The Library House ranks top 100 media technology firms

The 2008 Mediatech 100 list was produced in association with Kemp Little and New Media Age.

Despite the current economic climate, Library House data indicates that venture capital investment remains as steady as it has been in previous years.

In 2008, despite a poor second quarter, which led to many predicting the start of the Mediatech investment slump, investment levels are on par with 2007 values. In fact, a number of venture capital funds have stated not only that the level of investments will not suffer, but that there are increased opportunities as entrepreneurs are unable to go into debt. 

Data indicates that Mediatech venture capital investment is buoyant. Incorporating technologies in entertainment, publishing, search, and community, Mediatech companies continue to attract investors, particularly in the areas of Search & Directory and Community & Sharing. As an industry that is continuously adapting to changes in consumers’ expectations and demands, and that is proving itself immune to investment slumps elsewhere, Mediatech’s continued growth and development for the future appears certain.

Europe has some of the most active Community & Sharing Mediatech platforms, some of the most exciting and most visited virtual worlds, and is home to the forerunners of technology leading the convergence between enablers and content and service providers.  UK-based Flirtomatic, the number one company on the Mediatech 100 list, is a great example of what Europe can produce.

Andrea Favale, CEO of Library House commented: "The wider picture demonstrates Mediatech’s resilience in the current economic downturn as it continues to attract investment, albeit in smaller deals. Our Mediatech 100 includes some impressive companies and shows the strength of European venture capital in this sector and more widely. It’s very encouraging to see the number of businesses that are being financed and their potential.

Full 100 list of companies below.

The Library House 2008 Mediatech 100 supported by Kemp Little and NMA

Top 10 companies – In order

1.     Flirtomatic

Handmade Mobile Entertainment runs the Flirtomatic service, a fast-paced messaging platform, entertainment and dating. Handmade distinguishes its service from other dating sites by an emphasis on "spontaneous fun", and its cross-platform web-mobile interoperability. The service is free to use, but revenues are generated through advertising and by up-selling of value added services for small fees. 70% of Flirtomatic's users are aged 18-24.

2.     MOO Print

MOO Print is a printing company, producing a variety of printed products (cards, stickers etc) based on users' photograps. Users can upload photographs directly, use stock MOO's designs, or use the MOO.com interface to take images from accounts on Flickr, Facebook or other similar websites. A pack of 50 business cards could have a different image printed on each card.

3.     Where Are You Now?

Where Are You Now (WAYN) is a social networking community which emphasises the formation of contacts between travellers around the world, as well as helping friends who met whilst travelling to stay in touch. The network has over 13 million users, and is present in 193 countries. WAYN allows users to share photographs and videos via its site, and it has SMS functionality.

4.     Dailymotion

DailyMotion is a destination website hosting user-generated videos. The French website has been growing steadily since its launch in for those wishing to publish videos online, or to watch the video others have uploaded. The site has in excess of 30m page views per day, and has a global Alexa rank of 38. In February 2008, the site began to support HD video.

5.     King.com

Midasplayer.com Ltd runs the King.com website, a successful casual gaming site where players compete against opponents from around the world. The games played are casual and skill-based, and presented in flash. The site’s main attraction is that it allows players to back themselves with small monetary stakes, avoiding gambling restrictions as the games are skill orientated, rather than games of chance.

6.     Sulake

Sulake runs the popular Habbo site, a free-to-use, browser-based virtual world in which players customise an avatar character and its room in a virtual hotel. Sulake generates revenue by selling in-game furniture in order to personalise the character’s space. Habbo has 19 websites running, in 30 local communities. The site receives 8 million unique visits per day, and has 100 million avatars registered.

7.     Playfish

Playfish develops and publishes games for integration into social networks. Its most popular games are on the Facebook platform. Playfish’s games have over 20 million active users, and this number is growing rapidly. The company has three games on offer currently, with the aim of encouraging interactions between friends through gaming sociably.

8.     Blyk

Blyk is an advert-funded mobile telecoms network for 16-24 year olds. Users receive a set number of texts and minutes per month, which can be topped up through payment. In exchange for free messages and minutes, users are sent multimedia adverts directly to their mobiles, which they can easily interact with by replying to messages.

9.     Plastic Logic

Plastic Logic has developed a low-power, flexible display, initially for use in the company’s portable document reader. The device will be released in 2009 and encompasses a touch screen interface, along with the robustness of the company’s display technology, which is built on a plastic substrate.

10.   Stardoll

Stardoll is an online community website and browser game aimed at people aged 9-17 who are interested in fashion. The site is centred on a dressing-up game, wherein a user chooses the clothing an online avatar will wear. The service has over 8 million unique page views per month. The game is free to play, but small subscription fees open additional content.

Remaining top 100 – NO ORDER

For information on Mediatech 100 companies including case studies, commentary and to download the Mediatech Report, please go to www.libraryhouse.net/report