The New C4DI - Member Preview

Last Thursday afternoon we opened the doors to the new building for a special member preview of the ground floor of our new home. Over 100 people attended the event, including a few journalists and over 150 scrumptious C4DI branded cupcakes (thanks to Anna from Nibble - the new @TheDock Café). After donning a pair of 'trendy' blue booties our members were guided through the ultra-modern reception area and unleashed; free to explore the different areas making up the ground floor.

Taking a left at the reception takes you through to the meeting zone, outfitted with comfy sofas and stylish meeting booths this area is the perfect place to have a quick meeting, coffee break or chat.

Straight through the meeting zone is the bored room. Unfortunately Jon, with his army of cupcakes, won't be a permanent fixture however, with a generous seating capacity and a great view of what will be the amphitheatre area the bored-room doesn't fail to impress.

On the other side of the meeting zone is the co-working space. A fantastic open area that is perfect for the type of collaboration that form the building blocks for great startup ideas. There's also a separate quiet zone - for those time you need a bit of space to really focus, as well as a large studio space for events, keynotes and startup - pitches.

Dane Mortimer, Insight Lead at Force-7, a youth marketing and research agency said; "First impressions of the ground floor area is that the design looks to me as if it will lend itself to harnessing the collaborative spirit of working that has been established at C4DI beta.

We're really looking forward to using the studio spaces to supplement the work we do."

During the preview the new building really came into its own, springing into life and warmly accommodating all the guests - it's a great insight into how the building will feel when the doors officially open later in November and we all really look forward to moving in (some members have already made themselves very comfortable!).

If you love the C4DI culture and want to know more about us or are thinking about joining please don't hesitate to get in touch with me on dr@c4di.net

The Digital Awards

The first KC and Hull Daily Mail Digital Awards have been heralded as a real success. You can read about the event and winners here. The evening was spent on the top floor with amazing views, food and people to celebrate the digital talent within the city. We were delighted to welcome the Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall as well as Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent, who hosted the event.

A very special mention goes to Dave Keel, the C4DI Chair who you all know has worked tirelessly to promote the C4DI and the digital sector in the city and beyond.

Dave received the very first Digital Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by KC and the Hull Daily Mail. Congratulations!

Novel industry solutions created by Hull’s flourishing digital community

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Hi, I'm Dee - the newest member to join C4DI's talented team. I have had experience working in a variety of industries, ranging from project management to teaching. It's going to be great working with everyone, supporting the community and getting immersed in the innovative projects we run. You can read my full bio here. C4DI is at the heart of Hull's digital economy. With a flourishing community of over 180 members, drawn from a wide array of fields across the digital sector, the synergies arising from our collaborative environment have secured new business opportunities and even, in some cases, solved some industry-wide problems! We've picked out just a few of our favourite member quotes for you below.

Andy Mcmillan, Training and R&D - Escada Systems Europe says;

"At C4DI we brought new products to market in record time to solve an industry-wide problem. Our product will increase the accuracy and reduce maintenance of sensors that are used in the packaging industry. This was made possible because of C4DI's collaborative working space."

Matt Gibson, Accounts Executive - Studio Kiwi says;

"The access to support, advice, and mentoring added to the networking potential, diversity of skills, and knowledge that is available at C4DI helps our business to grow. It is a privilege to be set in such a vibrant and beautiful location within the City of Hull."

C4DI's community  is always growing and we've had some incredible talent join us this month. Read all about our newest members like Hull born and bred trader 'Dean Melton', social media guru 'Joanne Brady' or Francis Osih an entrepreneur and founder of 'Betamenu' (as well as many others) below.

From the end of November 2015 we will be running tours around our new home, every Friday, so if you would like to come and visit, meet any of our fantastic members or simply just try a cup of our famous coffee please do get in touch and email me on dr@c4di.net

Without further adieu please say hi to our brilliant new members:

Joanne2

Joanne Brady - freelance social media manager "I help SMEs set-up and develop a social media presence through a variety of methods from regular weekly consultations to full-on daily management. I also write content for websites and blogs, and have a pretty good knowledge of SEO. I enjoy collaborative working and see C4DI as a way of meeting like-minded professionals. I'm always happy to help with any questions about social media."

Francis

Francis Osih - entrepreneur "I lived in the US and Spain for business school. New to Hull, so my entrepreneurship & VC connections are limited to Barcelona and Berlin.  Starting programming in 2005, I have contributed to startups as diverse as they come along the way.  I am also the founder of Betamenu and Witelist.  Looking forward to assisting and having fun with everyone here!"

Dean

Dean Melton - trader "I was born and brought up in Hull. I worked as an Investment Analyst for a Hedge Fund for many years. I left the trading arena 10 years ago and set up on my own, working part time from a home office trading the Stock Indices, Forex and Commodity Markets, when I wasn’t trading; I was the 'house husband', looking after my two children, who having finally flown the nest, leaving me with time on my hands again."

Richard

Richard Farrer - Co-founder of Fractal Software & graduate "As a software developer I have experience in .net languages and agile software development, also a keen eye for graphics and UI.  I look forward to tackling the challenges of building a software business at C4DI."

Pat

Pat Coyle - director at Rollits "Pat's main role involves leading and managing the marketing function within Rollits. She is the current chair of the East Yorkshire (Humber) IoD branch committee, sits on the Steering Group for Humber Business Week, and is also a member of the committee of Hull Businesswomen's Breakfast Club."

Andrew

Andrew Downie - R&D manager "Andrew has recently joined RB working as Health Transformation R&D Manager - working across the healthcare brands in areas including connected health and innovation beyond the product. Andrew has a background in biological sciences and has experience in FMCG and pharmaceutical businesses, including AstraZeneca and Unilever."

Josh

Josh Cunliffe - Co-founder of Fractal Software & games developer "I’m a recent graduate from the University of Hull, with a first class MEng degree in computer sciences with games development. I am well versed in .NET languages and frameworks, and after a year of working in SEED within the university, can use Scrum to manage and execute projects in an agile manner. I look forward to being able to apply everything I've learned within C4Di!"

Mike

Mike Wasling - Director of I.T. "Since joining Rollits, Mike has developed and enhanced the firm's IT infrastructure to support the needs of both the firm and clients. He is responsible for the IT team and helps deliver high standards of IT support and innovation throughout the practice. Some of Mike's key responsibilities include developing and maintaining relationships with IT suppliers and implementing "best of breed" technologies."

Lewis

Lewis Taylor - Co-founder of Fractal Software "I am a software developer with a BSc and MSc(pending) in computer science from the University of Hull. Proficient in a wide range of programming languages and frameworks ranging from .NET to Python. I enjoy riding bikes and playing bass guitars. Looking forward to building software that matters."