11 October 2011, Manchester, UK - Serial entrepreneur Paul Yates has brought together four Manchester-based digital companies to launch the Online Ventures Group. Following his previous entrepreneurial successes, Yates’ ambitious goal is to float the group on the London Stock Exchange within just three years.

This is full circle for Yates who is returning to his entrepreneurial roots having been at the helm for the last 18 months of Swedish listed company Getupdated as group CEO. He took the company from a £9 million loss to a projected £2 million profit this year. Online Ventures is the next chapter in Yates’ triumphant career. He initially experienced unrivalled success after starting SEO company Just Search in 2004 and selling it for £14.8 million, after only three years.

“I have created Online Ventures to bring together four fantastic companies with great potential. With my roots firmly embedded in SEO and digital, I am keen to use my expertise and experience in this space to put together a full service company that can act as a ‘one stop shop’ for all of our clients’ needs; whether that’s web design, SEO or online PR. What binds each of them together is their high standards of service and great relationships with clients, and these shared values are what will make the group a success,” comments Yates.

Each business within the group covers a different sector. Rococo is an established PR/marketing agency that deals with everything from branding to event management. It’s impressive clientele includes huge companies such as Nike, Budweiser and Nestle while also representing a number of celebrities including Michael Owen and Amir Khan.

Search Innovation specialises in SEO and has developed a reputation for creating great exposure for client brands, generating traffic to their website and increasing customer engagement. The business sets itself apart from competitors due to its vast industry experience and flexible contracts. This flexibility means that all Search Innovation clients can alter their strategy without being tied to a rigid contract.

Via Studios is a leading multi-discipline web design and development studio. It has been around for over ten years in which time the range of services available has grown and grown. It offers a range of managed services and hosted products that help clients connect to their audience. Every web design need is catered for from mobile app development to user experience and usability design, which allows the business to treat every job individually to meet each client’s unique goals and aspirations.

Mobedia is the final digital agency of the Manchester quartet. It is filled with creative designers who deal with animation, social media and bespoke content management systems. Mobedia’s ethos is to create designs that will turn heads and generate great results for their clients. Each of these businesses, along with Online Ventures, have already created 25 jobs in the local community since August.

Online Ventures’ turnover is currently £2 million and Yates confidentially expects this to grow rapidly over the next year.

-ENDS-

About Online Ventures
Online Ventures was launched in August 2011 and is a group of four digital companies based in Manchester, UK. It was formed by serial entrepreneur Paul Yates, the well known founder of SEO company, Just Search. Each business within the group covers a different digital sector; Rococo is a marketing/PR agency, Search Innovation an SEO specialist, Via Studios offers web design expertise and Mobedia is a creative agency specialising in animation.