Exterity Completes Seed Funding

21 Aug 2002

No more arguments with your family over who gets to watch digital TV.  Innovation grant support from Scottish Enterprise Fife will help Exterity deliver multi-channel digital TV to every room in your home.

Edinburgh ??" August 20, 2002 ??" Exterity Limited, Rosyth based digital media technology company, today announced that it had completed on ??155,000 of seed investment from a group of investors led by Edinburgh based EPoS systems provider Zonal Retail Data Systems and business angel Nick Felisiak. This seed funding enables Exterity to accelerate development of its InSocket?A?A?A?? technology and to bring its first product, the video iSocket, to market early in 2003.

The growth of home networking and multi-room audio, video and digital TV systems has been limited by cost and complexity. Exterity removes these barriers by presenting digital media (audio, video or TV) as an essential service much like electricity or water. Consumers access all available digital media through a simple socket device, the iSocket. The first of these devices, the InSocket?A?A?A?? enabled video iSocket, will allow services like digital TV to be accessed from any room in a home without the need for additional set-top-boxes.

Commenting on the investment, Colin Farquhar CEO of Exterity said, "By 2005 DataMonitor have forecast that over 20% of us will have some form of network in our homes, connecting our PCs together and allowing us to share our digital audio, video and TV between different rooms. Our aim at Exterity is to be an innovator and leader in this emerging market. Today??A?A?A?s announcement allows us to make a significant step towards that objective".

Zonal Retail Data Systems have recognised the potential of Exterity??A?A?A?s InSocket technology within the leisure and hospitality markets. Stuart McLean, Managing Director of Zonal, said "our goal is to provide our customers with the best leisure and hospitality management systems available and to introduce new products that give them an advantage in this very competitive market". One early application of the Exterity video iSocket is delivery of high-quality digital TV, audio and data access to hotel rooms, providing the business traveller with in-room digital environment that will be as good as they experience at home. Stuart commented further saying, "??A?A?A?we (Zonal) are planning to trial the video iSocket early in 2003".

Having recently installed a multi-room audio, TV and computer network in his home, Nick Felisiak has first-hand experience of the cost and complexity of today??A?A?A?s solutions. Nick said, "its important when investing to appreciate the value of the technology, product or service to its ultimate end-user. What Exterity are doing with InSocket immediately got my interest; very exciting technology, but with a really practical application. The opportunity for Exterity is enormous. More and more of us are deciding that we want access to digital TV in more than one room, but don??A?A?A?t want more intrusive set-top-boxes in our homes."

About Exterity
Exterity turns high-bandwidth IP networks, such as corporate LANs, into vibrant Audio/Video (AV) content networks. Exterity??A?A?A?s core technology, in-socket?A?A?A??, allows home entertainment appliances, such as televisions, to be connected directly to wall-mounted iSockets to get direct and easy access to all available digital media and services.

Exterity is based in Rosyth, Scotland.

About Zonal Retail Data Systems
Zonal Retail Data Systems Limited design and manufacture EPoS terminals and associated products for the licensed and hospitality industries. Zonal's systems are used in bars, night clubs, bowling alleys, snooker halls, stadiums and golf clubs throughout the UK, Ireland and Florida. Zonal have been an industry leader for 21 years and maintain their edge through leading technology and customer support services. Zonal??A?A?A?s integrated system addresses all the demands faced by the leisure trade providing fast, efficient customer service.

Zonal is based in Edinburgh has offices in Buckinghamshire. For more information, please visit www.zonal.co.uk

About Nick Felisiak
Nick Felisiak was co-founder of Spider Systems, where he was initially technical director, then software architect. He negotiated and funded the buy-out of the Spider Software business after Spider Systems was acquired by Shiva in mid 1995. He then became Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Spider Software. Nick then oversaw the re-building of the Spider Software business, and re-established a prestige customer base (Ericsson, Motorola, Lucent, Nortel, etc). Spider Software was acquired by Artesyn Technologies in March 2000.

Nick is an active Business Angel and is also on the Advisory Group for Pentech Ventures.

Press Contacts
Colin Farquhar
Chief Executive Officer

Exterity Limited
REBIC, 15 Cromarty Campus
Rosyth Europarc
Fife, EH1 3LH
Scotland

t: +44 1383 427624
m: +44 7867 510357
e: colin.farquhar@exterity.co.uk