EDGEcase

This is just an archived version of a thread on twitter a few people had about startups in the UK and Bristol in particular. This mostly is so I have an easy to link to version for a braindump of some more links and thought on the subject.

johnbradford: Giant Were-Rabbit to convince commuters to set up business in the South West http://tinyurl.com/4cfkj2 *sigh* marketing gone mad?

t1mmyb: @johnbradford there’s a bigger issue of London-centricity throughout politics and business that a marketing gimmick won’t solve

Z303: @t1mmyb @johnbradford Reminded me of a post by Tom Coates that in part asked why Bristol did not have more startups http://moourl.com/iv1r9

t1mmyb: @Z303 at comment by kawt “Bristol thinks too much of itself and is too arrogant to survive in a business that changes hour by hour.”

paparatti: @Z303 - hasn’t the UK only really just started producing great start ups now? And those were in London.

johnbradford: @t1mmyb not sure I’d agree with kawt on that - if anything Bristol needs be a bit more self-promoting and joined up

Z303: @t1mmyb Just read it, Bristol being right wing! most people I meet are left wing or centrist, maybe if I moved in different circles

Z303 @paparatti I guess the big one is last.fm, Someone had a good post about how the BBC should be helping like it did with the BBC Micro

mikedunn: @paparatti Hence I’m always surprised Twitter hasn’t taken off more in the UK- we’ve been obesessed with our mobiles for years here.

paparatti: @Z303 - re: right wing, I think it’s a 50/50 split between racist bigots and hippies in this city.

johnbradford: have to agree with @z303 perhaps if we were *more* right wing and bolshi we’d have more Valley style start-ups

johnbradford: or at least commercially minded rather than hippy lifestyle - commercial hippies?

Z303: @paparatti That would explain why we get strange mixes

Z303: @johnbradford Should have used quotes, I was saying that find kawt’s comment does not ring true of the people I know here

Z303: @johnbradford And being bolshi is nothing to do with being left or right wing, more to believing in something

johnbradford: @z303 do you find Brizzol folks collaborative or commercially driven enough (ignoring political leanings) to start-up business rather than lifestyles?

johnbradford: @Z303 I know some very cool and creative Bristol companies but they’re aren’t putting themselves on the growth curve you see in the US

Z303: @johnbradford commercial but things like fairtrade/green issues being a larger driver

johnbradford: @Z303 FrankWater being a great example I guess

Z303: @johnbradford Another thought UK has always been better a small bespoke places, more 37 signals than yahoo!

samharding: @johnbradford that’s bonkers

johnbradford: @Z303 true, but can you build a bespoke service that scales? Ning? Mobile apps?

johnbradford: It’ll be interesting to see if the Pervasive Studio delivers anything scalable/sustainable

Z303: @johnbradford perhaps niche would have been a better word, I was also thinking about race car vs. road cars, lots of F1 work is UK based

via Spyblog, NO2ID are calling in their pledges from 2005. I just did mine.

A lots has happened since then, the costs have risen, the one database has become a merged view of the existing data, and no reason has been given, again you can see all the good work they have done and if you can help them out.

They have released a report of what they have done so far and where all the money came from and went.

Here’s two of the founders take on things, Cory Doctorow and Danny O’Brien and Becky Hogge’s overview if you don’t want to read the full report. If you like what they have done, you are always become a supporter.