BaseKit

BaseKit is a cloud-based web presence platform and website builder, that partners with hosting, telco and internet companies to reach small and medium-sized businesses, delivering websites that work on phone, tablets and web browsers.

BaseKit is developed by BaseKit Platform Ltd based in the United Kingdom, with offices in Bristol and London, England. The company has also established local offices in Spain and São Paulo.[1]

History and development

Basekit was created by Simon Best, Richard Best and Richard Healy.[2]

The company took off in September 2008 when Basekit was awarded £50,000 of seed funding by winning Seedcamp, the European-wide competition for early-stage companies.[3][4] Juan Lobato was one of the investors from Seedcamp and initially acted as an advisor to Basekit before being appointed full-time CEO in July 2009. Basekit raised a further £10 million in funding from leading European venture investors Eden Ventures, NESTA and Nauta Capita in 2011.[5]

In 2011, BaseKit software was selected as the engine behind Google's "India Get Your Business Online" initiative, which encourages local businesses to establish a website presence and get listed in Google Maps.

In 2014, Basekit secured a further £4.5m in investment from existing investors as well as The British Business Bank, through the Angel CoFund.[6] During the same year BaseKit also partnered with Google in their ‘Think Insights’ initiative,[7] encouraging small businesses to develop websites that are accessible across all devices.

The software

BaseKit’s editor allows for responsive websites that work on mobile, tablet and web browsers.

The design is available in the BaseKit’s editor for the user to add content by clicking and dragging 'widgets' from BaseKit's toolbox onto the page. The user can preview the site 'live' at any time from within the interface on their browser. Once satisfied with their design, the user can then 'publish' the site, enabling anyone with the URL to view the site.

Availability

BaseKit’s editor has been localised into 15 languages: English (British), English (US), Polish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Swedish, Russian, Serbian, Greek and Norwegian. It is available to end customers from over 100 hosting and telco providers worldwide.

Investment

Key investors in BaseKit include Eden Ventures,[8] NESTA,[9] Seedcamp.[2][3] and The British Business Bank.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Startups, The. "BaseKit: Simon Best, Richard Best & Richard Healy". Startups. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Taken from http://www.basekit.com/about-us
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "2008". Seedcamp. 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  4. ↑ "Early-stage European Startups Take Honours At Seedcamp". TechCrunch. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  5. ↑ Basekit Your website, your way (2013-10-31). "Basekit". Edenventures.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  6. ↑ O'Hear, Steve (Feb 4, 2014). "Website Building Platform BaseKit Raises Further £4.5M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Multi-Screen Vendors". Google. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Basekit Your website, your way. "Basekit". Edenventures.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  9. ↑ http://www.nesta.org.uk/investments/portfolio/ict_engineering_and_cleantech
  10. ↑ http://british-business-bank.co.uk/