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News and developments

2/29/2012

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It been a while but a lot has been happening. I've met with some lovely lawyers in London who are going to give me a hand getting set up. In addition to that, March 7th I will be meeting with an IP lawyer in the TechCity area, then I will be stopping by to the UKIE for a chat, before finally meeting an accountant firm recommended by the UKTI. It going to be a huge day!

Some of the most important news though is about visas! With the post-study visa being thrown out in April, it was starting to look like if I didn't find £50,000 by October they were going to kick me out of the UK. At best I could have gotten a prospective entrepreneur visa which would have given me another 6 months. Thankfully information came out about new visas going into use this spring. The graduate entrepreneur visa looks to be right up my alley. It provides me with 12 month and a possible extension for another 12 months. Most of the requirements are no more difficult to meet than with the post-study visa. Only a thousand of these will be issued so with any luck I'll be applying as soon as possible when they go into effect in April.

When my graduate visa runs out I will still need to have found £50,000 or have made a certain amount of money, but I'm far more confident I can swing that in two years (hell of a lot better than six months). 

In the mean time, projects are full steam ahead. International marketing for the Erasmus exchange in Germany. Aftereffects work for a minute and a half video to be shown at the expo. Lastly, and most importantly, our arcade party game is on the way. We've reached alpha and now its testing/balancing and polish. The university trailer show is on the 16th of March and COMX is on the 21st of April. 
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Setting the bar for starting a company

12/6/2011

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A week ago I visited the TechCity in East London to have a tour and meeting with people from the UK Trade and Investment department. My guides were incredibly nice showing me around and I had a great time. They answered all of my questions, even the not so bright ones. After seeing the incubator where DJ Hero was developed (I was actually in their old office) and a good walk about Shortditch, we parted ways. The next day I was signed up for a mentoring program about access to finance  and being put in touch with adviser and contacts all over the UK who can help me move things along. 

The biggest piece of information I received is that to qualify for an entrepreneurial visa for me to stay in the UK, I need to raise £50,000 of investment. Of course I knew that I would need money but having been given a minimum goal to reach has compelled me further to structure my work and take this all the more seriously. Its scary and exciting all at the same time. We'll keep the project rolling as January and the mentoring session fast approaches. In the mean time I'll be looking into options in Cambridge and Silicon Valley and see where we go.
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    I am a producer, and fledgling entrepreneur.

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