Another Cardiff Life article. Here’s the PDF of the actual page.

Last week I attended the launch of a new plan by Cardiff Council to redevelop much of the city centre and the space south of it towards the bay. It’s ambitious, still incomplete, and totally dependent on the buy-in of the private sector. But the green paper, entitled “Rebuilding Momentum”, is intended to help us understand this very economy-focused plan. It talks of our strong sporting and leisure status, our proximity to London, the planned Enterprise Zone, and the need for a world-class conference centre. It details our need to start working now, so that we’re still competitive in 50 years time.

I’m heartened that our Council is looking to the next generation of the city, and trying to work hand-in-hand with the private sector. After all, as was mentioned at the launch, none of the landmark buildings on Cardiff’s skyline were built with public money. But I am concerned that it’s easy for the smaller, creative & digital businesses to get lost amongst these big plans, where major players from construction, financial services and transport will play a major part. It’s important that we speak up, and let the Council know that we’re here, and our voice is one that needs to be listened to.

After all, as Saul Klein highlighted in a recent Guardian article, internet companies (basically anyone whose business couldn’t have existed prior to Tim Berners-Lee’s pioneering work) contribute 8% to the UK’s GDP. The highest percentage in the world. In other words, our economy needs the internet more than any other. He goes on to highlight how in a situation where 20 percent of our young people are unemployed, the tech sector is exploding, and within just 3 years will contribute over 12% to the GDP. Or £225 billion. These are hugely significant statistics that clearly outline the importance of the tech sector. And the amount of technology, IP, innovation, and sheer creativity generated by these companies is becoming a vital part of our lives.

We really can’t afford to ignore those startups that one day soon may be the next Amazons, Googles and Facebooks. And some of them may be built right here in Cardiff. How will these startups shape the future of our city? Please make sure you have your say.

In other news, I’ve been invited to 10 Downing Street to speak to the Prime Minister’s senior business advisor about Cardiff’s tech cluster, and its future. I’ll be there representing the city, alongside some key players from other tech clusters around the UK. I’m keen to take as many relevant points of view to London as possible. So please get in touch if you have something you would like to share that would strengthen our standing with Whitehall.

And finally, I hope you can join us for the official launch of Cardiff Start a City Hall on the 11th April. Full details on CardiffStart.com.
Q: Hello! Do introduce yourself…

We are Audibase, an audio blogging company based in south wales. We love thinking outside the box and building creative applications.  Audibase is an exciting platform for large or small enterprises to expand their audio and develop an online audio presence.

Q: What does your startup do?

We are passionate about creating a simple and effective way of getting audio content online.  Audio is used in many different ways and Audibase seeks to enable a simple and safe environment for various groups to add their content and share it.  Various groups such as audio bloggers, interviews, podcasts, tutorials, sermons.

Q: What makes Audibase special?

Audibase is special purely for its simplicity, it is a product that is for all and can be used by anyone with a desire to share their content.  We aim to take the hassle out of technical jargon and over complicated coding.  Audibase will also be able to offer custom themes for various groups, for example churches, musicians, audio blogs and radio stations.  We can fully customise the player with personalised brand colours allowing the audio player to become a part of the website it is designed for.

Q: What was the eureka moment that made you realise you had to build this company?

After trialling a similar service s3audible and seeing the demand for a simple audio solution we decided to take steps into offering a whole audio package.  After receiving feedback from s3audible we realised that audio is going to be an integral part of our futures, and as a result decided we had no choice but to build a company around audio solutions.

Q: How’s business at the moment?

Audibase was released on 13th February, we have started to build up a strong portfolio of users.  We have managed to maintain a communicative relationship with our first customers.  We are currently establishing full packages for a website theme with full audio integration and hosting for between £5.99 – £9.99 per month.  We are really positive and looking forward to the future.

Q: Where would you like Audibase to  be in five years’ time?

We would like audibase to be a recognised brand for audio blogging.  We will have a wide range of audibase powered themes, including audio recording mobile apps, that are at the forefront of mobile audio recording.

Q: Where can we find out more?

Please checkout our service at audibase.com if you would like to get in contact you can always drop us a line at hello@audibase.com