Not if you watch this weeks BBC2’s Dragon’s Den. Up to slay a Dragon, was Peter Hopton of ‘Very PC’, who had valued his company at no less than £5million, and wanted a £250,000 for a 5% stake of his company.
Ok so aside from the Fairly Tale figures, the U.S.P. of Very PC was, its accolades of awards (you can count three displayed in the Den), and its ethos of a greener less ‘mean’ PC technology. Hopton, ran through Very PC’s green credentials saying ‘(…) we make them energy saving’.
Basically, Very PC takes the off-the-shelf PC consumerables and remodels PCs at lower energy saving versions. Which begged Peter Jones’s Dragon question, how is this a patented business model, and what’s to stop You or I going out and doing the same? But back to the greener issue at stack, by relying on generic PC parts, Very PC PC’s seem to be no more recyclable or efficient than any other computer out there...
Greener technology is the way to go, hey who doesn’t love the environment? But when ‘greener’ is tacked onto Brand development (£5 million?! Gasped/scoffed Dragon Peter Jones, ‘Maybe if you’re IBM‘), rather than a proper business model or product, Very PC seems to hold a lot less environmental kudos. Which is a shame, as I’d quite like to champion a British based PC company. Especially one that’s green.
Of Course Dragon Jones will be kicking himself now, what with Very PC’s brand potential shooting sky high after the companies sparring in the Den. Still £5million might still be a strech. ‘Green’ or ‘mean’? You decide.
@ bcs,
i’m charmed by the organic vegetable / pc comparison. if only one could ‘grow their own’.
now there’s an innovative idea. And prob why Jobs called his co. ‘apple’.
I watched the show, and it just seemed that the guy was trying to bamboozle the Dragons.
you know, when an IT bod talks to a novice, there’s a lot of beating about the bush and going off into the ‘technicalities of things’ when one is asked a question to which a simple answer will suffice.
unfortunately, he came off as a dodgy car salesman trying the hard sell.
Green or not, I want a PC I can tinker with and one that is the best bang for my buck. I don’t spend extra on organic vegetables .. I definitely won’t spend extra on a pc. (but that’s just me)
@ fingers green,
youre so right re. the pc and greenness. this is prob why i have amassed a ‘few’ in my loft. i wonder if there’s scope on ebay for some retro fruit related ‘old’ style computers…
?
But PCs are not green – unless u paint them. Stupid marketing idea that ignores all the metals in the chips. Did I mention disposal?
yes well £5 million might have been a little optimistic, nothing like a price on being green though!
I caught this too Maz, liked the green idea, but Peter seemed to flonder under the pressure. what he failed to mention was that Very PC is green compared to the on the market PC’s.
although for branding he was a little over the top.
Can’t blame a bloke for trying.