Loop PR

Online group purchasing club, Keynoir, has announced significant expansion in its first two weeks of business with the acquisition of competitor, Dealbunch, and an agreement to support the retailer commitments of recent industry departure, Snippa.

Leading the surge in social networking by empowering people to group together and act as bulk-purchasers, Keynoir’s latest move will ensure an even greater range of aspirational lifestyle experiences is made available to its membership.

The company launched last Tuesday with a sell-out, half-price three-course meal at Tom Aiken’s prestigious Michelin-starred restaurant and has followed up with a range of fantastic experiences at such venues as the Hempel Hotel, Melt Chocolate and the Supper Club.

The service, brainchild of Glen Drury, former Yahoo! VP Europe and Internet pioneer Philip Wilkinson, founder of the UK’s first price comparison website (later becoming Kelkoo) and technology deal-maker Jan Riem, has received backing of £1.3m from top venture capital firms Index Ventures, backers of LoveFilm and Skype, and PROfounders Capital, the entrepreneurial venture capital firm backed by Brent Hoberman from Lastminute.com, Michael Birch from Bebo, and others. Membership is free for a limited time and the recent acquisition is likely to capture an even larger audience.

Co-founder, Glen Drury, said: “This expansion shows we’re the one to watch in this marketplace, and with our strengthened businesses we’ll both broaden our partner-base and be able to put forward an even greater range of outstanding offers.”

Members of the network are presented with a single offer every day on lifestyle experience packages and encouraged to promote them through social networks in order to achieve a minimum number of purchasers (the tipping point) to make the deal active.

Co-founder, Philip Wilkinson, added: “Keynoir is a win-win situation for both the businesses involved and our members. The businesses benefit from marketing their services to a targeted audience and our customers are able to enjoy an enhanced lifestyle through Keynoir.”

Although the up and coming list of offers is a closely guarded secret, events such as Mint Polo in the Park, at the Hurlingham Club is among the likely candidates.

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Well hello again!

Group-Donate £5 to Children’s Charity Kidsco and Keynoir.com will add a further £5

Join together with your friends this Easter to give vulnerable inner-city children and young people a boost.

Throughout the Easter weekend Keynoir, a new site which enables young professionals to link together via social networks and ‘group-purchase’, will give £5 to the Kids Company – www.kidsco.org - for every £5 which is ‘group-donated’.

Instead of buying a deal for yourself, you’ll be able to make a difference to a young person’s life this weekend and donate via the Keynoir website. The more you group donate – the more Keynoir will add.

Become part of a new wave of ‘social-giving’, spread the word around your networks and make sure as many people as possible have a chance to do something less fattening instead this weekend!

Visit www.keynoir.com for more information on how to get involved while membership is still free

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Keynoir.com is the creation of Philip Wilkinson, Kelkoo director and pioneer of the first online price comparison site in the UK, Glen Drury, former CEO of Kelkoo and VP, Yahoo! Europe and Jan Riem, a technology corporate financier. Launch offers included offers at 2 star Michelin restaurant Tom Aikens, Hanmade Chocolate from Melt and mojitos and tapas at an uber cool London hotel.

It has secured a first institutional funding of £ 1.3m from top venture capital firms Index Ventures and PROfounders Capital, the entrepreneurial venture capital firm backed by Brent Hoberman from Lastminute.com, Michael Birch from Bebo, and others. In addition, serial entrepreneurs Paul Birch and Andrej Henkler participated in the investment. Dominique Vidal from Index Ventures and Sean Seton-Rogers from PROfounders Capital will be joining the board of Keynoir.

Paul Johnson, Loop PR, on 01252 725 346 or 07979 592 252 or contact via www.loop-pr.co.uk

Sign up to Keynoir while Membership is still free

Power of social networking to bring aspirational lifestyle within easy reach

Keynoir, a new partnership of internet heavyweights, will take advantage of the surge in social networking and empower people to group together via their networks and act as bulk-purchasers in order to secure offers on lifestyle experiences. The new company is the creation of Philip Wilkinson, Kelkoo director and pioneer of the first online price comparison site in the UK, Glen Drury, former CEO of Kelkoo and VP, Yahoo! Europe and Jan Riem, a technology corporate financier. Launch offers have been secured at 2 star Michelin restaurant Tom Aikens, The Supper Club, world polo at the Hurlingham Club, dress shirts from King and Allen and an event on The Yacht, London.

It has secured a first institutional funding of £ 1.3m from top venture capital firms Index Ventures and PROfounders Capital, the entrepreneurial venture capital firm backed by Brent Hoberman from Lastminute.com, Michael Birch from Bebo, and others. In addition, serial entrepreneurs Paul Birch and Andrej Henkler participated in the investment. Dominique Vidal from Index Ventures and Sean Seton-Rogers from PROfounders Capital will be joining the board of Keynoir.

The members-only buying club will use the funds to expand aggressively across the rest of the UK and Europe by the end of the year promoting offers to users, encouraging them to enjoy an aspirational lifestyle that, thanks to Keynoir, they will now be able to afford.

“Our members will be offered a great experience every day and become part of a wave of people able to ‘upgrade’ their whole lifestyle” said co-founder, Philip Wilkinson.

“People are becoming increasing weary and cynical of the whole discount marketplace and are looking for something more fulfilling. We’re preparing to change this culture by bringing truly desirable experiences within easy reach - it’s like we’re giving hard working professionals the opportunity to eat chocolate, but without the guilt.”

The company is targeting 23 – 35 year old professionals and is creating purchasing deals with major-players across the travel, food, retail and entertainment sectors. It has a strict selection process choosing only those companies that meet its quality criteria. The tightly targeted nature of this approach offers a brand new route to market for retailers; peer-to-peer action allows companies the opportunity to fill capacity in the downturn and grow their businesses, without heavy advertising costs.

“As purchasers pledge their interest up front, it gives businesses a great way to acquire new customers and only pay on results. Thanks to the attractiveness of the model, we’ve already lined up deals at some of the most compelling venues in London and we’re still on the lookout to add more businesses to our portfolio,” co-founder, Glen Drury added.

Brent Hoberman underscores the impact of Keynoir’s innovative ‘social purchasing model’: “This is an exciting phase in the internet’s development. In the last decade, shopping has been all about search - this decade, Keynoir will lead a new generation of social buying which will effectively connect the offline and online worlds.”

Promotion through the blogosphere and social media networks has already given exclusive membership to a select group of buyers and this will be expanded upon launch.

“This is one of those rare occasions where the company, partners involved and the final consumer all benefit extensively from one service,” Brent concluded.

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Paul Johnson, Loop PR, on 01252 725 346 or 07979 592 252 or contact via www.loop-pr.co.uk

Biographies

Glen Drury

Glen is an experienced executive with a proven track record whether as a business starter or as the entrepreneurial spirit in large organizations. His extensive network includes technology, retail, automotive and travel industry professionals. Prior to co-founding Keynoir, Glen was CEO of Kelkoo, helping the company rebuild itself. Leading the carve-out of the business from Yahoo! created many challenging opportunities which culminated in finding new funding, setting the company on a new strategic path, and returning it to profit. Before Kelkoo, Glen held several roles at Yahoo! the last being Regional Vice President for Yahoo! Europe with responsibility for UK, IE, NL, NO, SE, DK, and FI. When he moved into the RVP role, he gave up his product responsibilities (which included the Cars and the Travel Channels that he had led) to be in the European top 3 audiences. A graduate of Grand Canyon University with a BA in International Business management, he also studied French and Art.

Phil Wilkinson

Aged just 21, Phil launched his first business after studying for his degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Psychology at Nottingham University. As the founder of Shopgenie (now Kelkoo.co.uk) , Phil became the first person to launch an online price comparison site in the UK , sparking the initial growth of this now booming sector. He later became Commercial Manager at Telewest Broadband (now Virgin Media) and was responsible for the company’s wireless broadband proposition and Internet applications. He left to pursue another entrepreneurial ambition founding Genie Ventures, a vertical comparison engine network now covering multiple sites and with a multi-million pound turnover. During this period, he became a seed investor and marketing strategy advisor for the online outdoor retailer webtogs.co.uk, which has grown in under two year from a ground-roots small operation to a household name in its sector. The London-based entrepreneur later founded the product research engine crowdstorm.co.uk, which helps people find the right product to buy through an aggregation of knowledge from online experts. Aside from his penchant for the finer things in life - fine wine, gourmet food, and gadgets to name a few - 32 year old Philip is a keen ‘angel’ investor in budding businesses.

Andrej Henkler

Former Bertelsmann Executive, TV-Turnaround Leader and serial entrepreneur. Since 2005 successful entrepreneurial investor in High-Tech and Digital Media Start-Ups in the US and Europe. He is or has been involved in numerous successful investments including Worldmate, Palantir Technologies, Studio Babelsberg and Kiala.

Investor background

PROfounders Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm backed by successful entrepreneurs, with a focus on the digital media and technology space. PROfounders’ investors number some of the best-known players within the digital media space, including Michael Birch (founder of Bebo) and Brent Hoberman (founder of lastminute.com). The fund’s aim is to invest in and support new businesses with capital plus proactive advice and expertise in order to create long-term value and promote entrepreneurism. Founded in July 2009, PROfounders Capital’s focus is on capital efficient, early-stage companies operating in the digital media and technology space. PROfounders looks for companies that have disciplined and innovative management and which address large potential markets, using technologies that are new or clearly differentiated from any incumbents to generate identifiable revenue streams that can be scaled. www.profounderscapital.com

About Index Ventures

Index Ventures is a leading European venture capital firm active in technology venture investing since 1996. The firm is dedicated to helping top entrepreneurial teams in the Information Technology and Life Science sectors build their companies into market defining global leaders. The firm has offices in Geneva, London and Jersey and focuses on investments from seed through growth stage companies. Exits of note include Last.fm (CBS), MySQL (Sun), PanGenetics (Abbott), Playfish (EA) and Skype (eBay). For more information, please visit www.indexventures.com.

ONE IN FOUR SUFFERERS VISIT GP FOUR OR MORE TIMES BEFORE REFERRAL

One of the UK’s largest surveys of brain cancer sufferers and carers¹, conducted by the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust², suggests that GPs and the general public need better guidance on spotting the key symptoms to aid earlier diagnosis and improve survival.

Released to coincide with March’s Brain Tumour Awareness month, the survey shows one in four patients had to consult their GP four times and over before they were referred to a specialist, with nearly one in ten consulting their doctor more than eight times.  Over 30 per cent said they waited over four months before receiving a diagnosis. Research has shown that it can take three times as long to diagnose a brain tumour in the UK than in other countries.

It is not only GPs that are missing the ‘red flag’ symptoms of brain cancer.  The survey also showed that 67 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour had not been aware of the typical symptoms and therefore did not push for further investigation.

Paul Carbury, CEO of the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust said: “These results confirm what Brain Tumour Awareness month is all about – we still need to educate the public and the primary health care professionals about this devastating illness and make them aware of the recurring warning signs.  Our funding has helped produce national guidelines to enable GPs to spot the early warning signs of brain cancer and we hope that this will make a significant difference in improving quality of life, survival rates and reducing the burden of disability”

He added: “We urgently need to improve the understanding of brain cancer and its signs and symptoms and get people to understand that it does happen and the incidence is growing.”

This year approximately 6,500 people in the UK will be diagnosed with a primary brain tumour and 3,400 will lose their lives to one.  Despite being the biggest childhood cancer killer and causing more deaths in the under 40s than any other cancer, it receives a fraction of the funding of higher profile cancers.  Statistics also show that higher profile cancers have received up to 20 times the investment and have seen survival rates almost double in 30 years.

Kerry Bubb, whose daughter, Molly, died from a brain tumour aged 4, said: “There is still so much ignorance around this disease. We were repeatedly told by the medical profession that my daughter was suffering from a virus and told to treat her with paracetemol.  She was, in fact, in the advanced stages of cancer and this was only established after we fought to get her scanned. With an earlier diagnosis, she would have lived her final few weeks with dignity, and not in the pain that we had to watch her endure.”

The charity is working with health professionals and organisations to raise awareness of brain cancer and later this year will be supporting a groundbreaking national project that will encourage early diagnosis of childhood brain cancer.

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For media enquiries, please contact Louise Evans or Charlotte Maule on 01252 725346 or

07891 242476

Notes to editors

1. In February, the charity surveyed 350 sufferers and their carers about symptoms and their experience of diagnosis.

2. About Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust (SDBTT)

Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust SDBTT is the leading adult and childhood brain tumour charity dedicated to research in the UK. The charity’s aim is to raise awareness, support and funds for brain tumour research to help fight this devastating disease and give hope to brain tumour patients in the future. It also offers support and information to patients and their carers.

The charity has been working to find a cure for brain tumours since it was set up in 1996 by Samantha’s parents, Neil and Angela Dickson.  Since then millions of pounds have been raised for brain tumour research and support services for patients and carers, and the charity has become the largest funder of brain tumour research in the UK.

More information on Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust is available by calling 0845 130 9733 or visiting www.braintumourtrust.co.uk.

General Statistics

Out of the £420million spent on cancer research in the UK, less than 1% is spent on brain tumour research.

6,500 people are diagnosed each year with a primary brain tumour.

3,400 people lose their lives to a brain tumour each year.

Despite being the biggest childhood cancer killer and causing more deaths among the under 40s than any other cancer statistics show that brain cancer has received a fraction of the funding of higher profile cancers. Statistics also show that high profile cancers have received up to 20 times the investment of brain cancer and have seen survival rates almost double in 30 years.

Often dubbed the ‘forgotten cancer’, the UK’s brain cancer survival rates have barely changed in 30 years whereas other cancer types have seen clear improvements.

The average years of life lost (calculated from the shortening of life attributable to brain cancer, compared to life expectancy) to brain tumours is the highest of any cancer at over 20 years and is the biggest killer of adults under 40.

SDBTT Statistics

Record year from 1^st April 2008 – 31^st March 2009

Record income of £1.3m for the year

Record research expenditure of £1m

Three major research breakthroughs:

University of Newcastle – our research team have pinpointed characteristics of medulloblastoma tumours that could help to determine the severity of an individual child’s cancer. A new project is now trialling a UK-wide system for testing tumour samples and will assess whether this could be used routinely to improve diagnosis and tailor treatment for individual patients.

Queen Mary University, London – our research team has made a major breakthrough with regard to the childhood brain tumour pilocytic astrocytoma. Research has identified certain genetic changes that are frequently found in these tumours, and which relate to a pathway that could be involved in the development of the tumour.

National Hospital University College London – for the first time in the UK adult high grade brain tumour patients are having a chromosome test on their tumour samples. The test identifies approximately one in three patients whose tumour is far more reactive to chemotherapy

6,500 people are diagnosed each year with a primary brain tumour.

3,400 people lose their lives to a brain tumour each year.

The photographic industry has become one of the fastest to adopt the car club concept, according to new figures from Streetcar for Business, the UK’s largest pay as you go car hire service dedicated to the corporate community.

Part of the highly successful Streetcar brand, the corporate scheme offers a diverse fleet of BMWs, VW Golfs, Polos and Transporter vans and has seen membership soar from 900 to almost 2100 in the last year as organisations choose the service as an alternative to managing their own fleet or using private hire vehicles.

In particular, the number of companies from the photographic sector that have signed up to Streetcar for Business has increased fivefold in a year, as many search for a way to cut costs through the recession.

Commenting on the sector-specific rise, Brett Akker, Streetcar’s co-founder, said: “It’s clear that the current economic climate has forced many companies in the photographic industry to look for innovative ways to cut costs. Streetcar gives businesses flexible and immediate access to a range of new vehicles, cutting out the admin and maintenance overheads associated with running their own transport and affording them significant savings.”

Streetcar offers businesses 24/7 access to vehicles on an hourly basis from as little as £4.21 per hour. As well as the cost savings¹, corporate use of car clubs has been shown to help companies cut their carbon footprint², as well as reduce administration and the risks associated with in-house vehicle maintenance and safety.

Sam Faulkner, a London based photographer said: “I love the flexibility that streetcar gives me. When I am abroad on assignment I don’t have to worry about keeping a vehicle on the street.  With the nearest Streetcar parked just outside my studio, I can load kit straight into the car and getting out of town for jobs is quick and easy. Since joining I have found that we work more efficiently- we are more likely to combine a number of errands around town into one trip; this saves us time and has really reduced our mileage.”

In the residential community, Streetcar has become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional car ownership. Consumer membership has more than doubled in just over 12 months to over 75,000 and is expected to rise to 250,000 by 2012³. The scheme boasts over 1000 locations across seven cities; London, Brighton, Cambridge, Southampton, Guildford, Maidstone and Oxford. The company is planning to launch in Bristol in March.

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For all media enquiries, please contact Louise Evans or Charlotte Maule on 01252 725346 or 07891 242476 (out-of-hours)

Notes to editor

• More details about the Streetcar for Business service are available from www.streetcarforbusiness.com

1. When it comes to reimbursing private mileage for employees who drive their own car for business, a huge saving can be made. For example: an employee drives to Leeds from London (190 miles each way) once per fortnight for a meeting, the total comparable costs per year to reimburse the private mileage at the RAC rate of 42.4p per mile is £4,281.72, compared to Streetcar which would be £2,523.20, an annual saving of £1,758.62.

2. Anecdotal evidence shows that many of the organisations which use StreetcarforBusiness have seen a reduction in their carbon footprint. At Surrey County Council, employees are now encouraged to leave their own cars at home and make more use of public transport. This helps reduce congestion around the council buildings, and has reduced the pressure to provide on-site parking for staff.

1. Independent research conducted by Transport for London shows that each car club vehicle on the road replaces an average of 26 privately-owned cars. This is because each car has an average of 40 users and, of those, over half chose not to buy (or replace) a car when they join the club. Streetcar has already taken over 20,000 privately-owned cars off the UK’s streets and is aiming to prevent the emission of around 50,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the next two years.

• Streetcar has recently launched its brand new updated iPhone App which will allow people across the UK to locate, book and even open a car using just their phone. The application, which is free to download from the App Store, will enable existing and prospective members to view availability of the service via their phones. With a few additional taps, members will be able to make a booking and unlock the car while standing right next to it.