Plymouth Energy Community (PEC) is a community benefit society, therefore regulated by the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Goals are: to reduce energy bills; to improve energy efficiency; and to generate a green energy supply in the city. Projects including at the Life Centre and schools have been funded by loans from Plymouth City Council and ‘solar share offers’ in 2014 and 2015. This year’s share offer seeks funding to replace the short-term construction loan that was used to build Ernesettle community solar.
Conversational interfaces to the web
“Today, hardly anyone questions whether to build a mobile-optimized website. A decade from now, we might be saying the same thing about optimizing digital experiences for voice or chat commands. The convenience of a customer experience will be a critical key differentiator. As a result, no one will think twice about optimizing their websites for multiple interaction patterns, including conversational interfaces like voice and chat.”
Dries Buytaert expands on this proposition here.
The next wave in software ….
…. is open adoption software. Article in TechCrunch by Jake Flomenberg.
Cornwall innovation centres
Cornwall Innovation comprises three business acceleration facilities: Pool Innovation Centre, Tremough Innovation Centre at Penryn and the Health & Wellbeing Innovation Centre at Treliske in Truro.
Formation Zone – Plymouth
Website: http://www.formationzone.co.uk/
0800 052 5600 | Facebook | Twitter
Location: 2nd floor of Marine Building in Plymouth University. Half of this floor is used by startups, the other half by members of the university’s Innovation Services team.
Some photos
Resources for Parents
Pre-startup package: duration 2 months; £60 fixed fee for use of one desk; appropriate support services.
Startup package: duration up to 2 years; £160 fee per desk; full range of support services.
There are monthly drop-in sessions from November to April.
Formation Zone Business Challenge. An annual competition to develop an innovative business idea. There are six categories:social enterprise, creative, digital and technology, marine, health and environment. Open to students currently at the university or its associated colleges and to recent alumni.
Some alumni
Munch Movement. A mobile catering business. Provides wood-fired pizzas at private parties, wedding receptions, corporate hospitality and events.
Mutant Labs. Computer games.
So Good Studios. eLearning computer games.
Total Monkery. Computer games.
Social enterprise
Social enterprise: a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.
The Millfields Trust
The Millfields Community Economic Development Trust
Set up to enable local people to contribute and manage the regeneration of the Stonehouse neighbourhood in Plymouth.
Owned by the community and managed by a professional staff under the direction of a Board of Directors. The Board consist of members representing the local community, City Council and tenants.
Core business is rental of commercial premises.
The trust provides a platform to enable small and medium sized business to grow and develop.
Widening Horizons is an innovative project developed by the Trust in conjunction with the six local primary schools located in Stonehouse. It enables students to explore new and challenging learning experiences through visits to a number of different venues spread across the city and further afield. The aim is to raise levels of aspirations and subsequently the levels of attainment in students taking part and thus open doors to possible career areas that were not previously considered.
Seedbed – a social accelerator programme
Seedbed is one of ten projects in the UK funded by the Social Incubator Fund which is backed by the Cabinet Office. It is a new type of social accelerator programme that will offer intensive support and investment for social ventures in the South West.
Funded by the Cabinet Office and project partners, the £1.2 million project is able to provide £750,000 worth of loan investment and a support package of £8,500 per venture.
Based at Dartington. Link to more information.
itch.io
itch.io is an open marketplace for independent digital creators with a focus on independent video games. It’s a platform that enables anyone to sell the content they’ve created. As a seller you’re in charge of how it’s done: you set the price, you run sales, and you design your pages.
About itch.io – itch.io
https://itch.io/docs/general/about
An entrepreneur’s vision of the future
Steve Case in discussion with Eric Ries about the ‘third wave of the internet’ at The Commonwealth Club in Silicon Valley [link].There is an audio stream on the right hand side of the page.