About Us
Traveling Geeks is a consortium of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, authors, journalists, bloggers, technology innovators and influencers who travel to countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public to educate, share, evaluate, and promote new, innovative technologies. The initiative was founded by Renee Blodgett and Jeff Saperstein in 2008.
Trips are funded by sponsorships from corporations, organizations and governments. The first tour was sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a trip that successfully marked the proof of concept that could expand to other countries around the world.
Read MoreRenee Blodgett & Sarah Lacy discuss the London Tech Scene
While participating in the Traveling Geeks week in London, and checking out the start-up scene in the UK, I had the opportunity to interview a few of my fellow travelers about their impressions of the London tech scene. In between our busy schedule, I appreciated the chance to speak to Renee Blodgett and Sarah Lacy.
Renee Blodgett is the CEO of Magic Sauce Media, a strategic communications, social media, and branding consultancy, co-founder of Traveling Geeks, founder and producer of We Blog the World, a blog dedicated to global storytelling and the latest developments in social, cultural and technology trends and blogger of Down the Avenue .
Renee discusses the difference between UK and Silicon Valley start ups. Her impression of the London tech scene, after having previously lived in England, was that the UK is not really a start-up culture. They are more reserved and still trying to get their head around social media and remain reliant on traditional media, like radio and television. According to Blodgett, the UK is not really a start-up culture.
Sarah Lacy is the author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0. She is also Editor At Large at TechCrunch, a reporter for BusinessWeek, and also co-hosts the Yahoo! Tech Ticker.
Lacy provides some important insights on the current state of the economy. She points out that UK-based start ups are feeling the consequences of the economic downtown far more than start ups in Silicon Valley. A long-time observer of the UK tech scene, Lacy has seen that many start ups have failed, yet there is definitely potential to excel. Several companies have done very well. What is the secret to their success? A strong business model, concern for metrics, and a focus on profitability. Lacy also agrees with Blodgett that the UK isn’t as into social media. While Israelis love social media and are relentless, the British are more reserved and restrained.
An Interview with Zemanta’s Tori & Qype’s Hunter
Talking to Zemanta’s Andraz Tori and Qype’s Andrew Hunter. Click play to hear their story.
A Chat with BT Openzone’s Chris Bruce
Below I’m chatting with BT Openzone’s CEO Chris Bruce at the top of BT Tower in London last week during a dinner BT hosted for the Traveling Geeks.
We used their dongles on the road from London to Cambridge and back again. It’s essentially the equivalent of the Verizon EVDO card I have for my Thinkpad.
£9.99 gives you the dongle and works for people who have a Home Broadband (ADSL) Option 3 connection – with 1Gig 3G access for 18 months and an array of other features including unlimited wifi.
Prices for other packages vary depending of amount of 3G Gigs per monthly usage and features of the ADSL broadband.
For pure pre-pay customers, the cost of the dongle cannot be covered by a monthly usage charge and so the cost is obviously higher.
UK Diary: Friday – Cambridge Startups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo_aUaJlAFA
Friday and the Traveling Geeks are in Cambridge, the innovation capital of Europe.
After presentations by Cambridge university representatives and also from government agencies helping startups, the Traveling Geeks take part in a panel and also hear presentations from local startups.
UK Diary: Friday – Cambridge Consultants, Nokia And Microsoft Research Labs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3hro-BsQc
Friday afternoon the Traveling Geeks visit Cambridge Consultants and visit the William Gates III building for meetings with researchers from Nokia Labs and Microsoft Research Labs (MRL).
Cambridge Consultants has helped bring to market products such as:
– Virtually waterless washing machine
Low cost cellular base stations.
More here.
The Microsoft Research Labs are part of the academic community at Cambridge university and the work is open and peer-reviewed. In the video our guide is Cambridge university lecturer and successful entrepreneur Jack Lang, also Ken Wood, deputy director of MRL, Tim Regan, Research SDE at MRL, and presentations from their colleagues. The video also shows some of Microsoft’s research projects.
Skimlinks Navarro & Kwaga’s Leval and Bezy
At Seedcamp in London this month, I talk to Skimlink’s CEO Alicia Navarro and Kwaga’s founders Philipe Leval and Eric Bezy.
UK Diary: Friday – Cambridge Startups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo_aUaJlAFA
Friday and the Traveling Geeks are in Cambridge, the innovation capital of Europe.
After presentations by Cambridge university representatives and also from government agencies helping startups, the Traveling Geeks take part in a panel and also hear presentations from local startups:
– Alert Me
– Taptu
Moshi Monsters: Virtual World for Kids
I spent some time talking to MindCandy’s Michael Acton Smith talking about their primary brand: Moshi Monsters, which is essentially a Facebook mixed with virtual world experience for kids.
He talks about how kids can create pet monsters, participate in games and contests, and engage with their friends in various ways that are safe and secure.
We also dive into marketing and what kinds of things they have been experiencing with as a young company only out of the gate just over a year. It includes Facebook advertising as well as traditional TV. Learn more in my chat with Michael below.
British Consulate General’s Matthew Whiteley
A chat with the British Consulate-General of Los Angeles who talks about his interest in U.S. companies wishing to expand their business into the U.K. market.
An Interview with GroupSpaces, UberVu and School of Everything
Below is an interview with the founders of GroupSpaces, UberVu and School of Everything at Seedcamp in London earlier this month.
