Two friends with the ‘spark of entrepreneurship’ believe they are unearthing the next big thing in social media.
After meeting at Ravensbourne University in London, Ben Whatson and Jack Peagam would go on to found businesses together. However they first learned their trade in marketing and the film & TV industries respectively.
“I was a social media manager and supported the branding of companies, as well as some graphic design,” Whatson tells TechBlast. “I also used to model for some fashion and fitness brands.”
He also once surprised a potential employer by singing in a job interview. ”I got the job,” he says.
Peagam’s camera operation skills were used on TV dramas, commercials and feature films. “I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with mogul companies such as ITV, Channel 4 and Sky,” says the fledgling entrepreneur, who once clapped for 24 hours straight to raise money for the NHS.
He is also a filmmaker. While finishing his cinematography and film/video production degree back in 2016, he was honoured with the Best Short Documentary Official Selection at Sheffield Doc Fest for Klavierkunst, the story of a street pianist who travelled more than 400 miles to Paris to console and inspire people suffering in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks.
“We’ve both always been hugely ambitious, hard working and most importantly, had that spark to want to create something,” the duo explain. “We’ve both also always wanted to be our own boss, to be able to drive and dictate our own paths.”
They co-founded Actve, a platform for connecting with fitness creators, in 2020. Their newest project is Linkup, a social app which offers users a new way to connect with people in their area. Based on categories of interest, from sport to drinks to fitness, ‘linkups’ are created in the app and tackle the problem of loneliness and anxiety around socialising head-on.
The app features a swipe-through of linkups happening nearby, a chat function to speak to people before attending to get the details, specific location services and integrated safety features.
Linkup has signed up 1,500 users in Manchester in its first two weeks following soft-launch in the city and has plans to grow nationwide.
“When we recognised the need for helping people to connect socially and in person, and the potential scale that this type of business could achieve, we joined forces to create Linkup,” the founders say.
The app was created in partnership with development company Tappable, which is an early investor alongside hip hop duo Krept & Konan, YouTuber Calfreezy and other YouTubers and footballers.
It has raised £770,000 to date. “Fundraising is not an easy job but we’ve put the work in and we’ve had a great response from investors,” they add. “It has been a long process which can at times be quite overwhelming.
“Our investors and stakeholders have been brilliant and provided some insightful advice along the way, which has allowed us to see countless opportunities.
“We’ve even had some high-profile individuals, including well-known celebrities, who saw the potential of Linkup and instantly wanted to invest, which we saw as bringing huge value and not just monetary.”
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