James York - CEO & Co-Founder

Linkedin Profile:   James York

Experience:

James has never been afraid to admit that he's an "ideas man". He loves building them, too. He has built two niche online brands: Blokely is a cult men's lifestyle digizine and Insurance4everyone a niche insurance retailer.

With an academic interest in all things entrepreneurial, his first business idea came at Southampton University during his Entrepreneurial Management course. Although bottled "snakebite & black" was never a serious prospect, his creative imagination had been given its taste.

After 5 years in the London Insurance Market James worked in multiple classes of business in both the Underwriting and Broker roles. He struck out on his own after his father coaxed him into working on the branding and marketing for a new retail insurance site. Blokely followed two years later and both businesses continue to grow in the backdrop of a fierce recession.

Favourite Book: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.

Richard Sams - CTO & Co-founder:

Linkedin Profile:   Richard Sams

Richard Sams is a Creative Partner at Say Digital, a full service web design and development agency based in Brighton. His primary roles focus on Project management, User Experience, Information Architecture and Graphic Design.

Richard studied for a degree in Education and IT at the University of Brighton leading him to becoming the head of Information Technology at a notable International School in Bangkok, Thailand.

Following his time in Thailand, Richard came back to the UK to dive into the creative web world at full tilt. Richard has been involved in working with both startups and established brands since his return to Blighty. Working primarily with an awesome development team of skilled analysts and programmers - Rich loves what he does, to the last line of painstakingly crafted code.

Favourite book: Screw it, Let's Do it - Richard Branson

On the idea:

"Knitd. was conceived to help bring balance and negotiating power to a journalist's portfolio. It's a self-syndication tool that creates another opportunity to generate income. Knitd. is unique solution." Said James York, Knitd. CEO & Co-founder

"We've created a technological solution to a fundamental issue. Premium content creators, without big budgets, face a tougher task than ever to monetise their expertise. But they shouldn't have to suffer this gladly - tech to the rescue." Said Richard Sams, Knitd. CTO & Co-founder

On the brand:

"Knitd. will become an ecosystem in its own right. It's got all the capaibilty of native apps, without having to live like one. It's this characteristic that means better margins for writers, more control and the opportunity to generate a revenue for the content produced. You could call it Social Syndication, I suppose." Said Richard Sams, Knitd. CTO & Co-founder

On journalists:

"Journalists - especially in the UK - have been under siege. Collectively they are essential for the publishing industry, but separately they've had their value eroded and their integrity questioned. Knitd. offers new and unrivalled opportunity for their portfolio and image." Said James York, Knitd. CEO & Co-founder

"We think that it represents a fresh start and a means to convey value and professionalism, once more." Said James York, Knitd. CEO & Co-founder

On the technology:

“We’ve harnessed simple and yet responsive techniques to create a user experience that is to premium content what pick ‘n’ mix was to sweets" Said Richard Sams, Knitd. CTO & Co-founder

"We predict impulse buys, we predict value and we'll be fascinated by the brand-build opportunity offered by our stream concept. Knitd. is a valuable tool for both the producer and consumer of premium content." Said Richard Sams, Knitd. CTO & Co-founder