Writer and comedian Stephen Fry says he has ‘no ambition to get a quick valuation and sell out’ after backing his first technology start-up, internet commenting service Pushnote.
Writer and comedian Stephen Fry says he has ‘no ambition to get a quick valuation and sell out’ after backing his first technology start-up, internet commenting service Pushnote.
Fry, who is a self-confessed technophile and avid user of Twitter, says he aims to develop the business rather than offload it at the first opportunity. He adds that he has ‘no expectations of making money’ from Pushnote, which went live this month and enables internet users to post comments on any website.
The QI host writes on his official blog: ‘Some of you may have spotted that I recently Tweeted the existence of a new service called Pushnote. In the interest of transparency, openness and the general calming down of doubting Thomases and cynical Susans everywhere, I shall declare right away that I do have shares in this new venture.’
Already launched in beta mode, Pushnote aims to simplify commenting on internet websites by allowing users to install an add-on application to a web browser that allows users to post on any site without the need to log on to each one individually.
Fry adds: ‘It may be in my interest for you to use Pushnote, but I am not lying when I say that the only real interest for me is the personal one of watching an idea take flight (or not). The service is entirely free, we have no IPO plans, no ambition to get a quick valuation and sell out, nor will we host advertisements or track your comings and goings and sell those on.
‘I have no expectations of making money from this. For me it’s a little like gardening. I don’t do the real thing, but I can see the pleasure in planning out, digging, drilling, seeding, watering, tending and watching the first sproutings of new growth. Not everything takes root and sometimes one misjudges the soil, the climate or the situation, but the process is fascinating and rewarding in and of itself.’
Fry’s financial commitment and details of other investors in the business have not been disclosed.
