blog Not every Web 2.0 startup is for sexy young things who are devoted to sharing every instant of their “social universe” online. Some startups aim at different categories. A good example is Tapestry.net, which just picked up a cool $400k in investment from government group Commercialisation Australia. The associated media release:
Tapestry.net , the startup enabling more seniors to connect online, has secured $400,000 in funding from Commercialisation Australia. The grant will be used to extend the product to multiple platforms including the iPad and iPhone, add community-based features and accelerate the company’s international growth.
Tapestry is a tablet application and social platform that helps Australian seniors stay connected to the people who care for them, by allowing them to take advantage of today’s social media applications in an easy-to-use way without worrying about privacy and security.
Founder Andrew Dowling says the grant will help the company achieve a number of development goals, including plans to extend the range of connections possible through Tapestry. “Currently Tapestry users connect exclusively to friends and family members, but we plan to broaden the capabilities, creating retirement and other community-based group packages,” Dowling sid.
Dowling added that there were a number of other developments in the pipeline. “We’ve had such an overwhelming response since we made Tapestry available to the public earlier this year. The feedback has been fantastic, but we’ve also noticed that the ease-of-use has left our seniors wanting more,” Dowling said. “Many of them already have an iPad, for example. We’re now extending the platform to iPads, iPhones and Android phones, so that all family members can use Tapestry on whatever device they prefer.”
The Commercialisation Australia grant will also assist Tapestry with its international plans. “We’ve got our eyes firmly fixed on a US launch later this year and making good ground towards it,” Dowling said.
Tapestry has been selected as a feature company for the Australian Federal Government funded, Advance Innovation Program. The program seeks to help Australian companies that have high potential to become global businesses, and has helped Tapestry travel to Silicon Valley to build networks with investors, partners and customers as Tapestry seeks to expand into the US market.
“Tapestry is an innovative Australian start-up with a good idea, solid business plan and talented team behind it,” said Commercialisation Australia CEO Doron-Ben Meir. “The company’s traction to date is very encouraging and we are optimistic about its future potential.”
Commercialisation Australia Case Manager Topaz Conway said she was delighted to be working with Tapestry. “When Andrew first introduced Tapestry to Commercialisation Australia, we were excited by the concept. But we were equally impressed at the level of research and thought that had gone into developing an innovative solution to a major problem facing many Australians — and one that is likely to become more critical to the nation as the population continues to age. “We look forward to supporting its continued development and growth into new markets.”
I’ve said it before and no doubt I’ll say it again: There is a lot of money floating around in Australia’s investment community for startups at the moment. If you’re interested in getting involved in a Web 2.0 startup of some kind, now is definitely the time.
Image credit: Fernando Mengoni, royalty free