Digital comic book founder sketches out plans to the US

Jan 7 2010 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

He said: “During the long bus journey I used to read comic books to occupy my time but I became frustrated with how hard it was to get hold of them, when it was so easy to get hold of other products like music on MP3 players.

“This was when the idea developed for digitalised comic publications which could be extended to other markets. As the idea developed I decided to contact Business Link for advice and the enthusiasm and support for the idea from my business adviser gave me the push to eventually leave my job and concentrate on the venture full-time.”

After securing an initial investment from NorthStar Equity Investors to get the business up and running, Mr Mann has received ongoing advice and guidance from Business Link to take the business forward.

Business Link adviser David Dixon was able to help Mr Mann with business planning and was instrumental in helping the business to secure funds from the North East England Investment Centre (NEEIC) towards the software prototype design and build.

Mr Mann was supported in the early days of his business by Teesside University’s Graduate Incubation team and started out in one of the on-campus business units.

The business moved into Middlesbrough’s Boho Zone after undertaking a DigitalCity Fellowship to ensure the business was commercially viable through access to world-class facilities and support provided by the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDI) at Teesside University.

As the idea developed I decided to contact Business Link for advice and the enthusiasm and support for the idea from my business adviser gave me the push to eventually leave my job and concentrate on the venture full-time