• Six more UK based digital-start ups to be offered a place on the second London initiative
Click to tweet: .@bbcwlabs launches 2nd programme for six new emerging digital start-ups http://bbc.in/Yd51R7 via @BBCWpress
BBC Worldwide’s award-winning Labs initiative has today announced plans to launch its second London mentoring scheme for 2013. Building on the success of the current programme, which comes to a close next month, the initiative will start this June.
To kick-start the programmes an induction session will be held on March 5 at Wayra’s Academy in London giving hopeful applicants the opportunity to meet and hear from members of Labs team.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Claude London, Digital Director, BBC Worldwide, who will lead a panel discussion with three of the programme’s current start-ups, Yakatak’s, Simon Davies, MiniMono’s Melissa Clark-Reynolds and Flooved’s Hamish Brocklebank. They will be joined by Wayra’s Academy Director Ashley Stockwell who together will discuss the value of programmes such as business accelerators, incubators, and weekend start-up sessions and the opportunities BBC Worldwide Labs has given the start-ups on the current programme.
Jenny Fielding, Head of BBC Worldwide Labs and Digital Ventures said: “I am so proud of everything we’ve achieved with Labs over the past six months and thrilled to be announcing the launch of the second programme. It has been an honour and a pleasure to help raise the profiles of six bright and talented start-ups in the UK, all of whom have a promising future ahead. It has been a huge learning curve for us all and I’m very much looking forward to finding the class of 2013 and furthering our ambition of helping more emerging digital companies realise their ambitions.”
Today’s announcement comes less than a year after the initiative first launched in September 2012, with six of the UK’s most exciting digital start-ups – wireWax, KO-SU, Flooved, Yakatak, MiniMonos and Foodity, which recently became the first of the six to strike a commercial deal with BBC Worldwide, working with BBC Good Food. Over the course of the past six months the start-ups have been integrated into BBC Worldwide’s ecosystem, working with experts across the business including technology, content, legal, advertising, marketing and sales. They have also had opportunities to work with a host of external companies and mentors including Wayra, General Assembly, Google, and SVC2UK.
Successful candidates for 2013’s programme will also be technology oriented and focused on web and software development with international appeal such as web applications, gaming, virtual worlds, mobile, connective TV and CRM. They too will be offered support from mentors and industry experts, access to intellectual property, content and technology and the use of office space in London’s headquarters.
To reserve a place at the induction session on March 5th, click here: http://labslondonevent.eventbrite.com.
To submit applications click here: http://www.bbcwlabs.com/application-london/
Deadline for submissions is midnight April 4, 2013, BST.
For more information, please contact:
Cassandra Power, Digital Communications Manger, BBC Worldwide
E: Cassandra.Power@bbc.com/ +44 (0) 208 433 1525
NOTES TO EDITORS
About BBC Worldwide Ltd. BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to exploit the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has five core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, Consumer Products and Global Brands. In 2011/12, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £155 million on headline sales of £1085 million and returned £216 million to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview
It has been an honour and a pleasure to help raise the profiles of six bright and talented start-ups in the UK, all of whom have a promising future ahead. It has been a huge learning curve for us all and I’m very much looking forward to finding the class of 2013 and furthering our ambition of helping more emerging digital companies realise their ambitions.”
