NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 11/11/09 -- Specializing in the digital media industry, Wider Wake Networks, Inc. (www.widerwake.net) today announced the launch of its angel investment network, with a focus on investing their knowledge, experience and connections, not simply cash.

Wider Wake's investment strategy is positioned differently from other early stage investment organizations in that its members take active roles in developing businesses at the earliest stages and assist portfolio companies in launching and growing operations. In addition, Wider Wake members advise on structure at founding and subsequent fundraising, as well as launch and growth strategy, sales and marketing, technology and human resources, among other areas of expertise.

Wider Wake is led by Founder Member and CEO Paul Olliver, previously a senior digital media executive at Klipmart, Yahoo! and DoubleClick. He's joined in the day-to-day operations of Wider Wake by Jeannie Gammon who most recently was head of Media Platforms at Google in the U.K. Previously, Gammon was managing director of DoubleClick and sales director at Ask Jeeves, both in the U.K.

The Founding Members of Wider Wake have been investing their financial and intellectual capital within the digital media industry for more than a dozen years, and joining Olliver the founding members include:

--  Chris Young, chairman and CEO of Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG)
    (www.dbgroup.tv), a video distribution network and digital production
    house, and former founder and CEO of Klipmart and executive vice president
    of Worldwide Rich Media and Emerging at DoubleClick
--  Joe Apprendi, CEO of Collective (www.collective.com), an online
    advertising and technology solutions company for display media, and former
    CEO of Falk North America and executive vice president Global Sales and
    Marketing at Eyeblaster
--  Thomas Falk, CEO of Smart Clip (www.smartclip.com), Europe's largest
    online video advertising network and CEO of eValue (www.evalue-group.com),
    a venture capital company focused on digital media
--  James Aitken, founder of MediaBrokers and TechnologyBrokers in the
    U.K., which were acquired by aQuantive, now owned by Microsoft, and
    currently founder and chairman of Digital Tribe, a full service digital
    agency
    

"By attracting investment members solely from within the digital media industry, Wider Wake has a significant and focused degree of financial firepower, and will be able to execute on deals rapidly and effectively. From first hand experience we understand that financing is only half of the equation, and consequently the companies we invest in will be able to leverage the significant expertise and reach of the Founder Members themselves, and the wider group as a whole. Therefore, for business owners our approach is incubational, but not smothering," said Wider Wake's Olliver. "For our investment members, we provide access to high growth deal opportunities, and back those with the post deal influence necessary to make the companies a success. It is designed to be the best of both worlds for all concerned."

In addition to Founding Members, Wider Wake currently includes more than 20 individual and institutional members, focused on the digital media space.

Wider Wake's first investment after launch is expected before the end of the year. The network has previously made investments in four companies, including Collective and DBG, led by Founding Members Apprendi and Young, and appssavvy (www.appssavvy.com) and Good Health Advertising (www.goodhealthadvertising.com). As an angel investment network, Wider Wake expects to make four-to-six investments each year, up to $1 million per investment.

Further information about Wider Wake can be found by visiting its Web site at www.widerwake.net.

About Wider Wake

Wider Wake Networks, Inc. is an angel investor network where its members exchange information about pre-screened, early stage, and potentially high yielding investment opportunities. In connection with Wider Wake's investments, the members are actively involved with entrepreneurs and their companies throughout their lifecycles. Wider Wake is different than the majority of angel syndicates and investment clubs in that it has a high degree of industry niche focus in digital media. To find out more about Wider Wake, please visit us at www.widerwake.net.