Glasgow site scoops first prise at Scottish Internet Oscars

Glasgow based website Saw-You.com took top honours at this years Winners at the Web awards as part of Scottish Enterprise's e-Business week. The website captures first prise worth 30,000.

For immediate release

Innovative Chat & Flirt service takes top honours in Scotlands 'Internet Oscars.

June 14th 2001: Glasgow-based Saw-You.com (www.saw-you.com) last night (Wednesday) scooped the top prize, worth 30 000, in this years Winners at the Web contest, known as Scotlands Internet Oscars. The site, which makes the use of computers and mobile phones, is backed by Scots entrepreneur Richard Emanuel and his firm ITS.

Saw-You allows people to contact others, using WAP and SMS, by simply describing the person they want to contact, using a short series of commands. No phone numbers, no e-mail addresses, complete anonymity" is the promise.

Saw-Yous mobile offering was labelled one of the coolest mobile applications available and its web site is already a big hit with computer users around the country.

The Winners at the Web 2001 competition (W@W) was run by the Scottish Enterprise Network, in conjunction with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and commercial partners, to find companies, public sector organisations and voluntary organisations making the best use of internet technologies, either in-house or externally, north of the border.

Awards ceremonies took place last night in Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Charlie Watt, the Senior Director of e-business at Scottish Enterprise said:

Saw-You.com provided instant attraction for the judges. The technology behind the service is truly innovative and provides a unique service with masses of potential for future growth."

And with good looks, quirky personality and bags of appeal, it was just the kind of thing to turn our heads. We had no doubt that it had to win the top prize."

Mike Kinsella, Chief Executive Officer of Saw-You.com added:

We are thrilled to have won this award. It confirms to us that our offering is technically sophisticated and that it offers something quite unique and very appealing to the rapidly growing mobile Internet and SMS market."

We look forward to leveraging the prestige of this award in growing our existing user base and forge further partnerships with the industrys key players"

Mr Watt said more than 700 companies and organisations -- the largest ever -- expressed interest in the competition this year, with 400 going on to actually submit an entry.

This is nearly double the amount of people who competed in last years Winners At The Web competition and the highest since it started in 1997.

Im delighted at the quality of the entries -- and encouraged that nearly half came from small businesses. Were keen to promote the message that every organisation - from one man bands to large multi-nationals - can gain a competitive advantage from using internet technology."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Martin Bramall
Velocity Communications - 020 7831 1312 / 07949 215177 or e-mail
martin@velocitypr.co.uk

Velocity Communications -- 020 7831 1252 / 07780 684178 or e-mail
kate@velocitypr.co.uk

Adrian Mahoney
External PR Consultant to Scottish Enterprise - 0141 228 2440 or e-mail adrian.mahoney@scotent.co.uk

NOTE TO EDITORS:

As well as the main prize, a further eight categories were up for grabs, with winners picking up computer prizes and consultancy support.

·   The e-solution award - honouring web designers and suppliers providing world-class e-business services for their clients -- was won by Edinburgh-based Company Net (www.company-net.com). New Glasgow web agency Its Not Rocket Science (www.inrs.co.uk) was runner-up.

·   The dot com award - rewarding firms who trade exclusively online -- was won by Glasgow-based 5pm.co.uk (www.5pm.co.uk) a site allowing people to book discount restaurant places.

·   The best community initiative -- rewarding a charity, or not-for-profit organisation, using innovative e-techniques -- was won by Clacksweb (www.clacksweb.org.uk), the internet gateway for the communities in Clackmannanshire. Football Aid (www.footballaid.com), the Edinburgh-based charity raising money for good causes through football, scored the runners-up slot.

·   The business to business award - honouring a firm which has used internet technology to raise the profile and growth of its business in its chosen marketplace -- was won by another Edinburgh firm, Scottish Courage Brands, for its extranet (a closed website open only to partner businesses). Cumbernauld-based Prosys (www.prosys.co.uk) was named as a runner-up in this category, with Aberdeen-based Millstream commended for its site, Tenders Direct (www.tendersdirect.co.uk).

There were also three awards specifically for businesses, which promote Internet excellence.

·   Best small business online - awarded to an organisation with 49 employees or less -- was named as Glasgow-based McKean Foods (www.mckeansofscotland.co.uk). Commended in this category was Need for Speed (www.needforspeed.co.uk) a Helensburgh-based online parts supplier for road and competition cars and bikes.

·   Best medium business - awarded to an organisation with 50 to 249 employees -- was Edinburgh Petroleum Services (www.e-petroleumservices.com), a firm providing engineering software, petroleum engineering services and training.

·   The best large business -- a category for organisations with more than 250 staff -- was won by The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire (www.gleneagles.com). The Search Consultancy (www.search.co.uk) with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dunfermline, was named as runner-up.

A final, ninth award -- the UK Online for business/Interforum e-commerce award -- honoured a firm which recognised the benefits of using technology to help its business succeed. This award was won by Dumfries-based Onlineweather.com (www.onlineweather.com)

This last award was run by the Department of Trade and Industrys e-business arm. The Scottish winner will go through to a UK final, with a top prize of 30,000 up for grabs.

Winners At The Webs partners for this year were Oracle, Energis Squared, ICScotland and Scot FM. The awards were also supported by ScotlandIS -- an organisation that represents, promotes and serves the interactive media, software and internet sectors in Scotland.

The event was held as part of Scottish Enterprises e-Business Week.

For more information on Winners At the Web and Scottish Enterprises support for e-business, visit www.scottish-enterprise.com/ebusiness.

About Saw-You.com

Saw-You.com is a Glasgow based Mobile-Internet Company offering a unique social enhancement service through a host of digital platforms. The service, 'Descriptive Instant Messaging', utilises PC based Internet, mobile phone based Internet (WAP) and SMS applications which together enable users to meet and interact in their defined common social space without the need for phone numbers or email addresses.
Users are required to register their descriptive profile and regular social haunts after which they can contact, and be contacted by, other users in their own social environment. The users profile can be updated on-the-move using WAP so that their details and whereabouts can be kept up-to-date at all times.
Mike Kinsella (Chief Executive Officer) and John McGuire (Non-Executive Director) launched Saw-you.com in January 2001. Kinsella was previously a Senior Project Manager at Compaq Computers whilst McGuire also runs Pulsion Technology, an E-Commerce development company. First-round funding of nearly 1 Million was achieved as a result of which the company became part of the ITS group.
The site can be found at http://www.saw-you.com

About Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise is the main economic development agency for Scotland covering 93 per cent of the population from Grampian to the Borders. The Scottish Enterprise Network consists of Scottish Enterprise and 12 Local Enterprise Companies. Working in partnership with the private and public sectors the Network aims to build more and better businesses, to develop the skills and knowledge of Scottish people, and to encourage innovation to make Scottish business internationally competitive.

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