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Profiles of Founders and Directors
Who is StudyVox?
Founded in 2006 and initially launched in 2007, StudyVox is a dedicated webspace for higher education students. StudyVox aims to connect members of student communities in the UK and elsewhere to each other, and to ideas and issues. Its social networking platform encourages communication and self expression in a supportive and safe environment. It is free to use.
StudyVox is intended for use by UK-based students over the age of fifteen in higher education, and aims to be a leading student-focused social networking site in the UK and internationally, and to use its webspace as a platform for giving something back to its student members, and the wider community in UK and internationally. In late 2008 StudyVox raised finance for a substantial remodelling and redevelopment of the site, and for its long term business development, leading to a brand promotion in early 2009 and relaunch of the new site in September 2009 - Back to top
What are StudyVox's goals?
StudyVox has three goals which are equally important:
- Social networking for students - assisting communications and sharing between members of the student community, using advanced and easy to use technologies.
- Promoting student voices - through publication of words, images and music, ensuring members are heard and their views and contribution valued.
- Giving something back - StudyVox (a fully commercial company) and The StudyVox Foundation (a to be registered charity) have stated their commitment to bring funding to support the student community, and to other charitable causes selected by the Company and by StudyVox members themselves.
Summary of the site
StudyVox encourages its student members to create their own profile page so that students can meet and talk to each other online, achieve meetings, find partners for study, sport and socialising, and discover who knows who and who knows what. The site works as an information directory and can replace email or even college message boards as the way to communicate. Students looking for help on any issue - be it a personal or academic one - including a tricky essay, or support when revising for exams, can set up forums or study societies to share ideas with others on their course, or with anybody taking their subject across the entire StudyVox network. And it's not all work and no play: members can promote events, post photos, upload their favourite music and videos, take part in blogs, polls and quizzes, and form social groups. The site also allows students to upload work, such as articles or music, so that trainee hacks and budding musicians can showcase their talents. And to help students battling with a budget, it is intended that a section on the site allows members to buy and sell unwanted items, advertise for work or find a flatmate or houseshare. This will be along the lines of online market place, but to advertise on the Studyvox WOW pages will be free to student members - Back to top
Financing
StudyVox has secured financing from its Founders for the further promotion of the Company, for the establishment of The StudyVox Foundation (a new charity established for the benefit of students), and for the initial donations to The StudyVox Foundation to support its Bursary Awards.
The financing of the Company will also be supported by future revenue earned from advertisers and commercial partnerships - Back to top
Founders and Directors
The Founders and Directors of StudyVox are Kevin Martin (Joint Chief Executive), Sara Martin (Joint Chief Executive) and Iain Rawlinson (Chairman). Further appointments to the StudyVox Board will be announced in due course - Back to top
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Offices
The home of StudyVox is in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Members are welcome to visit us
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StudyVox has established The StudyVox Foundation as an independent not for profit UK charity, focused on providing benefit to the student community (see The StudyVox Foundation's website at www.thestudyvoxfoundation.com)
As a fully commercial company StudyVox has pledged to donate a minimum commitment of an amount required to fund the Bursary Awards made by The StudyVox Foundation to StudyVox members each year (see below), with a long term target total donation to charitable causes including the Bursary Awards of a minimum of 5% of net revenue each year. The initial Trustees of The StudyVox Foundation have been selected from StudyVox Directors, and in the near future further independent patrons and trustees will be appointed.
The StudyVox Bursary Awards
StudyVox has stated its commitment to fund UK student bursaries through The StudyVox Foundation in a transparent structure of Bursary Awards:
- One Principal Bursary related to a publicly announced target for the StudyVox business, which will be announced from time to time - the initial Principal Bursary was announced in 2008 as to be awarded when StudyVox membership reaches 30,000 members. This is an award of £10,000 - equivalent to nearly 3 years' tuition fees - and payable to a member's college/ higher education establishment or other institution. Other Principal Bursaries will be announced in due course relating to particular events in the development of the StudyVox business.
- Annual Bursaries of £2,000 each for every 10,000 members of StudyVox - as a contribution towards tuition fees, payable direct to the member's college or higher education establishment or other institution - once the total membership exceeds 30,000 members.
Bursaries will be awarded to StudyVox members by The StudyVox Foundation in accordance with its constitution and the Bursary Rules, a copy of which can be found by following the link Bursary Rules. StudyVox has set an internal target, depending on membership, of commitments to fund 20 Annual Bursaries through The StudyVox Fouundation to StudyVox members by the end of the 2010/11 academic year, which will also be the initial maximum number of Annual Bursaries to be funded by StudyVox.
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Other "Giving Something Back" commitments
StudyVox has indicated its intention to support a long term target commitment to charitable causes of 5% of net revenue. On the basis that funding is available for charitable donations over and above the Bursary Awards, StudyVox intends to enter into long term charitable commitments with charities selected by the Directors of StudyVox.
Out of further donatioons made by StudyVox to The StudyVox Foundation, it is intended that up to 50% will be restricted at the time of donation for the Easter Charities Appeal run by The StudyVox Foundation. Under the Easter Charities Appeal, in January each year StudyVox members will be invited by the StudyVox Foundation to nominate charities for inclusion in that year's Easter Charities Appeal, giving reasons, and these nominations will be made known to members. In March The StudyVox Foundation will publish to members a shortlist of the 10 nominations most popular with members, who will then be invited to post votes selecting three winners for that year, who will share the available funding equally, and whose award will be announced just after Easter. Once selected, charities will not be eligible for reselection for this Appeal for a period of five years.
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Profiles of Founders and Directors
Kevin Martin - Founder and Joint Chief Executive
Kevin is Joint CEO of StudyVox Limited and is responsible for the day to day running of the company, and in particular the creative side. He also has responsibility coordinating the gathering of related business partnerships that enable StudyVox to provide its student members with relevant services and products. He has a career in both the theatre and music industries, and is a trained actor.
Sara Martin - Founder and Joint Chief Executive
Sara is Joint CEO of StudyVox Limited. She has more than 25 years of media experience. Having started out in radio as a correspondent for the BBC she qualified in translation and subtitling and then concentrated on marketing language services for television, film, video and DVD. Her work has taken her all over the world, including spending over six years in Southern Africa. Sara rapidly extended her remit in response to her clients' needs, moving between some very prestigious companies such as Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox and Pokemon. Seeing the opportunity to bring the facets of the industry under one roof, Sara established geesh media, to provide a broad range of media services. She is a professional voiceover artist, speaks fluent German and has an M.A. in History and English.
Iain Rawlinson - Founder and Chairman
Iain is the Chairman of StudyVox Limited and is responsible for the corporate architecture and financing of the StudyVox Group. With the other founders he contributes to its overall strategic direction, and to its "Giving Something Back" vision. He has had a career in finance, and in the creation of new businesses, after reading law at Cambridge University. He is a director and consultant to a number of public and private companies, including those with an emphasis on charitable activities.
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FAQs
Q: Why are you so focused on "Giving Something Back"?
A: Although we wish to build a sound commercial business, we wish overall to benefit our members - and a founding principle of StudyVox is our commitment to giving something back to our members and to the community. The range of support should become broader as we grow! We wanted to be the first focused networking site to openly make this commitment at the time of launch, and back it with our own money.
Q: Is there a catch?
A: No. We are aiming at growing our membership and we need 30,000 members to make the first StudyVox Bursaries happen. People join random groups on other networking sites and get less in return. It's intended to be different here, and it is.
Q: But you're a business, how do you make your money?
A: Yes we are a business, and we will create revenue through arrangements with our commercial partners and through advertising. Revenue can be generated by networking sites in imaginative ways from sound commercial arrangements. We need to be commercial to make our business sustainable for the long term - our commitment to our members is a long term one. And we also need to pay our team and marketing to new members!
Q: What do I have to do?
A: Simply join StudyVox, have some fun, connect with other students, and see what StudyVox has to offer! And if you do not receive a bursary in the first year, the opportunity continues in the next!
Q: How do I know you mean business?
A: Because we have stated our intentions to "give something back" publicly, and because our intentions are easy to explain and carry out. We also want to be the first networking site for students which has stated such clear intentions, including our commitment to setting up a charitable foundation to support them. One of the three goals of StudyVox is to help students in the UK and perhaps later across the world! We want to lead this theme by example, and that is what we are doing.
Q: Tell me more about the StudyVox Foundation?
A: The StudyVox Foundation is there to ensure our commitment to "Giving Something Back" is maintained and expanded! Over time this should expand to support the StudyVox Foundation to fund the Bursary Awards (already announced), and grants for the benefit of the student community covering four central themes - financial support, health and social needs, employment and training, and representation and voice.
Q: What else is the site for?
A: Sign up and have a look! You can network through schools and college communities, join groups, watch videos, share photos and get involved in all things studenty! There is even an online radio station dedicated to playing just student content - www.studyvoxfm.com and a student support and advice on Universities and student life! Keep an eye on the site, new things are expected to be added all the time. The more people who join the more student tuition fees we can pay, and the more we can give back in many different ways!
Q: Sounds great! What if I want to help?
A: Just join, have some fun and spread the word to your friends and other students so that we can reach our target of 30,000 members as quickly as possible! Then we can award the first bursary. Also, if you want to join the StudyVox Team let us know and we can tell you if there is a gap.
Q: No I REALLY want to help!
A: Then contact StudyVox - click here - and get involved.
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Endorsements
Kylie Minogue - March 2008
"Enthusiastically endorsed by student godmother Kylie Minogue, StudyVox is free and easy to use, and offers a relief from the distracting hustle and bustle of Facebook and MySpace."
Quote from WebUser-Review
"I love the site and I think it is a great site for students. It looks great."