Gravitywell

I attended the techSPARK uk Silcon Gorge event yesterday afternoon on behalf of Gravitywell, and I must say that I was blown away by the array of exciting businesses being produced across the south west. Extraordinary themes, ranging from circular economy upcycling platforms through to large scale irrigation and polytunnel systems. Bold and disruptive ideas to create positive change. Proud to be a part of this community of do-ers and makers. #bristol #bath #southwest #startups #founders

How do we “see” AI? 🤖 I’ve always been fascinated by how we try to visualise the unseen. The Internet is really just an awful lot of servers and cabling; and yet we tend to talk about it using metaphor. We used to “surf” the “web” and now we’re all in the “cloud”. I'm wondering where we're going to land with metaphors for AI. You’ll have already noticed so many services advertising new “AI powered” aspects to their product. Similar to visualising the Internet, we reach for metaphors to comprehend what is challenging to grasp. Just because it's clever doesn’t mean it’s magic - yet already we’re seeing sparkles ✨ and magic wands 🪄 to signpost AI powered features. At least we've moved away from sci-fi: before the generative AI boom started, we saw neurons fused with circuitboards, augmented humans and eerily realistic robots. These dark visual choices conveyed the mystery, uncertainty, and unknowns surrounding AI. Now that generative AI is more commonplace and commercialised, we need to move towards a more accessible palette. That probably means we'll see bright tertiary colours and gradients, standardised iconography, and new ways to talk about it. We're even starting to replace the term "AI", with simple verbs like "generate", "create", or "rewrite". Of course - if we aren't sure, we can always just ask it. #ai #internet #design #visualdesign

Moments for innovation come in waves 🌊 When the first wave of the initial idea crashes, you’ve got to think big - the idea itself, the market, the brand, the potential. Then when the tide goes out, you have to do the work - talk to those potential users, do the market research, assess the competition. It might start with creativity, but results come with focus. As you validate your idea, the tide starts to draw back in, and crashes as you start to define the first version - MVP - of your product. This is a time for big thinking turned into small details, weighing up of all the options, and asking “is this really needed right now?”. When the storm of ideas settles and the waters calm, you’ll find yourself with a clear plan - which needs slow, steady, predictable work to bring to life. It might be you, or an agency or venture studio doing the building, but this is a multi-disciplinary time for careful execution. Launching a tech startup or product is a tidal wave in itself, swirling with questions of how to connect with the right people, build the brand and gain early advocates. But there’s a time of necessary calm post-launch when those oh-so-important users are busy using, and you can gather real-world data and refine small elements of the business and strategy. Once you’ve handles these first few waves, things get a bit simpler - but the tides still keep coming. Because no business is complete after MVP, and no feature should be left untouched for years. What you’ve learned from your users in launch drives the next wave of ideation - how can we address their problems? Improve their experience? Spark joy or connection in unique and creative ways? These smaller swells build on the core of your startup to drive targeted innovation - easier to iterate now that you’ve established the early elements of the brand, user base and vision. Which wave are you navigating right now? What have you learned that you wish you’d known when navigating earlier waves? Let me know in the comments! ⛵ #IdeaToLaunch #TechStartupInnovation #BrandVision #InnovationStrategy #StartupJourney

Streamer? Podcaster? Influencer? 🤳 However you create content, Gravitywell can provide the tech (and strategy) to build a sustainable revenue stream and form a closer connection with your audience. DM my colleague, Tom Foster for a chat.

In today's rapidly evolving digital world, content creators are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage and monetise their audience. While social media platforms offer great exposure, a dedicated mobile app can elevate your brand and revenue potential. Here’s why: 🫂 Direct audience engagement: A mobile app allows for a more personal and direct connection with your audience. Push notifications and in-app messages ensure your content is front and centre, swerving the unpredictable nature of social media algorithms. 💰 Monetisation opportunities: Mobile apps open up diverse revenue streams; from in-app purchases and subscriptions to ad placements and exclusive content. You have the control to design your revenue strategy. ❤️ Brand loyalty and community building: An app provides a centralised hub for your community. It’s a place where your audience can interact with you and each other, fostering a stronger sense of loyalty and belonging. 📲 Enhanced user experience: With a mobile app, you can tailor the user experience to your audience’s preferences. Seamless navigation, offline access and customised features create a more enjoyable and engaging experience. 📊 Data and insights: Gain valuable insights into user behaviour and preferences through analytics. This data helps refine your content strategy, allowing you to create the content your audience wants most. 🥇 Competitive advantage: While many creators rely solely on social media, having a mobile app sets you apart. It demonstrates professionalism and a commitment to providing the best possible experience for your audience. A mobile app isn't just a tool — it's a powerful platform that can transform your content creation business. Build deeper connections, diversify your income and stand out in what is a very crowded space. More ➡️ https://lnkd.in/egsJVvCX #VentureStudio #ContentCreators #MobileAppDevelopment

In defence of my silly code: `(string & {})` ... 🧐 Admittedly not the prettiest TypeScript code, but it keeps us within the warm cuddle that is code-completion/type-hinting (i.e. intellisense). Think of it as if it were the saying "𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤" where: 👉 `type Color = "teal" | "orangered" | (string & {})` ... would allow for autocompletion of "teal" and "orangered" while still permitting any other string 💥 🦾 This preset pattern is 𝗻𝗼𝘁 limited to strings either, and works great in tandem with something like enums! (I once again am asking my co-devs at Gravitywell to forgive this type-fu I've been leaving around our codebases 🥋) #typescript #coding

AI shouldn’t be your whole business. Now more than ever, we see startup founders with businesses that rely entirely on AI’s latest capabilities. It sounds great, looks impressive and can catch the eye of investors. But the problem is, unless you’re the one building the AI itself, designing a business around third-party tools is always a risk. Especially because these tools are changing so fast, and what’s up-and-coming today will become the default next week, month or year. How can you stay ahead when you’re fully reliant on other companies for options? That’s why at Gravitywell, we’ve taken to asking ourselves: is there a business with potential here without AI? If there is, then AI can be a powerful tool - but it shouldn’t be the heart of the functionality, brand or user experience. And if not, then we’ve got to question the long-term viability of the business model. What’s to stop one of the big players in AI from creating the same - or better - with their own in-house team, funding and resources? This isn’t to say that all AI-driven startups are destined to fail. But an impactful startup can always add AI later in its journey - using the tools at hand to enhance their offering, not build it from scratch. #startup #venturestudio #ai #investment #entrepreneur

#TheSPARKies longlist has landed 🚀 Comment below if you can spot yourself or your organisation 👇 Our judges are currently reviewing this list to get a shortlist for each category, so make sure you're following to see the announcement ✨ https://hubs.li/Q02ymsqw0 #TechAwards

It’s impossible - and bad in the long term - to always pick the “right person” for every job. 🚧 When we do, we put barriers up that don’t let people learn. If you’ve got to have the right knowledge to do the work, and you can only get that knowledge through doing the work, it’s a trap! 🐦 We also pigeon-hole people into doing what they’re already good at, reducing opportunities for them to grow and develop. 🍼 And we bottleneck innovation - after all, new things often don’t have an existing expert on hand. So if we won’t start unless we have a go-to person, we’ll never start at all! So what can we do instead? If we assume that no task will be undertaken by someone who’s already the “ideal” fit, we allow more time, space and support - we prepare for the hurdles that someone new to the task might encounter. This benefits both the person taking on new work - who gets to try something new without the pressures of living up to an existing expert’s speed or knowledge - and the wider team, who can spread existing knowledge and gain headspace to take on their own new challenges. With this mentality, we encourage learning, enable self-development and make space for innovation - all huge benefits for a team or organisation. #innovation #leadership #teamwork #collaboration