PlayMob, the company behind Giverboard.com, which enables charities to fundraise through in-game micro-payments, has secured £500,000 investment, the majority being from from NESTA and Midven. The development team, which is based at Birmingham Science Park Aston, is set to grow to 13 people before the end of the year.
PlayMob, which is a graduate of the Science Park’s Entrepreneurs for the Future incubation centre, has developed its ‘GiverBoard’ technology, connecting computer games with charities. Players are able to fundraise by purchasing virtual items within a game, which can be directly related to a relevant charity. A tractor purchased by a game player could be linked to a charity which plants crops in Zambia. Using the money received from the purchase of a virtual tractor, a square metre of wheat can be planted for a Zambian family.
In addition to the investment from NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and Midven’s Early Advantage fund, PlayMob has secured a number of angel investors -including newly appointed chairman, Ian Livingstone OBE – to expand its team and grow the marketplace.
Dr David Hardman MBE, CEO of Birmingham Science Park Aston said: “PlayMob is a first class example of how a talented entrepreneur with a vision can graduate through our Entrepreneurs for the Future incubation centre and go on to achieve significant success.
“PlayMob is one of 11 gaming companies that have started their business at the Science Park in the past two years. They all have the potential to become high-growth, homegrown companies that this city can be truly proud of.”
The £500,000 investment will enable PlayMob to increase its staff from eight to 13 people. The team will set to work on automating their technology to have a significantly larger reach and will also develop a range of add-ons that will help generate further revenue. PlayMob is seeking to work with brands to incorporate advertising and sponsorship tailored for corporate social responsibility, while also sending a positive message to a large audience.
Founder and CEO of PlayMob, Jude Ower, says: “We passionately believe that gaming can have huge social benefits. Our technology gives charities and brands access to hundreds of millions of game players, during the three billion hours per week spent playing digital games.
“This investment gives us a significant boost to grow our reach globally and to remain at the forefront of developing social gaming that benefits all. There are so many games out there currently and we see our technology not only making a positive impact on charities, but it will also enable game developers to get their game noticed in a new innovative way. In turn it will allow brands to show their softer side and players to feel the instant gratification of doing good while buying their virtual goods.”
A unique incubation programme, Birmingham Science Park Aston’s Entrepreneurs for the Future centre offers free support for technology start-up companies, providing the opportunity to achieve growth and commercial success through funding support, expert advice and mentoring. Companies taking part in the programme also benefit from free office or desk space for six months, as well as telephone and internet services.
Libby Kinsey, Investment Manager at NESTA, said: “PlayMob’s technology represents an exciting mix of a simple idea, unique and sophisticated technology, social benefits and commercial potential. We’re delighted to announce our investment to scale up their operations and deliver some real impact in both the gaming and charity sectors.”
Andrew Muir, investment director at Midven, said: “PlayMob has a simple business model which, based on their early campaigns to date, promises to appeal to both games developers and charities to their mutual benefit. We are delighted to be working with NESTA and the PlayMob team to deliver a tangible difference to what is an innovative company with ambitious plans.”
PlayMob has already helped charities raise significant funds for charities by allowing them to place items to purchase within games. A ‘ThanksGiving’ campaign was run in November 2011 where virtual food hats were sold, raising over $3500 to pay for Thanks Giving meals for homeless children and families in New York, USA.
Similarly, players of PlayMob’s Parallel Kingdom game were able to purchase a special edition virtual soup can hat for their character, which in turn provided a meal for a homeless person via the HELP USA charity. Over $3000 was raised in just two weeks, feeding hundreds of people.