UAE. H2O New Media, a Dubai-based social media company announces that it has secured over 40 new customers for its products and services in just six months since it started its operation. A new breed of company, H2O New Media’s core business is building, operating and maintaining customised social media channels for brands, corporate enterprises and event companies. 

With the uptake of vertical social communities for small and large businesses across the region H2O New Media is poised to become one of the few innovations led companies that grew out of Dubai. The company that started with its first social community website Dubai Lime, is now going from strength to strength with key corporate customers across the different industries include Al Maya Group, Sian, Strawberry PR & Event, CMPI Exhibitions, CSM, Zaman, Euro RSG, the American Business Council to name just a few.

“We started our first social media application to support our CSR website, Dubai Lime, a community portal that provides free events to its subscribers. Immediately we were approached to construct an application for a corporate organisation followed by another client. Today, six months later we have secured over 40 large and medium-sized enterprises all using our products and services. H2O New Media focuses on the events, entertainment and media industries although there have been an increase number of customers acquired outside of these verticals,” said Steve Vaile, CEO and Founder, H2O New Media.

“We are great fans of the Open Source software model. We intend to release our own open source software applications and software as a service (SaaS) offerings into the Enterprise sector. We view our competitive landscape to be much more aligned with large global players such as MZINGA and Awareness, who are developing enterprise social media applications in the US. As the leader in the Middle East we certainly have carved out a niche for branding agencies, publishers and marketing companies that want to benefit from the social media revolution,” said Vaile

Social media is on the rise globally with majority of publishers in Europe and America reducing their print titles and many switching over to online mediums. In the growing Middle Eastern market, there is an urgent need for companies that can consult and deliver on social media projects.  With media converging at an increasing rate H2O New Media’s competitors in the US and Europe have been attracting valuations of in access of US$300million. H2O New Media aims to be the dominant Middle Eastern player in the growing social media sector.

“We are constantly being approached by venture capital companies in the region looking for opportunities other than real estate. At the moment we are in talks with a number of firms both inside and outside of the region. We will not make any hasty decisions because our objective is to secure a long-term partnership with like-minded investors. That position certainly narrows the market for us as it goes beyond the financial affiliation,” continued Vaile.

Previously Vice President for APAC and EMEA at US software company, Voyence, before successfully being sold out to EMC in 1997, Steve Vaile has a reputation for getting software companies over the US$100 million mark. He previously ran channels and Nordic sales and software vendor Smarts that sold to EMC Smarts for over US$260 million. His new position at H2O New Media confirms its status as the one company to watch out for in the Middle East market. 

See also www.h2onewmedia.com

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