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Digital Business Briefing
A digest of useful information for UK digital businesses
seeking funding and support, updated monthly
May 2015
@KTN_Creative

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Brought to you by the following
organisations:

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Contents
• Upcoming events
• KTN events
• Public funding calls
• Private financing
• Other financing mechanisms
• Non-financial support for your business
• Other information
• Useful reports

4.
Upcoming Events
Digital Business Drop-In – London, 7 May
The Online Influence Conference 2015 – Cardiff, 7 May
Digital Shoreditch: Digital Business Blind Dates – London, 11-13 May
Digital Shoreditch Festival – London, 11-24 May
Innovation in Wearable Technologies Speed Networking – London, 20 May
ODI: Open House & Data as Culture exhibition – London, 20 May
Digital Legacy Conference 2015 – London, 23 May
TechHub Demo Night – London, 2 June
Digital 2015 – Newport, 8-9 June

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KTN Event
Key feature: There are 5 business blind dates available every day May 11-
13 during the Digital Shoreditch festival. We will find your perfect match
using our wide range of experts across industries.
Our aim is to facilitate unexpected and valuable connections to the most
relevant knowledge and expertise, which is often all around us but can be
hard to find. Who knows where your meeting will take your business next…
Please note: This opportunity is only open to Digital Shoreditch ticket
holders.
Closes: 4th May 2015
More info on: connect
5-a-day Digital Business Blind Dates

6.
KTN Event
Key feature: Given the significant interest in the IC tomorrow Wearable
Tech Contest from a wide range of companies, IC tomorrow and KTN are
now following up with an additional networking event. The most innovative
companies who apply will be invited to this evening session which provides
a unique opportunity to meet with a number of leading brands and
companies in one-to-one sessions.
Closes: 12 noon Wednesday 6 May
More info on: Ictomorrow
Innovation in Wearable Technologies Speed
Networking

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Public funding calls
Key feature: KTP modelling approaches to support the use of stratified
medicine in the UK, across bioinformatics, systems biology, health
economics and analytical algorithms.
Scale:
• Normally up to around £60k project size for a business to work with a
recently graduated academic on an industry project
Closes: 17th June 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org
New Modelling systems for stratified medicine

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Public funding calls
Key feature: aim is to build a commercial ecosystem to exploit the
commercial opportunities of “omics” (e.g. genomics, proteomics etc.),
systems biology and complex biological data streams
Scale: A mix of feasibility and collaborative R&D ranging from £150k
to £400k
Closes: 1st July 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org
Finding Value in Complex Biological Data

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Public funding calls
Key feature: Innovative mobile e-government applications by SMEs
Scale: Phase 1: lump sum of 50k Euros for feasibility
Phase 2: demonstration, testing, prototyping, piloting,
scaling-up – between 500k – 2.5m Euros
Closes: 17th June 2015
More info on: the H2020 portal
H2020

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Public funding calls
Key feature: Digital Security – cyber-security, privacy and trust
Scale: A range of funding from feasibility through to market
testing and demonstration projects
Closes: Various
More info on: the H2020 portal
H2020

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Public funding calls
Key feature: Innovation voucher scheme funding for start-up, micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises to work with an external expert to gain the
knowledge to innovate and grow.
Scale:
• Up to £5k voucher for SMEs
Closes: 22nd July 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org
Innovation Vouchers

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Public funding calls
Key feature: Investment of up to £4 million to support new ways of
enhancing user experience in retail. Check out the video from lead
technologist.
News Story
Scale:
• Up to £4 million
Opens: 16th March 2015 Closes: 29th April 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org
Enhancing User Experience in Retail

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Public funding calls
Key feature: Investment of up to £2 million to support feasibility studies
looking at innovative ways to improve the user experience in the digital
economy. Check out the video from lead technologist.
Scale:
• Up to £2 million
Opens: 16th March 2015 Closes: 29th April 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org
Enhancing User Experience Using Personal Data

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Public funding calls
Protecting data in industry
Key feature:collaborative research and development (R&D) projects
that tackle the growing risks of disruption to internet-enabled
businesses and their digital supply chains. Check out the video from
lead technologist.
Scale:
• Normally up to £750k
• Will fund up to 60%
Opens: 23rd March 2015 Closes: 29th April 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org

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Public funding calls
"Smart" grants for start-ups and small businesses
Key feature: A grant scheme which offers funding to small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in R&D projects in the
strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology.
Scale:
• Proof of market - up to £25k - 60% of project cost
• Proof of concept - up to £100k - 60% of project cost
• Prototype development - up to £250k - up to 45% of project cost
Closes: 21st May 2015
More info on: innovateuk.org

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Public funding calls
Vocational Learning Technology Fund
Key feature: This UFI call offers early-stage funding to organisations with
current projects which demonstrate the potential for using digital technology
in novel and imaginative ways to develop new services or improve access or
delivery of adult vocational learning (including assessment). This fund will
provide support for ventures to develop their ideas into a more robust digital
products or services.
Scale: Successful applicants can each expect to receive grant funding of
between £15,000 and £50,000.
Timeline: This programme is open for Stage 1 applications 7th April -15th
May 2015 (deadline 9am). All applications for funding must be made online.
Full details and how to apply available at ufi.co.uk

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Other public funding
Key features: Online guide to over 4,000 grants, contracts and other
forms of finance:
• Fully searchable based on finance type, scale and your
geographical location
• Constantly updated – especially good for businesses seeking
charitable or grant funding
More info on: Funding Central and Finance Finder
Funding Central and Finance Finder websites

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Public Investment
Nesta Impact Investment Fund
Key feature: An equity investment fund investing in social ventures with
innovative products or services that are addressing some of the UK’s most
pressing challenges. Investments are made in areas that tackle:
• the health and wellbeing of an ageing population
• the educational attainment and employability of children and young people
• the social and environmental sustainability of communities.
Scale: between £150k - £1m
Closes: on-going
More info on: Nesta Investments

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Private financing
Balderton has a track record of helping entrepreneurs build substantial
businesses – with more $250m+ exits in the past five years than any other
European venture firm.
Connect Ventures, London – invest in mobile, internet and digital media
businesses; invest at the early stage and focus on seed investments;
investment size ranges from £200K-£600k
Index Ventures, London, San Francisco & Geneva – venture capital firm
making investments in information technology and life sciences companies,
since 1996 they have teamed up with technology entrepreneurs in more
than 30 countries

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Private financing
Notion Capital, London – invest in B2B Cloud & SaaS companies who have
sustained 100% Year-over-Year growth; investment areas include adtech,
communications and collaboration tools, ecommerce, enterprise software,
fintech and security; portfolio raised over £200m in 2014
Hoxton Ventures, partners with founders seeking to invent new market
categories or transform large, existing industries. Their sweet spot is
internet, mobile and software startup investing. Up to $2m
The Business Finance Guide, expertise from over a million members in
businesses, finance providers and advisory firms and organisations

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Other financing mechanisms
Crowdfunder.co.uk – UK’s largest crowdfunding network having launched
1000’s of projects and raised over £2m, platform launched by KEO digital
and partners include Nesta and Creative England
Funding Circle – an online marketplace which allows savers to lend money
directly to SMEs; the first site to use peer-to-peer lending for business
funding in the UK; as of February 2014 Funding Circle has facilitated £223
in loans to SMEs
Crowd2Fund – a crowdfunding platform designed to enable a range of
funding options, from loans to equity
Seedcamp is a London based accelerator that provides startups with seed
money, mentorship, office space, support over a year long programme.

22.
Launching a new digital business?
• The Open Data Institute runs a start-up programme that helps
start-ups build business models around open data
• Tech City UK offers advice and support to start-ups looking for
guidance in and around London. It has launched its Digital
Business Academy. Tech City UK can also endorse visa
applications to help recruit talent to Britain.
• Innovate UK - IC tomorrow connects start-ups and SMEs with
leading commercial partners and investors, through funded
contests, events, and strategic matchmaking opportunities.
• Transmit Start Ups provide financial support and mentoring to
creative and digital entrepreneurs that would not normally be
available via traditional banking relationships.

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Are you an existing digital business
seeking non-financial advice or support?
• Nesta runs a creative business mentor network for digital
businesses looking to grow
• The UKTI offers advice to help with exporting
• Tech City UK can help advise on inward investment
• The British Business Angels Association can help put you
in touch with relevant business angel investors
• The Digital Catapult can help you showcase your business

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Are you an existing digital business
seeking advice or support?
• Subsidised costs to work with a specialist to build and
deliver business growth – GrowthAccelerator
• Use the IP Health check to identify commercial IP in your
business
• AngelList – helps source angel investors
• Interactive Scotland is a Scottish Enterprises project
providing specialist expert advice to all Digital and
Creative Businesses across Scotland

25.
Personal Data and Trust Network
A digital business network to build and nurture a community that
brings together industry, the public sector, funders, research
organisations and innovators to support the UK in becoming the
global leader in trust and responsible innovation with personal data.
For more information and to join, visit the Digital Catapult website

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Useful reports/ market research
• The Open Data Institute’s - Roadmap for the UK
• World Economic Forum - Technology 2015 report
• Ernst & Young - Landscape of UK Fin-tech report
• UK Gov - cyber-security and the insurance sector
• ICO’s - guide to good data protection practice
• AoP’s - Digital Landscape 2015 report
• Apple’s platform for digital healthcare - article via Techcrunch

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Training and skills
• Training in Open Data from the Open Data Institute
• Digital Project Management – via @IABUK
• Digital Acceleration – via @hyperisland_uk
• Digital training – via @Econsultancy – e-marketing courses
Develop your skills with these world-class courses:

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Something else we've missed?
Please let us know: digitaleconomy@ktn-uk.org
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