Solent alumnus exhibits at Venturefest
We caught up with Solent alumnus, Mitch Wisniewski about his tech start-up, Other Skies and exhibiting at the forthcoming Venturefest event
Venturefest, the South’s festival of Innovation, returns in a physical format for 2021 this October. As a founding partner, Solent University will be among a number of organisations collaborating and exhibiting. Among those showcasing at the event is Solent alumnus, Mitch Wisniewski, CEO of Other Skies. Ahead of the showcase we caught up with Mitch to hear about his exhibit and his time since graduating from Solent.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your business
I’m Mitch, CEO of art-tech start-up, Other Skies, the premier provider of 3D websites.
We launched our business at the Southampton International Boat Show, offering 3D web-apps as a build-a-bear for boats concept; visualised and animated, integrated tech specs – everything you need in one place, like a digital broker. We have won the attention of large manufacturers, amphibious RIB creators, and vinyl boat wrappers.
What did you study at Solent and how did this help you?
I studied CGI (BA (Hons) Computer Generated Imagery), achieving a vast understanding of 3D technologies, and a well-developed network providing business expertise and industry insight. I became interested in CGI’s various applications to business and successfully pitched to Solent for grant funding. Solent contacts then enabled access to the Southampton Science Park’s Catalyst business accelerator.
How has the pandemic impacted your business?
The pandemic has served as a catalyst to our business. With remote sales becoming the critical path to success in business, an undeniable need to make online communication less stagnant emerged, thus amplifying demand for a visual communication solution. We are an agile, online team, very capable in coordinating business without an office.
What are you most hoping to get from Venturefest?
We hope to market ourselves to industry specialists who our offering can meaningfully benefit - networking with sales and marketing veterans, as well as stakeholders, within organisations in need of refining online sales. We hope to connect with a VC who has experience in cross-sector business, or experience in our initial target market of maritime.
Do you have any advice for students who are looking to establish their own business?
Don’t be deterred. Be relentless in iterating your proposition. The faster you can test your proposition, learn, and adapt, the better your chance of success, so be fearless in speaking to people. Make good use of your network and your contacts - contacts are your greatest opportunity. Don’t get too caught up chasing funding, learning costs very little and an MVP can be any kind of imitation imaginable – reach out to us for product visualisation if it can help you. Use InnovateUK, participate in every single business course available to you, and connect with your local university.
