Each week we interview one of our members to find out a bit more about them and their work in the Greater Manchester digital sphere. This week we're speaking with Wakelet, a Manchester-based content curation platform.
What does your organisation do?
Wakelet is a unique cloud-based content curation platform enabling anyone to capture, curate and share almost any type of content at the moment of discovery and inspiration. With just one click, users can capture content on any device and then curate and share the content easily.
Articles, videos, tweets, podcasts, Instagram photos – you can capture anything with Wakelet. You can organise your content into collections, reorder it, and add your own notes and images to help tell your story. Collections can be created in minutes, embellished with descriptions or images, cover any topic and be made public or kept private.
There are now over a million individual and business users on Wakelet, using the platform for everything from bookmarking, storytelling, and archiving, to collecting research, portfolios, topic pages, and more.
What do you think is currently the biggest issue facing the digital and tech industry?
To create more success stories in the UK and Europe, the digital and tech industry needs investors who are prepared to dream about the future, venture into the unknown, and look beyond Excel spreadsheets to see a company’s true potential.
There needs to be a system in place that allows companies to succeed, no matter whether they’re based in Silicon Valley or Sale. We need to embrace risk and failure to create a culture of development, mentoring and support.
Whether it’s through financial investment or support networks, businesses need to work together to preserve that culture and give back. There’s no point having tech accelerators and incubators if we can’t financially support the start-ups that come out of them.
What is your organisation’s biggest achievement?
Every time a user tells us how Wakelet has helped improve their life, it makes all the hard work worthwhile. Whether it’s a school teacher who has found a way to get parents engaged in their children’s education, an athlete that’s earned sponsorship thanks to their online portfolio, or a charity that’s been able to showcase their work in stories, there have been so many instances where Wakelet has solved a specific problem and made a noticeable difference to their day-to-day lives. While welcoming organisations like Harvard University, FC Barcelona and the Guggenheim Museum on to Wakelet has been amazing, it’s these everyday interactions with users that have been the most meaningful.
What would you consider to be your organisation’s biggest challenge?
At this stage in our growth, the key challenge is growing our team by hiring the right people with the right mindset and a strong sense of purpose. For us, the best employees are the ones who want to win, aren’t afraid of the unknown, and thrive on risk and challenge. We have an international user base, ambitious dreams, and rely on rapid innovation, which means this isn’t a 9-5 company. Our team is committed, passionate and driven, and we want to retain those traits as we grow.
What do you think the future looks like for Manchester’s digital and tech sector?
Manchester’s digital and tech sector is generally flourishing and starting to take shape – the future looks good. I hope that a culture of greater collaboration will start to emerge among the city’s businesses to help Manchester’s tech industry reach its full potential. If Manchester wants success stories, we need to create the environment, support infrastructure and resources to support start-ups.
Tell us something we might not know about your company?
Wakelet is named after the trails – known as wakes – that planes and boats create. The wake shows the journey and tell a story. When you create a collection on Wakelet, using content from around the web, you’re creating your own story and making your own wake.
What now?
If you want to contact Wakelet, you can contact them here.
If you're a member that would like to feature in In The Spotlight, email ruby@manchesterdigital.com
