Milamber Blog

                         (‘Intellego’ or ‘the Company’)

                           PLACING TO RAISE £300,000

                          APPOINTMENT OF JOINT BROKER

The  Board  of  Intellego,  the  AIM  traded  regulatory and compliance focused,
digital  learning business, are pleased to  announce that the Company has raised
£300,000  (before  expenses)  through  the  placing  of 150,000,000 new ordinary
shares  (the “Placing Shares”)  at 0.20p per share  (“the Placing”). The Placing
has  been arranged by Allenby Capital  Limited (“Allenby Capital”) and Rivington
Street Corporate Finance.

The  net  proceeds  of  the  Placing  will  be  used  to  continue the Company’s
acquisition  policy, which the  Board started with  the purchase of PIXELearning
Ltd  announced in May 2011.  The objectives of  the acquisitions will be to grow
the   scale  of  the  business  whilst  acquiring  IP,  profits  and  generating
shareholder value.

The  Placing is conditional on admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM
(“Admission”).   Application has been made to  the London Stock Exchange for the
Placing Shares, which will rank pari passu with all existing ordinary shares, to
be  admitted to trading  on AIM. Admission  is expected to  become effective and
dealings to commence on or around 9 August 2011.

The  Board is  pleased to  announce that  Allenby Capital  has been appointed as
joint  broker to  the Company.  As part  of the  Placing, the Company has issued
Allenby  Capital with warrants to subscribe for 2,907,233 new ordinary shares of
0.05p each  in Intellego (the “Warrants”). The Warrants are exercisable at 0.20
pence per ordinary share for a period of 3 years from Admission.

Following  Admission the number of shares  in issue will be 581,446,682 Ordinary
shares  of 0.05 pence per share. This figure  may be used by shareholders in the
Company  as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if
they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in,
the  share  capital  of  the  Company  under  the Financial Services Authority’s
Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Milverton Wallace – Milamber’s Head of Digital Media has launched our first Hackathon on the 22-23 Oct 2011.

You can find out more about the event at:

http://www.hackathoncentral.com/

(London, 27 June 2011)  PIXELearning Ltd, a subsidiary of Intellego Holdings plc. (IHP), has commissioned Keith Saunt, F1 veteran and Chief Operating Officer at Team Lotus, as subject matter expert to create an F1 Serious Game on Teamwork and other key management skills.

With the global popularity of  F1 motor racing and with new audiences being built as the Championship touches more and more countries, the sport has become the ideal backdrop for game-based learning techniques in the 21st Century.

With a plethora of “Fantasy” type F1 games available across the internet and many more administered by newspapers and media sites alike, the appeal of this spectacle is well proven and offers the perfect opportunity to create a suite of serious games that can provide innovative training solutions that will be embraced and utilised by all types of businesses around the world.

Motor sport is expanding into new territories and audiences continue to grow on a yearly basis with China recently being added to the race calendar with India in 2011 and the USA soon to follow with a new venue in Texas.  Hong Kong, Mexico and Argentina have also recently expressed interest in hosting a round of the F1 Championship in years to come which highlights the potential reach of a serious game built from within a virtual world of F1.

Some of these new and emerging markets will provide prime customers for proven western management training techniques, especially those based on cutting edge technologies set in a fast moving, dynamic environment.

Serious Games are used widely in the US and are becoming ever more popular in Europe and beyond.  They are a high-end management training tool where candidates receive training through embedded learning techniques whilst ‘playing’ in a virtual business world.  Learning experts consider immersive simulations the way forward in raising the skill levels of staff, especially as employee numbers remain generally steady under current global economic conditions.

The USP for the F1 Serious Game training product suite is that it takes place within a virtual F1 World and those receiving training do so whilst being immersed in this high-profile, high octane ‘virtual’ environment.

Andy Hasoon, IHP’s new Director of Corporate Strategy said, “IHP’s strategy is to acquire IP rights, products and companies in the digital learning marketplace. Teaming up with successful world class executives such as Keith to bring their subject matter expertise to life through Serious Games is part of that strategy. Already our development team is working on a trailer that we will release shortly to give you a sense of Keith’s Vision for the game being developed.”

Keith Saunt said, “I am extremely excited to have been asked by IHP to bring together my 23 years of F1 experience for such an innovative and appealing purpose.  My passion for mentoring and a lifelong interest in how systems, processes and more importantly people can be brought together to deliver the very best results in dynamic environments are a perfect match for these new, engaging learning technologies. I am really looking forward to playing my part in bringing knowledge and education to a virtual world based on the sport that I love.”

For further information:

Intellego Holdings plc: www.intellego.co.uk

Andy Hasoon or Angus Forrest : 020 8977 8744

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Intellego

Intellego is a digital learning company which specialises in the provision of productivity improvement, compliance and process change using training to provide the solutions.  The appropriate solution may be digital learning or instructor lead, or blended learning a mix of the two, to regulated industries and distributed workforces.

About Keith Saunt

Since 1988, Keith Saunt, a trained civil engineer, has held some of the most prestigious posts in the formula one racing world. Starting with Team Lotus moving on to Benetton Formula as head of purchasing and special projects manager, he has been head of manufacturing and deputy operations director at Renault F1, chief operating officer for Red Bull Racing and a director of Red Bull Technology and is currently chief operating officer for Team Lotus.

A feature of his career at the top of motor racing has been his ability to manage people, systems and processes in a high-octane, time challenged, competitive environment to create an efficient organisation capable of delivering results where it matters—on the winners’ podium.

His Benetton team won the F1 championship with lead driver Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995, and his Renault F1 team won the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship with lead driver Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

In 1998, after ten years in the fast lane, Saunt took up a new challenge and a change of environment as a Program Manager for Norwich Union where he co-managed the merger of Norwich Union and CGU to form the AVIVA Group. This foray into the ‘blue chip’ corporate environment gave him a chance to prove that a lithe adaptive approach to problem solving and delivery, as he had used to great effect in F1, was more than effective in the multi-layered world of corporate governance. 

He’s no stranger to immersive technology, having parlayed his experience in motor racing operations management into the world of immersive technology by developing F1 Serious Games.

Milamber Group is a significant shareholders in IHP.

(London, 22^ndJune 2011)  PIXELearning Ltd (“PIXEL”), a subsidiary of Intellego Holdings plc (IHP), has bought the management rights to the Serious Games People Group on Linkedin.

The Serious Games People Group has 1800+ members and is growing daily with an active discussion base and forum. PIXEL will take over management of the group, which will remain an open group – meaning all new discussion posts, shared links, job posts etc. can be socially linked and searched.

The group is a meeting place for those with an interest in serious games and immersive learning simulations or what is being termed in the industry, “gamification”.  Members include many of the world’s leading developers in Serious Games, Gamification and e-Learning.

Andy Hasoon, IHP’s new Corporate Strategy Director said, “This move is just the beginning of our efforts to acquire IP rights, products, and companies in the digital learning marketplace. We are building a team to execute this strategy.”

One of the biggest challenges ‘Learning companies’ have is designing products based on people’s actual needs.  Most learning companies develop solutions based on what they think people want not on what their actual needs are.  PIXEL believe the Serious Games People Group has the potential to collaborate as a learning technologies group and to help in new product innovation, talent and partner discovery,  market research, and market intelligence amongst the groups members.

Membership will remain by request only so that the group.  Whilst this approach might limit the speed of growth of a group, it ensures quality of membership. 

For further information:

Intellego Holdings plc:  www.intellego.co.uk

Andy Hasoon: 020 8977 8744

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Intellego

Intellego is a digital learning company which specialises in the provision of productivity improvement, compliance and process change using training to provide the solutions.  The appropriate solution may be digital learning or instructor lead, or blended learning a mix of the two, to regulated industries and distributed workforces.

Milamber Group is a signficant shareholders in IHP.

London 3rd May 2011 released at 7am:

Intellego Holdings plc
(‘Intellego’ or ‘the Company’)

ACQUISITION and DIRECTORATE CHANGE

The Board of Intellego, the AIM traded regulatory and compliance focused, digital learning business, is delighted to announce it has acquired PIXELearning Limited (‘PIXEL’), a gamification, or serious games and immersive learning simulations company from Milamber Investments Limited.

‘Gamification’, the process of applying serious gaming techniques to the workplace, is set to become a mainstream approach in large organisations, according to analyst firm Gartner as more than 70% of the Global 2,000 will use ‘gamification’ or serious games for at least one aspect of their organisation by 2014.

PIXEL established in 2003, has developed and owns proprietary technology called ‘Learning Beans’ which is used in-house to rapidly create ‘rich’ engaging and effective immersive learning simulations.

Recently, PIXEL has developed a library of ‘Off the Shelf’ products such as The Business Game, The Finance Game, The Entrepreneurship Game and the internationally acclaimed Diversity game called ’Makrini’.

PIXEL’s annual revenues have historically been from bespoke projects, with highest revenues of £527,279 in the year to 28 February 2009. In the year to 28 February 2011 PIXEL had revenues of £208,274 and an EBITDA loss of £57,000 and net liabilities of £32,000. PIXEL is moving increasingly to a business model focussed on selling ‘off the shelf’ library products via subscription and pay as you go revenue generation models. It has distribution arrangements in place in the UK and USA. The Directors believe that Intellego’s established corporate client base will accelerate sales in the UK market.

PIXEL sells to a range of large corporations in the UK and North America and its customer list includes a major oil company, manufacturer of computers and related products as well as consultancy and accounting practices.

The initial consideration is £160,000, to be satisfied by the issue of 40,000,000 new ordinary shares at a price of 0.4 pence per share (“the New Ordinary Shares”) with further issues dependent on performance after the end of the year to 28 February 2012 and 2013. The maximum total consideration is £1,100,000 to be satisfied in each case by the issue of new Ordinary Shares at 0.5 pence per share.

Application will be made for the New Ordinary Shares, which will rank pari passu with all existing ordinary shares, to be admitted to trading on AIM. Admission is expected on or around 9 May 2011. Following Admission, the enlarged share capital of the Company will be 431,446,682.

At completion Andy Hasoon, a director of PIXELearning Ltd, will be appointed an executive director of Intellego. Andy Hasoon, 39 has been involved in training since 1994, in 1999 he set up Courseleader.com, a business which specialised in IT training and in 2003 founded 50 Lessons, which was acquired by Skillsoft.com in 2011.

Andy Hasoon said ‘There is considerable opportunity to grow both the PIXEL and Intellego businesses organically and through M&A activities. The elearning market is highly fragmented and I have been invited on to the Intellego Board to help execute that strategy.’

Commenting Angus Forrest, Chairman of Intellego, said ‘ This acquisition will advance Intellego’s development as a top end digital learning business differentiating its offering from competitors , introducing new customer opportunities and generating income from the company’s own intellectual property.

We are pleased Andy Hasoon is joining the Board, as he will increase the Company’s experience and contacts within the learning sector.

We are reviewing other acquisition opportunities and if we are able to agree terms expect to make further announcements in the next six months.’

New director

Andrew (Andy) Saad Mawfek Hasoon is 39. He has held the following directorships in companies or partnerships in the past five years:

Current
Milamber Group Limited
Milamber Investments Limited
Milamber Limited
Milamber Digital Limited
Milamber Media Limited
Vivoly Limited
PIXELearning Limited
The Serious Sales Games Limited

Past:
Soundbridge Group Limited
Soundbridge (UK) Limited
Soundbridge Media Limited
Escrow 150812 Limited
Fifty Lessons Limited
Fifty Lessons (North America Distribution) Limited
LES50NS Limited
LES50NS (Productions) Limited
LES50NS (North America) Limited
LES50NS (Intellectual) Limited
LES50NS (North America Distribution) Limited
NetMedia Digital Media research and Practice Limited
Milamber Consulting Limited
WeWin Media Limited
Global Professional Publishing Limited

Soundbridge Asia Limited
Insight Learning Media Limited
Soundbridge International Inc
Soundbridge US LLC
Truman Company Inc
50 Lessons LLC

The following two companies were put into administration within two years of Mr Hasoon resigning as a director: IHD (2001) Limited from which he resigned in April 2002 and which went into creditors voluntary liquidation in September 2002; and CourseLeader UK Limited, where he ceased to be a director from June 2001 and which went into creditors voluntary liquidation in May 2002. Both companies are now dissolved.

No other disclosures are required under the AIM rules.

As a result of the acquisition the parent company of Milamber Investments Ltd, Milamber Group Limited, in which Andy Hasoon owns 30% of the ordinary shares, will hold 40,000,000 Ordinary Shares, representing 9.2 % of the Company’s enlarged share capital.

Andy Hasoon has agreed to provide his services as follows: under a service agreement between the Company and himself he will serve as a Corporate Strategy Director for a minimum of 7.5 hours a week, with six month’s written notice at a basic salary of £15,000 per annum; and under a consultancy agreement between the Company and Millamber Investments Limited he will provide services to include the provision of strategic direction, tactical planning, and digital learning product for a minimum of twenty nine and a half hours a week, with six month’s written notice, for a fee of £60,000 per annum exclusive of VAT.

For further information:

Intellego Holdings plc
Angus Forrest
Tel. 020 8977 8744

Beaumont Cornish Limited
Roland Cornish
Tel. 020 7628 3396

Rivington Street Corporate Finance Limited
Jon Levinson
Tel. 020 7562 3357

About Intellego

Intellego specialises in the provision of productivity improvement, compliance and process change using training to provide the solutions. Focus areas include published and bespoke elearning and training for retail, pharmaceutical and financial services industries.

Gartner release:
https:www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1629214

We are working on a new simulation game – it’s all about Sales and we have started by creating a short video to give you a sense of what it is about.

Enjoy!

This article just got puplished www.silicon.com and is confirming the trend that the use of Games and Simulations are already part of the planning process and over a relatively short period of time will be implemented into mainstream use within organisations.

————————————————————————————————————————–

Gamification will be used by most large organisations by 2014, says Gartner

Gamification, the process of applying gaming techniques to the workplace, is set to become a mainstream approach in large organisations, according to analyst firm Gartner.

According to Gartner, more than 70 per cent of the 2,000 largest global concerns will use gamification for at least one aspect of their organisation by 2014.

Brian Burke, an analyst at Gartner, said gamification could be applied to “innovation, marketing, training, employee performance, health and social change” in these organisations.

The report also predicted that half of organisations that have a formal process for generating ideas will use gamification by 2015.

One such organisation highlighted in the report was the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions, which created an innovation game called Idea Street. It is a social-collaboration platform, containing game mechanics including points, leaderboards and a “buzz index”, which was created to encourage the ministry’s 120,000 members of staff to contribute to the generation of ideas.

Within 18 months, the game had generated 1,400 ideas from 4,500 users, with 63 of these ideas actually being implemented, according to Gartner.

Burke advised CIOs and IT planners to play a leading role in evaluating the potential for gamification in their organisation. He added that they should educate their business counterparts on the possibilities presented by gamification.

—————————————————————————————————————————

If you need advise on Gamification got to our new subsidiary www.PIXELearning.com

(London: 14 April 2011): PIXELearning (PIXEL), a global leader in business simulations and games-based learning in the e-learning marketplace, has been acquired by Milamber Investments in a cash and share deal.

The company provides custom as well as off-the-shelf games and immersive learning services to blue chip customers, business schools and colleges.

Investors in PIXEL include regional VC fund Advantage West Midlands and loan fund Advantage Transition Bridge Fund. Both, along with others, will become shareholders in Milamber Group.

Andy Hasoon, CEO of Milamber Group, joins the PIXEL board. Richard Smith remains CEO of PIXEL and will continue to spearhead the growth of the company.

Richard Smith says, ”We have been working with Milamber since April 2010 when I took over as CEO of PIXEL. During that time we have made significant progress to move from a bespoke serious games and immersive simulations company to having a suite of products that are also off-the shelf such as PIXEL’s finance, business, entrepreneurship, sales and leadership simulations, plus ‘must have’ products such as our ‘diversity’ and ‘data security’ simulations – we plan to make many more over the coming years”.

In addition, says Smith,  “We have put in place development and distribution arrangements with companies  such as Reality Works, Global Novations and Pearson Education. Teaming up with Milamber gives us the ability to take the next step in our growth.”  

Headquartered in the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University’s Technology Park, PIXELearning has pioneered the application of computer games and simulation techniques to create world-class technologies and tools for education, training and marketing communications in the corporate environment.

PIXELearning has an excellent track record in developing innovative solutions to business learning issues. Recent examples include the creation of a new recruit induction programme for KPMG and an online game for HP to help employees understand good practices for data security. Its client list includes 3M, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Shell, Comcast, and CocaCola.

Milamber is already working to bring access to capital, management resources, and scale to PIXEL’s product portfolio. Says Hasoon, “We have the expertise and experience to build a global distribution footprint and access content and development partners who can help grow this business significantly”.

Notes for editors

For further information contact:

Andy Hasoon, Milamber Group Ltd

Email: andy.hasoon@milambergroup.com

Tel: +44 (0) 247 623 6971

“Peter Frederick is a black belt in persuasive writing.” – Andy Hasoon, Entrepreneur and CEO of Milamber!

This is the quote that I wrote for the back of Pete’s book.  Well when a guy as talented as Pete writes a proposal (with no presentation) and just by using the power of the written word helps secure £750k in funding as a grant from the Technology Strategy Board you confirm that he is a master at persuasive writing.   

http://www.milamberblog.com/milamber-digital-gets-technology-strategy-board-funding-for-1-5m-project/

And this one is a win-win for Milamber as well as for Peter. We did the introduction to Pearson’s brand Prentice Hall Business which resulted in getting Peter’s first book published. The reality is that quality and talent always shine brightly.

I  have to say having worked with sales people and bid writers through-out my career this is one of those books that really is a ‘must have’ for anyone serious about winning proposals, but its more than that. Let us say you are a manager or director of a company and have to write something in order to help persuade someone or a group of people to come around to your way of thinking – this book nails on the head all sorts of ways of doing that practically and easily.

Peter sent me the early manuscript of the book and frankly I found that I learnt a huge amount about how to write more persuasively, and succinctly to get across key points to a potential buyer or audience. I found that I started using his tips and lessons in day to day written materials not just proposals but e-mails and letters to colleagues and staff, and I found that the message I wanted to deliver was getting to through to them more effectively.

This is a little gem and we have already decided to help Peter further – we have offered to build a whole series of virtual tools around this topic.  

For more information on Peter’s book please go to:

 http://www.persuasivewriting.co.uk/

I get this question a lot what is the size in numbers for the UK corporate learning market and where is the best research on the market.

The UK Learning market typically focuses on the 6,000 Large Enterprises, each with over 250 employees which represent about 9m employees overall.

However, we find that 1-249 employee organisations i.e. SME’s represent

a) about 1.2m organisations in the UK and

b) have about 9.6m employees overall.

http://stats.bis.gov.uk/ed/sme/Stats_Press_Release_2009.pdf

So what we see is that the SME market is actually bigger than the LE market but the challenge is how does the learning industry target this highly fragmented demographic?

The 2 best reports that give you the data you need on the UK market and that are up to date:

1)      UK E-learning Market £499+VAT

http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/Resources/Market_Reports_/The_UK_elearning_market_2010

2)      UK Training Industry Report £460+VAT via Keynote.

http://www.keynote.co.uk/market-intelligence/view/product/10404/training?utm_source=kn.reports.browse