vote here: http://www.websummit.net/nominee/vote/

In true Derry-style, vote early and vote often!

The structure of the event is starting to come together, the website is being built and we’ve begun reaching out to phenomenal speakers and artists. Over the 4-days you can expect installations, performances, workshops and more. But we want as much input into the festival as possible, across all the themes, including: moving image, games, music tech, digital arts, digital publishing, apps and entrepreneurship.

So what would you like to see included?

For four days at the end of August this year, Derry will play host to a major festival of digital culture and technologies covering everything from music to film, games to digital arts.

The official unveiling isn’t for a few weeks yet but I thought I’d give you the chance to pop the dates in your diary – Wed, August 29th to Sat, Sept 1st.

We’ll be looking for all sorts of people to get involved as volunteers, artists and even hosting their own events and parties alongside the main festival programme. So, start thinking about how you might like to be involved, the main criteria are that your ideas need to be innovative, they need to be fun and most importantly, they need to be super cool.

We’ll be putting out a call for people to get involved a bit further down the road, but if there’s anything you’d like to discuss now, feel free to drop us a line.

But that doesn’t mean they have to be earth-shatteringly new concepts – just big enough and challenging enough that it gets the judging panel excited.

Here are a few simple ideas that you can use as a jumping off point i.e. don’t just copy them but add in your own twist of innovation or local flavour.

1. Digital Record Label: It doesn’t have to be electronic music (although that would be cool) but think about how you could mess with the idea of what a record label is and does, using digital technologies.
2. Digital Arts Installation: There are tons of empty spaces in the city – what could you do to bring them alive using technology? Think sound, light, projections, motion sensing installations, social media and then figure out how you could take those ideas onto an even bigger stage.
3. Digify Print: Derry has a rich cultural heritage in print. How could digital technology be used to tell those stories in sound and images?
4. Digify Performace: What would a stage play look like if you used digital tech to help tell the story? What about street theatre or busking or stand-up comedy?
5. Digital Events: If you have an interest in a particular digital field, could you use £5k to kick-start a conference or festival based here in the city. Plenty of events have been started with less.
6. Digital Tourism: We’ve already had several ideas put forward for tourism-related apps and app-based walking tours. There’s nothing wrong with that, but to really stand out could you turn tourism into a game?
7. Digital Gaming: And when it comes to games, you could think beyond PCs and x-boxes and imagine what kind of fun people could get up to in real life, augmented by tech. Check this out for some inspiration.

I could go on. It’s not really that difficult; just as yourself:

“What would X (piece of arts / culture) look like if we added Y technology?”

Could your small business use £4,000 to develop innovative solutions to your business issue?

Could you use our organisation’s skills to help take your business to the next level?

February call to innovation voucher applications is open until 29th February 2012. It is open to all small enterprises, including limited companies, sole traders and partnerships.

To find more information contact:

Kerry Patterson, University of Ulster, Jordanstown

T: 028 9036 8603

E: k.patterson@ulster.ac.uk

W: www.innovationvouchers.com

BRIEFING EVENT FOR COMPANIES AND EXPERIENCED BUSINESS PEOPLE

• Need money to expand your business?
• Interested in investing in high potential businesses?
• Curious about Dragons and Angels?

Come to a briefing on 14th February at the Chamber Offices and find out how angel investing works and the forthcoming opportunities in Londonderry. It could be a great date for your business or your investments!

In a rapid fire one hour session you will learn:

• How companies can win angel finance for growth
• Why business people get involved and what they gain from it
• Angel investing as an asset class and how to make money
• How the new Seed EIS tax scheme changes the game
• How to be invited to the Halo investment forum in Derry

Chamber are partnering with Halo, the NI Business Angel Network, to run one of their highly successful investor evenings in Derry on 24th May to allow some of our best companies to pitch for finance. This briefing event will tell you if you should be there.

If your company needs money to grow, or if your business experience gives you the skills to spot potential growth companies, come to the briefing:

14th February 2012

2.00 – 3.30 pm

The Chamber Offices

Places can be booked Via the Chamber Website www.londonderrychamber.co.uk or via christina@londonderrychamber.co.uk

SxSW is one of the world’s largest digital media events and is packed full with talks, exhibitions and networking opportunities. Derry is already sending 10+ delegates (supported by InvestNI) as part of a Northern Ireland contingent of some 30+ companies and individuals.

Funded by ILEX, we are able to support two additional delegates who are not currently traveling to SxSW and/or not eligible for INI support (eg. a student or 2nd person from a company which is already planning to go). Digital Derry will pay for your flights and festival pass (to a maximum of £1250) meaning you just need to arrange your accommodation and spending money for the week.

NB: You must demonstrate that you have organised your accommodation at SxSW before we will purchase festival passes or flights and this should be done by Feb 10th.

If you would like to apply here’s what you need to send us (in a Word doc or PDF by email):

• A 200 word summary of you and/or your business
• Links to your works or website
• Up to 500 words about why you want to go to SxSWi and what you hope to get from it
• Your full contact details

Deadline for applications is Friday, February 3rd. If we receive more than 2 applications then the two successful applicants will be chosen by a panel.

Email your application to: digitalderry@gmail.com

Taking place on Tuesday, April 24, at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Shaw’s Bridge, there will be 12 categories this year including the re-introduction of the Corporate Social Responsibility category, to recognise the positive impact businesses are making in the community amid tough times.

You can download your entry form and read a full list of the rationale, criteria, rules and conditions at www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business-awards

Deadline for entries is noon on Friday 10^th February.

Categories are:

• Outstanding Business Team of the Year
• Excellence in Marketing
• Excellence in Exporting
• Excellence in the Development of Management and Leadership
• Excellence in Innovation
• Outstanding Service to Business
• Young Businessperson of the Year
• Excellence in Technology
• Best Small/ Medium Business
• Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility
• Businessperson of the Year – a non-entry category, sponsored by bmi, which will be awarded by the judging panel based on an individual’s contribution to the Northern Ireland economy.
• Outstanding business of the year, sponsored by bmi – The overall winner will be selected by the judges from the winners of all the individual categories.

Please contact the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards team (028 9076 0066 or mail@jprni.com) if you have any queries