Look out ad:tech London!

The Collider office is buzzing this morning as we prepare for the ad:tech London Conference happening today and tomorrow in the heart of the city. Europe’s most innovative brands, media owners, agencies and tech providers will be attending- and we’re bringing the best of the UK’s Madtech start-up talent. We’ve got a couple of exciting opportunities to share about this afternoon as well. 24 of the UK’s finest start-ups will have the opportunity to meet 70+ professionals from Unilever in a speed dating session. This event is 3X as large as any of our previous speed dating sessions and we’re excited to see what sorts of innovative collisions will happen this afternoon.

Secondly, we are hosting The Next Big Thing final pitching event in conjunction with Unilever and tech2brand. 8 start-ups, 4 senior corporate judges, 3 minute pitches, 2 minute Q&A, and 1 final winner. Follow the progress of the event on Twitter at #adtech_London.

Stay connected to our social media for updates throughout the day and we will be back tomorrow with the exciting results!

Invest in the Class of 2016 co-hort

[blank_spacer height="30px" width="1/1" el_position="first last"] [spb_text_block pb_margin_bottom="no" pb_border_bottom="no" width="1/2" el_position="first"] You’re a world leader. Yes, you are. A creative genius, a planner extraordinaire, an agency head honcho. You're a crucial part of the Advertising, Marketing and Comms industry in the UK. And the UK is the world's number one. Brands come from all corners of the earth to tap into your creativity, experience and skills. And you want to keep it that way, right? Right.

Look out West to our cousins over the pond. AppNexus, Radian6, Marketo. Huge marketing and advertising tech success stories. They’re building the tech that is going to be powering the future of the brand and agency world. Our peers in the US are getting early access to the tech that is shaping our industry. We should be building it here.

Look East to the City. Where the financial industry lives. Another sector where Britain leads the world. And the people in that industry are doing something important. They’re backing their future. They’re buying into it. Pouring money and knowledge into the FinTech scene, opening themselves up to the startups that will keep the world knocking on their door. It’s time we did the same.

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We’re calling out to you, to the whole industry, to provide some of that fuel. Just as the City has platform upon platform to invest in startups, we're creating one for MadTech. For you to put your hard-earned into up to 10 game-changing startups. And in return, you'll get a stake in them. Up to 10 startups that will set us apart from New York, Paris and Singapore. And most importantly, a stake in your future that could turn into a great return.

So, What's the Deal Then?

By investing in the Seedrs campaign, you'll be investing directly into up to 10 of MadTech's finest leading into 2016 - the Class of 2016 cohort.

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We’ve assembled a crew of seasoned investors and industry stalwarts to come on board. But to fulfil the mission, we'll need more. We'll need you. The pioneers, the rule breakers, the early adopters. The people in the industry that just ‘get it’. Between us, we have the expertise, skills, connections and smarts to build the global MadTech businesses of tomorrow. The more you invest in the startups, the more intangible returns you get. Just as Mr. Banner says, "You become a part of the community". So we've spliced up a few investment suggestions below, with the perks that come along.

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[4/15 slots remaining] BRONZE £5K – Welcome to the Collider Community.You’ll get an invitation to the Collider Launch Party, Demo Day and monthly MadTech Drinks, and monthly mail updates.

[11/13 slots remaining] SILVER £15K – Take a front seat on the innovation train. You’ll get an observatory seat at Selection Day, and exclusive networking events with the other Collider investors in addition to everything in bronze.

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[6/8 slots remaining] GOLD £25K – Roll up your sleeves and get involved. You’ll get the opportunity to lead a Collider Academy Workshop, a half-vote at Selection Day, invitation to monthly Investor Portfolio Review sessions in addition to everything in silver.

[3/10 slots remaining] PLATINUM £50K+ The big one – you’re in as a full investor. You’ll get special invites to Founders Dinner, coordinated one-on-one mentoring with the startups, exclusive Investor events, free pass to the Collider Startup Academy sessions in addition to everything in gold.

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We’re creating a movement here, with you leading the charge. Bring your friends, your colleagues, your peers and let's keep the UK #1 in MadTech.

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Collider has moved to a room with a view

We've moved to a new office space! We're now at the brand new WeWork shared office space behind the Oxo Tower. We're a friendly bunch, so if you'd like to learn more about how we can help you accelerate your madtech startup business, drop us a line and book in a chat with one of us. If you're debating whether to apply for our 2015 programme - contact us now and we can help answer any questions you might have. You only have to look at companies like Seenit, Beem and CampaignAmp to see some of the wonderful things that our startups are achieving. For more information on our 2015 programme and the £150k of equity investment up for grabs.

A shared-space room with a view. 

Coffee and beer on tap & the games area - you have every reason to visit us!

What it's all about - the great startup community.

A warm hello from the new Head of Programme – Parul Bavishi

I’m pleased to be joining the Collider family. It’s only day 3 but it’s been an exciting few days so far. The application process for the 2015 intake is open and I’m eager to see which startups will make it through. At Collider, as Head of Programme, I will be taking charge of the programme delivery for this new intake. Perhaps I should tell you a little about me? Well, I started my career in management consultancy sitting in a police car, wearing a bullet proof vest, racing through the streets of London, scribbling notes on the processes involved in a 999 call – buy me a drink and I’II tell you more about that story. Later my love for literature took me into publishing where I helped set up a new business and worked as an editor, a publicist and also a publishing spy. But it was the work I did with the then startup publisher Quercus and tech startup Valobox that led me to wanting to dive in deeper to the world of startups. It’s a fast-paced, agile environment, and the hothouse of future tech. I love it.

Outside of work, I love books and music, and help manage a small folk band Little Sister Blue. On a few lucky occasions I've even been invited to sing with them. I’m a whisky aficionado but I’ve yet to find a better whisky than Glenmorangie.

More from me soon.

Collider puts £150k up for grabs to MadTech startups. It's kind of a big deal.

Are you a marketing or advertising tech (MadTech) startup? Then listen up. Now entering the second half of our third year, Collider is at it again. Applications are now open for the Class of 2016 programme, and we're putting £150k of equity investment up for grabs to the hottest MadTech startups out there. But it’s not just the money that’s worth getting excited about, we also deliver an awesome programme to help you make that money go further. What makes the programme a winner for MadTech startups? Brands & Agencies. Some of the biggest and the best. Collider partners with the likes of Unilever, Havas Media, Ogilvy & Mather Group UK, The National Lottery, BBC Worldwide and many more. All of these brands and agencies commit their time to meeting and mentoring Collider’s startups.

We all know how important customer development is, right? Well, our startups get invaluable, early and in-depth access to leading brands and agencies across a range of industries. Startups spend time with Brand Managers, SVPs of Digital and everyone in between to really get to the bottom of customer problems. By better understanding their customers, Collider startups refine their proposition and tech with the confidence that they’re building something brands actually want.

It’s not just the brands that make this the best place for MadTech startups, it’s the investors too. Collider investors are the smartest money out there – be it industry stalwarts who have risen to the top of global brands like Pepsico and Unilever or entrepreneurs who have set up and sold agencies; these investors offer golden advice and a contact book to die for.

And what does it all add up to? Deals and plenty of them. After 7 months of the Class of 2014 cohort, nine Collider startups had signed £560k worth of deals with 28 brands. This is how the team here judge ourselves – we believe the way to fuel your business is revenue not investment. But if you do want the stats on that, 70% of our first cohort of startups went on to raise follow-on money.

So, what’s the deal I hear you say?

• Collider is offering up to 10 startups £50k cash for 11% equity. We charge £10k for the Collision phase programme – four months of brand interactions, intensive one-on-one coaching, workshops and support from the likes of Taylor Wessing and Deloitte.

• After four months Collider will then invest a further £100k cash for 11% equity in up to five of the startups, as decided by our investors. No need to spend six months fundraising; the investment is decided on immediately and paid into accounts within one week. Collider will charge £10k for a further 8 months’ support getting the founders ready for their Series A, including monthly board meetings, fundraising work etc.

What is Collider looking for?

• Startups which provide tools to help brands identify, understand, engage with or sell to consumers

• Collider is particularly excited about the possibilities of tools for video, online to offline, dynamic and native advertising, automated marketing, marketing analytics, e-commerce and m-commerce and offline digital retail. And much, much more.

• Startups with a minimum of two founders

• Startups which are at or near MVP stage

• Startups which are willing to travel to London on a weekly basis, but can be based anywhere

Finally, what do the alumni have to say about it? Here’s Carl Wong, co-founder of Collider startup LivingLens:

“I can say that the value we have received has been incredible - the brilliance of the advisor pool, the top quality & seniority of the brand side people, and the real opportunities to work with these brands, has made the experience so great that in retrospect, I would have GIVEN our shares away for free to be part of this. It has been without question, the best decision and most rewarding experience of my career, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Collider to any start-up.”