Interview With Simon Newstead, Founder Of Frenzoo

Based in Hong Kong, Frenzoo brings fashion online and in the form of 3D avatars. They will be here in Singapore to present at unConference 2009 and we had a chat with Simon Newstead, founder of Frenzoo.

Hi Simon, tell us what is Frenzoo all about.

Frenzoo is first 3D Fashion World on the web. It’s a place where teens and girls in their 20 somethings can have fun being creative and enjoying fashion and avatars. We’re a global website, recently launched into public beta with many languages and a great mix from around the world – almost evenly balanced between North America, Europe and Asia. We also have members from Singapore and Malaysia.

Who makes up your team in Frenzoo?

A core development team of under 10 people in Hong Kong – enthusiastic, focussed and with open minds and global outlooks.

What makes Frenzoo so different from other virtual worlds and social networks?

Unlike other virtual world – we are focussed on a particular niche – fashion & style. We have pioneered it and have a lot of unique things in our experience, such as fashion design – really easy and addictive for those with a creative bent. We run in the web browser and are designed to be able to be enjoyed by casual web surfers, not just the technically savvy.

When was Frenzoo started?

We’ve been in development for over 18 months until the beta launch.

Frenzoo team.

What is your business model? Do you get brands to sponsor the items that the avatars are wearing?

Our main business model is end user revenue – virtual currency purchase and subscription. Advertising and sponsorship are also part of the business model, we let real brands do 3D product placement in our shop, and can partner with ecommerce sites.