An innovative website that lets you create and customise your own trainer has been backed for success by the region’s Design and Creative Fund.

Mes Footwork, which has been created by 21 year old Newcastle University student Matt Scott, provides customers with the opportunity to design their own canvas trainer from scratch, through a user friendly web site.

The Design and Creative Fund, which supports businesses in the design and creative sectors, is backing the venture with an investment of £25,000 to help with product development and marketing.

Matt Scott, whose original idea for the business came about after buying a pair of plain canvas trainers and customising them for his girlfriend’s birthday, said: “The funding and support from the Design and Creative Fund, particularly in the current climate, is invaluable.

“It will give my business the finance to support product development, style production, warehouse facilities and a marketing campaign, which I hope to launch in the run up to Christmas.”

Currently it takes Matt and his team of three, based in South Shields, 10 days to make and create a customer’s design trainer from scratch. With new investment Matt will be able to purchase new technology that can turnaround a pair of trainers in three days.

The Design and Creative Fund was set up with money from One North East to support the development of the region’s design and creative sector. To date it has invested £1.8 million in exciting businesses with investment of up to £125,000.

Jon Bradford, fund manager for the Design and Creative fund, said: “Mes Footwork is an exciting and innovative business with potential growth not only in the UK but globally. The website has already received purchases from the likes of Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics and ex-Sunderland and international French striker, Djibril Cisse.

“The fashion industry is an ever growing market, no matter what climate it seems, and Mes Footwork will help the fashion conscious among us bring our own unique styles and individuality to the table.

“The Design and Creative Fund was set up specifically to help inspirational businesses like Mes Footwork to develop and help them overcome barriers to growth.”

Matt said of his plans for the future: “It doesn’t have to stop at shoes. Fashion plays a major role in people’s lives, and I intended to eventually cover all areas, providing style and individuality to a range of products.

“I’m already looking into partnerships with high street outlets after selling around 600 pairs so far. Partnerships like these will help launch my product and expand my retail market, as well as direct more customers to my web site.” 

For more information about Mes Footwork visit: https://www.mesfootwork.com/

ENDS

A North East company is looking to tap into the fast expanding biofuels market after developing new technology for drying fuels such as ethanol. 

Zeosol (ZSL), which is based at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) in Middlesbrough, is looking to become the world’s leading dryer of ethanol and butanol – two key biofuels – thanks to investment of £145,000 from the Three Pillars Fund.

Led by Graham Bratton, ZSL has developed proprietary technology that dries bio-fuels such as ethanol, extracting water in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way.   Zeolites (mircro-porous minerals) separate molecules based on size so only water will pass through a membrane.

ZSL’s application has been re-invented from a process used to extract water from solvents and chemicals pioneered in the early 1990s. It is significantly more effective than existing technologies with energy savings of at least 3p a litre. It also creates no disposal problem as the water produced as a bi-product is of the highest purity and can be re-used by the semi-conductor industry.

A pilot plant will soon be built at the CPI with funding from the Three Pillars Fund to fine tune the technology before it is taken to market.

Graham said: “The technology was initially used in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries but biofuels – and ethanol in particular – are ideally suited. We’ve spent three years re-inventing, enhancing, proving and refining the technology and the end result is a cost-effective, green application.

“There’s a growing demand for blending ethanol into biofuels. The removal of water is vitally important as you need the ethanol to be 99.8 per cent pure. Traditional processes for doing this are more difficult and expensive, which is why our technology can be so important.”

The technology is now ready to take to market with ZSL expecting to build plants for clients capable of drying 25,000 tonnes and 100,000 tonnes each year. Customers are expected to be grain growers, fermenters and blenders of biofuels.

Graham, who previously worked for British Petroleum and the Smart Chemical Company where he was involved in the development of the early technology, added: “The biofuels market is growing quickly. In the USA alone it grew from around 25 million gallons in 2004 to 450 million in 2007. We’re looking to build plants for a range of companies in the industry including major multi-nationals around the world and sell the collected water to the semi-conductor industry.

“The funding from the Three Pillars Fund has helped us through a critical stage of the process so we’re now at a stage to start selling to customers.”

Amanda McMurray, Three Pillars Fund manager said: “The removal of water from bio-fuels is fundamental to their use as a source of energy. With the demand for new, cleaner and alternative sources power growing around the world, this is an expanding market with great potential.

“ZSL’s technology is an exciting new application that will be in strong demand with major companies around the world looking to use it as a cheaper and more effective means of drying.”        

The Three Pillars Fund invests in early stage companies in the energy, health and process industries sectors. Backed by money from One North East, the fund invests in businesses at their earliest, most high-risk stages to position them to achieve commercial success.

For more information about the Three Pillars Fund please contact Dr Amanda McMurray on 0191 211 2324 or email: amanda.mcmurray@northeastfinance.org

ENDS

A North East start-up is helping GCSE students across the UK with their last minute revision by offering free access to its online study guides.

Newcastle-based Soundbitelearning UK Ltd, which is backed by funding from the region’s Design and Creative Fund, has created GCSEPod – offering over 90 hours’ of online study guides.

And the company, which was set-up last autumn by Anthony Coxon and Ian Thompson, is making its entire library free to view until June 24 when this year’s exams end.

GCSEPod hopes to change the way students learn and revise and currently covers seven core subjects including English Language, Religious Studies, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry and Biology which can be viewed by visiting www.freeGCSEPod.co.uk.

By providing a cost effective alternative to the traditional text book, the company is tapping into the growing market for online learning products as schools and students move towards digital learning.

Director at Soundbitelearning, Anthony Coxon, explains: “This is the first exam season that we have been trading and for the next couple of weeks GCSEPod will become FreeGCSEPod. Hopefully it can help students obtain the grades they’re looking for.

“Our podcasts are very easy-to-use, closely matched to the school curriculum and are tailored to individual student needs. By giving free access to our content for a short period we hope to help this year’s students as well as promoting the benefits of the products.”  

The podcasts are written by teachers and narrated by voice over artists and can be downloaded to computer, mobile phone or iPod.  Each one is broken into several bite-size chapters and includes music and images to enhance the learning experience.

Anthony added: “Around 30 per cent of learning resources in primary and secondary schools are already delivered digitally and this will grow significantly as online access and the movement towards digital learning continues to grow. We hope to tap into this market by creating an enjoyable, accessible and valuable learning experience for students.

The Design and Creative Fund, which is managed by North East Finance, invests in young businesses with strong commercial prospects across the design and creative sectors. It is supported by money from regional development agency One North East with investments typically in the region of £60,000.

Jon Bradford, Design and Creative fund manager at North East Finance, said: “GCSEPod has created some incredibly innovative and exciting online content with the potential to help a great number of young people.

“The online learning market is expanding rapidly and we’re delighted that our funding is helping the company to achieve commercial success.”

For more information about GCSEPod visit www.gcsepod.co.uk  

ENDS

North East Finance is assisting One North East in establishing a £125m strategic holding fund under the JEREMIE initiative, which has been set up by the European Commission and European Investment Fund to increase the availability of finance to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

A portfolio of specialist investment funds focussing on specific sectors and business funding needs will be set up by a holding fund manager and delivered by independent fund managers - who will invest in SMEs based in the North East of England.

As outlined below, fund management contracts will be awarded through an open procurement process. This began on Friday 3 April and initial applications (pre-qualification questionnaires) must be received by noon on Tuesday 5 May 2009.

Organisations which are successfully appointed to a panel of fund managers will subsequently be able to bid for specific fund management contracts at the next stage of the procurement process - scheduled for August/September 2009.

The panel of fund managers is currently being assembled via a public procurement process managed by One North East.

For further details, please click on the link set out below and then on the “Fund Management Services for Regional Venture Capital and Loan Funds” project in the “View Current Opportunities and Notices” section.

www.onenortheast.bravosolution.co.uk

For more information on the JEREMIE programme, please follow this link: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/2007/jjj/jeremie_en.htm

An exciting software application for the sports betting industry has been backed for success by the region’s Design and Creative Fund.

Tipstar, which has been created by three of Newcastle’s leading software developers, provides market intelligence for gamblers and bookmakers via a range of web-based services. Read more »

Entrepreneurs and growing businesses from the region’s design and creative sector have a new face to turn to for investment.

Jonathan Bradford is the new man at the helm of North East Finance’s Design and Creative Fund. The innovative fund was set up in 2007 with money from One North East to support the development of the North East’s design and creative sector. Read more »

The organisation responsible for developing new investment funds for regional businesses has made a key appointment.

North East Finance (NEF) has recruited Alastair Smith as its new access to finance manager as it begins to shape a portfolio of funds that will meet the long-term finance needs of growing regional businesses. Read more »

Two rising design stars have received investment funding to assist them with their ambitious plans to develop a top British design label in the North East.

Entrepreneurs Elliot Brook and Dan Ziglam, both 27 and both Northumbria University design graduates, have secured funding from North East Finance’s Design and Creative Fund to grow their Deadgood brand. Read more »

An innovation developed in the North East and supported by investment from the region’s Three Pillars Fund is set to change dementia care in the UK.

Newcastle-based Connect for Care has created a unique system that links people with dementia, their families and carers to enhance the quality of life they enjoy. Read more »

North East Finance is demonstrating its support for the region’s corporate finance community as a key sponsor of the North East Dealmakers Awards 2008.

Organised by Insider Magazine, the Dealmakers Awards celebrate the achievements of the North East’s top dealmakers and corporate financiers.

NEF is sponsoring two of the competition’s main awards: Dealmaker of the Year, which was won last year by Chris Appleby; and Deal of the Year, which was awarded to Vertu Motors for its float and reverse takeover of Bristol Street Motors. Read more »