The VComm Venture Faire

New VComm Blog site and website

2009-05-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

VComm is moving up in the world and has set up the permanent site and new blog site.

This site will stay archived for the foreseeable future but new information will be appearing on the new sites going forward. Make sure you change your RSS feeds accordingly.

News on the next VComm event will be available soon.

VComm continues to bring results

2009-02-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

Reports of the positive effects of the VComm program continue to come in. Today we heard from Stewart Little of IRT.

"VComm represented an excellent introduction to the American venture capital scene. Not only was the room filled with the right people – they were warmed up, welcoming and ready to invest. The online training from the organizers was fantastic for the novice presenter and seasoned campaigner alike. Your YouTube and New Tech Press videos concisely focused on the key message and importantly only took ten minutes out of the viewer's day.

"By following your hints and tips on successful presenting we have been approached by 5 VC’s with an interest in investing. In turn the venture community is now talking about us and we have seen an uplift in our web traffic stateside as a direct result. The most significant development has actually happened 6 weeks after the event via a referral from one VC to another – that result is one of the largest venture capital funds in the world have requested a conference call with us and want to go to the next level.

"The American culture is aligned with ours, but at the same time - totally different! They want to invest and make decent returns – but are far more willing to invest larger sums with a higher risk – and ultimately net higher yields.

"VComm is an ideal opportunity to enter the “get to know you” phase of that relationship and represents a golden opportunity for any company wishing to go down this path. VComm opened the door and enabled that process. Follow the advice and you can’t go far wrong!"

Thankst, Stewart. Could not have put it better.

VCom Venture Faire was "outstanding success"

2009-01-23T13:22:00.000-08:00

We could give a long explanation about how well VComm went. But it's always better to hear it from someone else.

"Outstanding event. Every presentation was of the quality we demand for speaking directly to our partner meetings." Drew Lanza, partner at Morgenthaler Ventures.

"You guys put on a great event -- interesting companies, A-grade attendees, good content. Kudos to you and your team." Jeff Herbst, VP business development for nVidia.

"Every company presenting had a compelling message. I want to talk with all of them." Piers Cooper, partner Kalmund Capital

"VComm performed far beyond our expectations," Allan Currie, director Scottish Development International.

"I really wasn't looking forward to coming down to Redwood City, but this was an outstanding opportunity. Great companies with real potential" Hon Luu, partner in NEOS Ventures.

There will be more to come. VComm is changing the game.

VComm short presentations available for review

2009-01-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

The short versions of the VComm presentations are available for viewing, as well as new interviews at New Tech Press.

Nine Scottish Tech Start Ups in California VC Showcase

2009-01-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

UK, 12 January 2009 – Nine Scottish technology start-ups are visiting California next week to meet with potential investors in VComm, an initiative sponsored by SDI (Scottish Development International) and organised by Edinburgh Stanford Link and the Millennium Group.

According to Allan Currie, International Director from SDI, “VComm is an exceptionally exciting event bringing together the best of Scotland’s technology entrepreneurs with top Californian Venture Capitalists. Both entrepreneurs and investors arrive at the event well prepared. The VComm package includes elevator pitch training for the entrepreneurs, third party endorsements for each pitch as well as pre-briefings for the investors to help them use their time at the event effectively.”

Colin Adams, Director of Commercialisation at the Edinburgh University School of Informatics added, “The number and quality of the participating start-ups shows that Scotland remains an extremely fertile ground for business innovation, with talented entrepreneurs developing world class products and technologies. VComm can make a real difference to their long term success by providing a positive and well-structured avenue into the billions of capital invested annually by California VC funds.”

VComm takes place in Redwood City from 08:15am. There representatives from more than some of the leading VC funds in Silicon Valley attending the event.

The nine participating companies are: Codeplay Software's Sieve C++ Multicore Programming Platform enables a smooth transition from use of single-core processors to multi-core processors and graphics accelerators, thereby offering greater processing performance, with no need to significantly rewrite software.

Design LED Products Limited aims to be the world’s leading supplier of printed light-guide technology for segmented displays. The company will become a global supplier of its unique lighting technology in a wide range of consumer electronics, automotive, medical and point of sale products.

Dot Red Games develops fun, easy-to-get-to-grips-with but addictive casual games using high-end technologies like real-time effects and artificial intelligence (AI) while maintaining compatibility with all major Operating Systems (OSs) and still having low machine requirements. Its games are Windows, MacOs & Linux friendly.

The iCEphone™ from the Medical Phone Ltd is an outstanding tool for use in a crisis - originally designed to meet the exacting requirements of the British military. iCEphone™ is a combination of two exciting new products: as tunning and novel smartphone and a unique medical software package.

iBehave will revolutionise the way behaviour is analysed by automating the capture, storage and analysis of behavioural data. It provides an integrated solution for behaviour screening and analysis enabling rapid development from novel behavioural assay through to automated high throughput screening delivering significant competitive advantage to end users.

IRT Surveys aims to pioneer and dominate the field of thermography on a global scale through its web portal and bureau service. It has developedpatent protected energy quantification software that adds values to thermal images for KWh, CO2 emissions and monitory values to aid building surveyors, energy consultants and utility companies assess energy losses from buildings. Mutators’ mission is to originate the technology that will allow anyone to create 3D buildings and customise content for Virtual Worlds, using advanced procedural modelling and genetic algorithms.

NXVision technology offers TV viewers the opportunity to watch ‘live’ or recorded TV programmes on an ever increasing range of portable/handheld mobile media devices that can utilise WiFi and or 3G mobile broadband services.

Snocat ltd has developed a web based application called Vibio (view inventory by invitation only) that contains a range of features that will make trading via eBay, Craigslist, Amazon and Freecycle etc far safer, easier and more enjoyable. Vibio aims to become the leading social network for traders within the company’s chosen market sectors.

About The Millennium Group
The Millennium Group is an affiliation of eleven top technology agencies. Each is an owner-managed operation, with a results-focussed approach to technology PR. Each is staffed by nationals of the region in which they operate, and shares the culture and passions of the technology press community in its region.

Millennium Group affiliates are located in China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, UK and USA.

About The Edinburgh Stanford Link
The Edinburgh Stanford Link was established in February 2002, when Scottish Enterprise awarded the University of Edinburgh a fund of £6 million to develop a collaborative research and commercialisation programme with Stanford University in California.

The focus of the programme, called the Edinburgh-Stanford Link, is on basic and strategic research in language technology, entrepreneurship training, and technology transfer and commercialisation.

For further information please contact the VComm team at: vcomm@neesham.co.uk or on 01506 670800

CodePlay overcomes performance issues in multicore design

2009-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Andrew Richards of CodePlay discusses his company's approach to software acceleration on graphics and physics processors for computer based video games.

Edinburgh Stanford Link

2009-01-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

ICE Phone is really "cool"

2009-01-06T15:26:00.003-08:00

Artificial Intelligence for Online Casual Gaming

2009-01-05T14:08:00.000-08:00

DMB exec sees potential in tech

2009-01-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

DMB Associates, a real estate developer out of Scottsdale, Arizona, was the first sponsor to step forward to support the VComm Venture Faire, January 21 in Redwood City. In this interview with Lou Covey, editorial director of New Tech Press and one of the event organizers, outlines why his company made the move.

Private Equity is not the answer

2008-12-29T12:33:00.000-08:00

Many startups have turned to private equity firms in the past few years for next-round fundiing, but that option doesn't look to be available in the current credit crunch.

According to the Boston Consulting Group and the University of Navarra business school in Spain, half of all companies backed by private equity are expected to default on the debt and many buyout firms will be closing their doors soon.

That opens the opportunity for private-public partnerships between VCs and foreign governments to take up the slack for driving innovation and bringing the tech economy back.

Line up set for VComm Venture Faire

2008-12-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

The selection process is complete and the participant list in the VComm Venture Faire January 21, 2009 in Redwood City is set.

From the gaming world, CodePlay, Mutators Research and DotRed will present their vision for game development tools and platforms representing a combined market potential of more than $80 billion. NX Vision will demonstrate its revolutionary approach to place shifting media technology and SnoCat will present a new profit model for social media. In the medical world, ICEPhone will take the wraps off mobile communication for emergency services and iBehave will reveal technology to reduce animal testing and speed pharma technology to market. Finally Green-sector players DesignLED and IRT Surveys will reduce power consumpton in consumer electronics and greenhouse gases in buildings, respectively.

These nine companies have been selected by the judge committe provided by the Millennium Group, Scottish Development International and ITI Tech Media, from more than 30 potential participants.

It's not just survival

2008-12-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

Business Week Magazine ran an article this week by Rory Driscoll regarding the state of venture capital and tech startups. Driscoll prefaced the remarks that many VCs are advising companies to cut costs going forward, but the author points out that is not the answer to success. The real key is being able to establish the "must-have" aspect of your business front and center.

This concept is at the heart of the VComm Venture Faire. Working with the Scottish trade governmental agencies, we are vetting participating companies and looking for that key point that makes them potentially successful in the short run.

Hope lies in Venture Capital

2008-11-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Redwood City California -- The decisions of venture capital and angel investment could be a significant factor in how long the current recession lasts worldwide according to Gary Schlossberg, vice president and senior economist for Wells Fargos, Wells Capital Management.

Speaking today at the Economic Forecast meeting of the Redwood City/San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, Schlossberg ticked off a list of factors that will determine how long and deep the recession will go, including consumer spending, government stimulus packages and mortgage renegotiation. But he also called out the role of private investment in the form of entrepreneurial support as a key factor.

"There's a lot of money available for investment, but the channels are currently choked off." Schlossberg encouraged the businessmen and investors in the 200+-person audience to start the process of getting new businesses off the ground.

Lou Covey, CEO of Footwasher Media and an organizer of the VComm Venture Faire, said after the event, "One of the few established banking entities that is doing well in this economy is giving us a roadmap to recovery and prosperity. This is exactly the reason we chose to launch our event at this time. The financial introspection and reserve of the past two years needs to be put aside. It's time to get back to work."

IdaRose Sylvester to provide market analysis

2008-11-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

The VComm Venture Faire team today announced that IdaRose Sylvester, former senior industry analyst at IDC, has joined as the objective analyst for presenting companies' market projections. Ms. Sylvester's specialties are High technology strategic marketing, strategic planning, industry analysis, competitive analysis, market research, and prognostication. She consults with a variety of companies in business development, partner marketing, relationship building, entrepreneurial management and leadership.

In explaining her decision to come on board with the event, Sylvester said, "New markets and entrepreneurial efforts are my passions. Connections with my network--in my company, with my clients, with new people who can help shape my view of the world--are always of interest."
Ms. Sylvester has experience in multiple markets including electronics systems and semiconductors, digital connected homes, video delivery technologies and services, green technology and alternative energy, Web 2.0 and social media.

VComm Venture Faire venue chosen

2008-11-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

The VComm Venture Faire organizers have chosen the Seaport Conference Center in Redwood City, California as the site for the January 21 event. The Center, located in the Port of Redwood City, offers panoramic views of San Francisco Bay, high-speed internet connections, ample free parking and gourmet catering, in a flexible and intimate facility perfectly attuned to the unique concept of the Venture Faire. The conference Center is within 30 minutes of all major Bay Area airports, and probably more importantly, 15 minutes of Sand Hill Road.

EETimes points to opportunities in Europe

2008-11-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today in EE Times, an article on the Venture Scorecard indicated that the UK offers significant opportunities for investment from the Silicon Valley community.

The field is opening up

2008-10-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

The VComm Venture Faire is gaining momentum. More than a dozen companies have already come forward for the evaluation process and it reach far beyond the electronics field. Biotech, green and online entertainment companies in Scotland are vying for the coveted positions. And the vetting process for VCs and investors is now underway. If you're interested in participating, contact us ASAP.

Helping investors with due diligence

2008-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Even as investors flee the stock market and credit markets dry up, there is more money available from US investors than ever before, but it's harder for those investors to make the decision to invest.

According to Dow Jones, in the United States alone there are 5,000 start-ups vying for funding from more than $100 billion in venture capital, but every year only a fraction of those available funds are invested for one reason. The VCs just don't have enough information about the companies to make an informed decision, especially in the electronics niches of fabless semiconductors, chip design and optoelectronics. Due diligence for the VCs is even more difficult today as US press and analyst communities are restructuring and eliminating coverage of these arenas, an important source of information for investors.

From late September through early December, venture capitalists travel back and forth in the United States attending investor conferences in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston and New York City. They are looking for the next solid investment but, for the most part, they will come away with a few more business cards and a case of indigestion from the rubber chicken meals. The general take on these conferences rarely varies: We've heard it all before and we still don't believe it.

The Millennium Group is breaking the mould with the ground breaking VComm Venture Fair. An exclusive event designed to put start-up companies in front of key investors in their natural habitat—the Silicon Valley.