A Manchester tech start-up has found it easier to find funding in AFRICA than the North West.
Cesar Pereira聽said he has secured 拢420,000 in recent years to develop leading product innovation information platform Gama, which he founded in 2013.
However the CEO, who is looking to raise a further 拢1 million, has not secured any funding from within the UK.
鈥淢any people told me I was going to fail by being based here and not in London,鈥� he told a packed audience at 鈥楾he future of Manchester鈥檚 digital tech scene鈥�, an event held by 老九品茶Cloud jointly with 老九品茶 Growth Hub.
鈥淭he challenge is funding: we raised 拢420,000 in the last few years from Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Angola 鈥� but not here [in the UK].
鈥淭he next big challenge is to open a new round in the next three months, raising 拢1m.鈥�
Gama, a global platform specialising in product innovation and international trade, now has a presence in 46 countries.
鈥淭here are 50,000 new products launched globally every month 鈥� food, drink, personal care, household and pet care 鈥� and 40,000 of them fail,鈥� he continued.
鈥淢illions of pounds are wasted by the likes of Unilever, Nestle 鈥� but also by small companies such as an olive oil producer from Italy.
鈥淕ama helps companies 鈥� brand, product and marketing managers 鈥� understand the trends of who is launching what and where.鈥�
Pereira, who moved to the UK from Portugal in 2000, studied business at undergraduate and Masters degree level at Manchester Metropolitan University before more than a decade working in business information.
鈥淧ortugal is becoming a top destination in Europe for tech companies because of the vibrant ecosystem which is in place 鈥� but many of them are moving into the UK to expand and internationalise,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e signed a partnership with one of them yesterday (Thursday 26th January), Facestore. It developed the first eCommerce platform which connects directly to Facebook.
鈥淎ny company can use it to open an online store and sell products or services directly on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.鈥�
The audience also heard why the entrepreneur behind road safety app聽K-Safe is moving the start-up to Liverpool’s Sensor City technology centre.