Member Article

Newcastle TV messaging App developers secure £350k investment

A team of Newcastle Quayside-based developers behind an innovative social media App that messages directly to the TV, have secured £350k investment.

i-Spy Digital has secured funding from the Northstar Ventures’ Finance for Business North East Accelerator Fund.

Their ‘Care Messenger’ system delivers delivers personalised messages directly to individual users’ TV screens overlaying programmes until closed by the viewer using their TV remote control.

The system is aimed at elderly people, but i-Spy say it is not restricted to this demographic.

i-Spy’s CEO, Paul Slaughter, said: “Now the older generation, the housebound and the disabled can be more connected to loved ones, receiving messages and pictures on their familiar TV.

“Their children and grandchildren can, for the first time, start simply messaging gran from their Smart phone, tablet or from a web browser from anywhere in the world – a sort of ‘Instagran’!

“Once the family has downloaded the app and bought the Care Messenger set top box, any number of relatives and supporters can send unlimited messages, all for a small fixed monthly charge.”

The system can also be used by domiciliary care providers or healthcare professionals to remind their clients about visits or to check they will be at home when they call, and even housing associations and landlords can use Care Messenger to conduct surveys or send news and notices to their tenants’ TVs.

Paul added: “The investment we have received from Northstar Ventures is going to be very beneficial for us – three new jobs are being created, and now we can really start to focus on marketing and advertising, and also important patent costs.”

Rebecca Roberts, investment manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “I am really happy to be working alongside Paul and his team – the company is doing well and will thrive with this new investment. i-Spy Digital and the team are planning to visit the USA in partnership with UKTI, where there is already huge interest in the system!”

The Accelerator Fund is backed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .