Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2007/03/16/the_top_25_uk_web_startups/
The top 25 UK web 2.0 start ups
Watch out Silicon Valley - the Brits are coming!
Posted in On-Prem, 16th March 2007 10:29 GMT
Tech Digest Web 2.0 isn't just about startups in California hoping to get bought by Google - even if it can sometimes seem that way. There's loads of sparky Web 2.0 startups here in the UK, even if they don't fall into a lazily-definable scene, trend, or movement.
With no agenda other than they're interesting, here's 25 UK-based startups that I think are worth watching in 2007. It's a very personal list - it's not based on financial metrics, user bases, or likelihood of being bought by Google. So this isn't the top 25 UK startups, in other words. It's just 25 cool ones.
Who have I missed out? All comments welcome, as are corrections of any mistakes in this list (i.e. someone's based in Santa Monica...)
1. Garlik
Set up by some ex-Egg executives, Garlik is an online privacy firm that monitors your personal information online, and lets you know if there's any problems (e.g. Russian gangsters publishing your credit card details). I'm on the beta, and right now it basically tells me my credit record and a list of known associates. But as online data privacy becomes a wider concern in the coming months and years, Garlik's time will surely come. Read an interview.
2. Tape It Off The Internet
It's like Last.fm, but for telly. You can share details of what you're watching with friends, and it also points you in the direction of (legal) places to download shows. The site says it indexes more than 2,000 shows and 90,000 episodes. As online distribution becomes more of a factor for TV, especially once gadgets like Apple TV roll out, this could become as essential for couch potatoes as Last.fm is becoming for music fans.
3. OnOneMap
Neat property site that plots houses for sale onto Google Maps, and bills itself as a property search engine, NOT an estate agent. You can also look for secondary schools, supermarkets and even phone masts too, which is how it's broadening its functionality. I think word of mouth will be important in this case – I've recommended it to loads of friends who're property hunting.
4. WeHangHere
More location-based Web 2.0 goodness, this time wrapping social networking elements around Google Maps, with clusters of people who hang out at the same places you do. It's the sort of service that'll need a certain amount of growth before it becomes truly useful, but the idea is great (especially if it gets buy-in from people who run the actual venues).
5. MailSpaces
Another relatively early-stage company, MailSpaces is a grab bag of Web 2.0 features, including RSS, tagging, and wikis, which aims to organise information among communities, connecting it all together and keeping members updated. That's not a great explanation: it's the sort of service you have to try to really grasp, in my experience.
6. Webjam
More content-sharing among communities, where you create your own pages, share them, but can also replicate other people's and pass them on. You can also use it as your content aggregation homepage too, pulling in feeds from different places. The replication aspect is what caught my attention though – seeing how that develops will be interesting.
7. Zopa
Social lending, matching borrowers and lenders like eBay matches buyers and sellers. It's not going to threaten the big banks any time soon, but it's an innovative spin on the personal finance market, with potential to be expanded to other kinds of transactions. Another company founded by former Egg execs. Read an interview.
8. Design The Time
One of the more mysterious startups in this list, but also one of the most original ideas. It'll be a "virtual reflection of time", with a timeline that anyone can upload their content (photos, videos, text) to, as well as holding footage and info on public events. You'll then be able to navigate through the site chronologically. Not live yet, but sure to make a splash when it does launch.
9. YesnomayB
You could argue that most social networking sites are basically dating agencies for people who don't want to join dating agencies. But this actually is a dating service, with Web 2.0 features. Besides the usual profile stuff, the site claims to learn your likes and dislikes and suggest likely dates based on that, rather than just going by a questionnaire system.
10. Mobizines
"Mini Mags on your Mobile" is the sell-line, which just about sums it up. You download the Mobizines reader application to your phone, then sign up for various mags, to get a regular supply of content. Parent company Refresh Mobile has signed up an impressive stable of media already, including the BBC, Glamour magazine, Holy Moly and GQ. If all the mobile operators get round to scrapping data charges, this could take off. Read an interview.
11. Ebeebo
Matchmaking for jobs, giving recruitment a Web 2.0 spin with a service matching jobseekers with positions. I like the way it moves away from CVs as the basis for any application, the fact that the search function is pretty powerful, and especially its eBay-style ratings system, which is a novel touch for a recruitment site.
12. Sleevenotez
Having finally got into Last.fm last week, I'm really taken by Sleevenotez, a website that bungs real-time information around what you're listening to on Last.fm, including biographies from Wikipedia, photos from Flickr, videos from YouTube, discographies from Musicbrainz, and lyrics from Lyrc.com.ar. They call it "virtual packaging", and while it won't stop vinyl snobs banging on about the commoditisation of digital music, it's a slick and useful service.
13. SelfcastTV
Originally pitched as a "Brit YouTube", with the theory that people will be more likely to come back regularly if they're presented with more culturally relevant videos (I think this may be code for binge drinking and football). You can probably argue with that premise, but there's enough in SelfcastTV – including its relationship with sister firm Blinkx - to make it worth watching in 2007. Read an interview.
14. Yuuguu
Sounds a bit like posh pronunciation of yoghurt, but this is actually a remote-access application that lets people see, share and take control of each other's screen and applications, with live messaging alongside it. Its promise to be easy to use is the key thing here: if you really don't need 20 years' IT experience and a bum-bag/utility belt to make head or tail of it, this could be great.
15. Mobango
I'm not quite sure what to make of this mobile sharing service. It provides you with tools to convert videos, music and photos to mobile-friendly formats, then 1GB of space to store them online AND share them with other people. The top-rated games available for download are all commercial games, which seems a bit strange – do the publishers get paid for these downloads? – but the overall concept is a fun one.
16. Horsesmouth
Another social networking community, but this one has a strong angle – it's built around mentoring. So the idea is you can sign up to find a mentor, and get their advice on your lifestyle, job or whatever. Or you can become a mentor yourself, sharing your wisdom with other people. I wonder how the commercial model will evolve – will there be rewards for the best mentors, for example? One to keep an eye on, as it's still very new.
17. Cerkle
Mobile social networking is the talk of the industry at the mo, mainly because MySpace finally made a big mobile play in Europe, signing an exclusive deal with Vodafone. Cerkle is a mobile startup from a company called Roundpoint, based around much smaller networks of real-life contacts, using mobile to share information and keep in touch. If mobile social networking turns out to be more about such micro-communities, it'll be well placed. Read an interview.
18. Friction.TV
All these people on YouTube, don' they have anything serious to say? Friction.TV is Speakers Corner gone Web 2.0, albeit with (hopefully) less ranting loons. It's a video-sharing service for people's news and views, from professional activists to just normal people with something to get off their chest. And once someone posts a video, the idea is other people respond to it. I love the idea that somebody's trying to be a "snack-sized Newsnight" – in fact, Newsnight should be doing this sort of thing itself really...
19. Last.fm
Well, I couldn't leave them out! But the interesting thing for me this year will be seeing how Last.fm develops, and in what direction. Is the personalisable radio the focus, or the community around it? The site's been signing some good deals too, with two major labels on board plus The Orchard, which represents thousands of indie labels.
20. (Trusted Places
Like WeHangHere, this is another social networking play around specific locations (pubs, restaurants, museums etc). However, it's more about finding cool places based on people with the same tastes as you, rather than finding cool people based on the venues you already go to. If that makes sense.
21. DropSend
Send large files of up to 1GB without installing software on your computer, or just use it for online storage. One of those beautifully simple ideas that once you find it, you'll use constantly. Plus bonus points for having resisted the urge to throw social networking around that ;o)
22. Idio
The first time I heard about Idio, I thought it was just going to be another way to try and shoehorn print mags into a digital format. But it's more interesting than that – you create a profile of your interests, then get an interactive magazine back with articles from all manner of sources, including blogs. Sure, a nicely designed web service could do the same - why does it need to be a magazine - but the notion is still intriguing. I know I overuse that word... Read an interview.
23. Elertz
Says it's "a brand new broadcast communication channel", which might translate in some people's minds as "a new way to advertise at you". Perish the thought, obviously. It's a free web toolbar that delivers alerts to consumers from brands, when they've specifically asked for them. It's not just advertising either - you can set it up to ping you share price updates for example. Oh, and Russell Grant's signed up to use it for his horoscopes service. Which I guess is a recommendation...
24. Izimi
Self-publishing – being able to serve files, photos, music and videos up from your computer to friends through their web browsers. It launched earlier this month, and was set up by people from the founders of Scoot. An interesting example of how peer-to-peer technology is evolving and becoming more user-friendly.
25. Crowdstorm
Social shopping (no, not stopping for a cup of tea before heading into Peacocks). The theory is you find stuff to buy based on how much of a buzz there is around it, as well as signing up trusted users whose opinion you'd seek before buying something new. I really like the idea, and it's another example of a startup coming up with something that could easily be taken on by the big online retailers, if they're smart. ®