Vyke Launches Seedrs Crowdfunding Campaign to Help Revolutionise Mobile Voice Calling

 

Over £250k of the £800k target already raised

 

 

 London, 12th January 2016: Vyke (www.vyke.com) today announced a crowdfunding campaign with Seedrs (www.Seedrs.com/vyke) to raise £800,000 to help launch its new platform that will revolutionise voice calling in the same way that WhatsApp re-invented messaging.

 

The Seedrs campaign will allow Vyke to change how people use mobile voice communications. The new Vyke platform will allow users to create up to four additional mobile phone numbers with free peer-to-peer chat and calling features. Users will be able to create new personas and profiles for voice calls in the same way that they already instinctively do on email or social platforms.

 

“Our new platform will make a huge difference to users. This is why we have turned to the crowd and selected Seedrs as our funding platform,” said Rolf Larsen, Chairman of Vyke. “Seedrs has an excellent track record of raising investment capital through crowdfunding. This, combined with the powerful offering of our platform means that we’re very confident that we’ll hit our funding target - in fact we’ve already attracted over £250,000 of Seedrs investment.”

 

Vyke’s new platform will provide both inbound and outbound calling from different mobile numbers from the same device, opening up a huge new addressable market for the company and revolutionising the way voice calling is used.

 

“Mobile network operator services have not kept pace with either smartphone innovation or lifestyle changes. They can still only give you one number for your phone. Yet users don’t only have one persona, we manage our lives with many different email addresses and social profiles,” said Mark Egginton, CEO of Vyke.

 

“Users currently have to suffer an inadequate experience, or create their own work around - such as carrying multiple phones. The new Vyke platform will deliver the innovation sadly lacking in mobile operators.”

 

Vyke is an OTT (“Over the Top”) mobile VoiP provider. Users can access Vyke using Wi-Fi or mobile operator provided mobile data. The Vyke app is free to download and users in most supported markets will receive their first additional mobile number completely free of charge.

 

Vyke will appeal to a broad range of smartphone users:

 

·         Domestic callers can now create numbers to help manage their mobile lives, all the time protecting the identity of their main SIM number. Ideal for separating work and personal calls, dating or selling used items online. Numbers can be deleted when no longer needed.

·         Work and personal device users can now consolidate different mobile numbers into one device. No more heavy pockets, or multiple contracts. Existing numbers can be ported to Vyke.

·         International travellers can make and receive calls over data when abroad, avoiding costly call roaming fees and high call rates.

 

To invest in Vyke’s new revolutionary platform visit: Seedrs/Vyke

Crowdcube targets Northern Powerhouse with new office in Manchester

 

Regional office opening in February in city centre

 

The UK’s top equity crowdfunding platform, Crowdcube will be expanding its operations into the North of England with a new office opening in central Manchester in February. Senior business development manager, Adam Gillett, has been appointed to lead the regional team.

 

Crowdcube has already helped nine businesses in the North West to raise more than £1.4 million in the last two years, including Ideas Britain which recently secured £270k to launch in the UK. Ideas Britain, based in Manchester, aims to help young British entrepreneurs make their ideas come to life. It has built the world’s largest mobile mentoring app and has already attracted brand partners and coaches that include ex-Dyson CEO Martin McCourt, Virgin Media Business chief Jan Collins and media entrepreneur (and Eurythmics front man) Dave Stewart who will be the company’s Creative Director.

 

The Greater Manchester Business Survey 2014 (published October 2015) highlights that 34% of local businesses who sought finance last year reported experiencing difficulties with arranging it. The most significant reason (26%) was that finance providers were not lending.

 

This shows the need for Crowdcube as its commercial director, Matt Cooper explains: “We already have a vibrant investor community in the North of England and there is definitely an exciting opportunity to further stimulate the start-up scene in the North West that is already benefiting from the Government’s multi-million pound support for the region. We are determined to put Crowdcube at the heart of the creation of the Northern powerhouse.

 

“Whilst we already work with businesses from across the UK from our existing offices in Devon and London, there’s no substitute for having boots on the ground; people who are in touch with the local business buzz and can get involved with entrepreneurs face-to-face.”

 

 

Matt Cooper, Crowdcube

 

James Bedford, head of investment strategy for Tech North says: "At Tech North we're keen to improve access to finance for technology and digital businesses in the North of England and see equity crowdfunding as a great option for them. Crowdcube is the UK's no.1 platform for this type of finance, but so far most of the businesses benefiting from their service have been based in London and the South East. We welcome their efforts to support Northern businesses of all sizes – from start-up to growth, and even larger businesses who want to expand. I'm sure Crowdcube’s new base will be busy, given the pent-up demand for investment in the region and the great opportunities here."

 

Adam Shaw, CEO of Ideas Britain adds: "From media and the arts, to tech, science and social enterprise, Manchester's start-up landscape is already vibrant, diverse and evolving fast. 

 

“Having a top-notch crowdfunding platform in place to support Manchester brings a new dimension of potential for the city's entrepreneurs, and it'll help to keep momentum flowing in a region that's already synonymous with innovation and big ideas.”

 

Crowdcube completed a record-breaking year in 2015, winning 12 industry awards from the likes of Shares Magazine, TechCityInsider and City A.M. In August, data from independent crowdfunding market researcher, Crowdsurfer, revealed that Crowdcube is leading the UK’s investment crowdfunding market with a 52% market share. Beauhurst also named the company ‘Leading Equity Investor’ based on its performance in the first six months of 2015, where 74 deals were successful to the tune of £39 million.

 

Helping airlines clean up their act: Dirt detector could slash emissions

Issue date: 07 January 2016

 

Airlines could significantly reduce their fuel bills and carbon footprint thanks to a new device being developed with the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).

The unique hand-held instrument can measure precisely how much dirt has accumulated on an aeroplane's surface and determine whether the build-up increases drag.

Plane operators can use data collected by the scanner to optimise aircraft cleaning routines and ensure their fleet is as aerodynamic as possible.

It is estimated airlines using the ECOTEC system – developed by academics from UWE Bristol in association with concept designer Intercede Ventures Limited – could cut their fuel bills by as much as one per cent.

One of the world's largest charter airlines is trialling the patented system in six of its aircraft ahead of the product being launched into the market this year.

Intercede worked with researchers from UWE's Institute of Bio-Sensing Technology to develop the system, using the UWE team's considerable expertise in sensor system design, fabrication and evaluation, together with the university's wind tunnels for early testing and calculations.

The company's managing director Graham Mimms said the technology – which uses lasers, light beams and mirrors – also had applications in the automotive, marine, rail and wind turbine industries because all use aero-dynamic surfaces.

Graham said: “A clean aircraft is a more efficient aircraft but that's not always been too easy to prove. We thought 'If we can prove it, airlines would keep them clean and efficient' and as a result more environmentally friendly.

“Engineers will soon be able to walk around the aircraft with our patented and industry approved instrument to analyse which surface sections need cleaning to keep it in its most efficient state. If you clean it by applying an industry approved cleaning compound you will have an aircraft aerodynamically more efficient.

“We detect when it becomes beneficial to re-clean specific areas of the aircraft as degradation (increased drag) is not even across the aircraft surface. By doing this, we can keep the aircraft within an efficiency envelope. By following our protocols, airlines will be able to maintain the surfaces in a more efficient state. An aircraft can look clean to the eye but not be aero-dynamically at its best – our instrument can detect this.”

Graham said airlines' approach to cleaning their planes varied, hampered by the high water usage (sometimes more than 20,000 litres per wet wash) which is not eco-friendly. But he said the ECOTEC system would generally recommend the dry washing of aircraft with environmentally-friendly cleaning products supplied by project collaborative partner Chemetall, a global supplier of aircraft-approved cleaning and maintenance compounds and products.

He said: “What we are recommending is more labour intensive (dry washing) but the resulting efficiency can be greater. If carbon emissions can be reduced by reduced drag efficiencies, airlines may also be able to benefit from reduced taxes.”

Graham, who along with his two fellow founding directors have more than 100 years of experience in the airline industry at senior managerial and director level, said his company decided to work with UWE because of its facilities, expertise and close ties with the aviation industry.

He said: “A big deciding factor was the fact UWE has considerable expertise in sensor technology development coupled with appropriate facilities, for example three wind tunnels. There is duel speed sub-sonic one and an ultra-sonic one. Using these was the basis of the initial research to prove that drag can be measured and could be related to the efficiency of the aeroplane.

“We also looked at the history of the university and the way it is supported by the big names in the aviation industry including aircraft manufacturers and aero engine suppliers. For us it had the right credentials for the technological aspects of what we are doing.”

The development of the surface analyser has been supported with £100,000 in grants from UWE's Business Technology Centre, iNets South West and Innovation 4 Growth. Investment firm Angels4Angels has also recently backed the venture with a six-figure sum.

Graham said: “We are delighted to welcome the support and financial expertise that Angels4Angels brings to our project, enabling us to focus our efforts on further product development and marketing our carbon footprint reduction systems to international aviation and other markets.

“Through our collaborative working relationship with the international aircraft cleaning manufacturer Chemetall – Intercede Ventures will commence marketing its airline carbon footprint reduction aircraft surface management service in 2016 through Chemetall's global aviation distribution network alongside its own marketing activities.”