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UK's online lights to hit Silicon Valley

The UK’s web entrepreneurs are being invited on a trip to San Francisco to gain insight from their American counterparts. The event, entitled Web Mission, aims to showcase the hottest UK web businesses, giving the entrepreneurs behind them the opportunity to make contact with their peers across the pond in an area revered for its technological innovation.

The trip, which will take place in April, is being arranged by serial entrepreneur Oli Barrett and social innovation network Polecat. The organisers have already secured a number of high-profile backers, including Microsoft, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the government’s Make Your Mark Campaign and YouNoodle.

Michael Birch, founder of British social networking site Bebo, said: “The Web Mission represents an amazing opportunity for the best of entrepreneurial UK talent to visit Silicon Valley, and learn for themselves the differences that make the US a breeding ground for innovation and more importantly successful execution of ideas.”

Entrepreneurs have been invited to apply for the trip’s 20 places. Each successful business will pay for a subsidised package including flights, internal transfers and accommodation and be given the chance to attend a number of pre-arranged networking events.

Paul Walsh, chairman of the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA), said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the UK’s top entrepreneurs to build their businesses by either securing investment, collaborative or partnership opportunities. This is also an opportunity for the Americans to see exactly what the UK has to offer.”

Entries will be filtered by UKTI, which has enlisted experts including former Dragons’ Den panelist and technology entrepreneur Doug Richard to aid the selection process.

For further details, visit www.webmission08.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .