the bragster blog

It takes a lot of balls to create a viral ad that rings with any stinging impact these days, which is probably why Bragsters’ own Crank Juice Films hobbled away the winner of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival Viral Competition this past weekend! Crank Juice’s video “Kicked in the Balls: None Left” took the wind out of the rest of the competitors to be crowned the victor after weeks of online votes.

In the video Crank Juice is relentlessly hammered in his jewels by a series of willing punters proving that a true ‘Bragster’ is one who can overcome a seemingly insurmountable challenge to prevail. So kudos to you young Jedi for using the force and absorbing it with your groin.

We always knew you were crazy Crank Juice, now we can see your nuts.

“Turn out is excellent and there is a real buzz going round. We have just had a group of 10 people turn up from Bragster.com.” Watch the video at Wales Online

“That is a website for people who dare each other to turn up and take part in challenging events, which this obviously is.” Read more at BBC News

The dark humour of Twisted TV is designed to tie in with the marketing strategy behind the new chocolate bar which is positioned as the “evil” offspring of the Crème Egg.

Cadbury will seed the clips on YouTube and online community Bragster.com.

The chocolate-maker will also launch a month-long competition on Bragster inviting consumers to upload their own “Twisted TV” footage for the chance to win a Nintendo Wii.

Read More…

You might remember that we mentioned being a Red Herring 100 finalist a couple of weeks ago, well now we can confirm that we won! We’re in awesome company with some incredible companies that were also chosen, and we can’t wait to keep making bragster better and better!

We’d love to hear what YOU think we should do to improve our already super sweet site, so make sure to drop us a line whenever you get a chance.

Sorry we've been so quiet for the last couple of weeks, but it's cause we've been busy with a capital B. We were selected to present at Plugg.eu in Belgium, so we sent our fearless leaders, Wim and Bertrand, to bring a little of the Bragster-tude to Belgium. Oh, and they brought it. Here's the vid (thanks Robin!):


Despite throwing pie EVERYWHERE, they got to the final three, and we eventually came in second! We don't normally support being second best, but the winner, Viewdle, is ex-KGB technology at it's finest. And, if that wasn't cool enough for you, we've also been selected as a finalist in the Red Herring 100.

What does that mean? Don't know, but it makes us sound really cool and important. Just kidding, I do know what it means. It means that out of all of the tech start-ups in all of the vast lands of Europe, The Middle East and Africa, we're in the top 200. We'll let you know if we've made it to the top 100 once it's announced. And if you want to keep up with us all day, everyday, then follow us on Twitter.

“The Red Herring has released it list of top 100 Tech startups in Europe and they include a number of UK firms. Among the list (and I may have missed some) is blinkBox, Bragster, Miomi, mydeco, Mydeo, Refresh Mobile, Rummble, Silobreaker, SportsDo, StrategyEye, T5M, Taptu, Webjam, Wonga, Zebtab, Zemanta, Trampoline Systems and Zygo Communications.”

Take a look at the rest of Mike’s article.

“Since 1996, technology industry executives, investors, and strategists have valued the Red Herring 100 lists as an instrument for discovering and advocating the most promising private ventures. “

WE ARE AWESOME! But you already knew that. Take a look at the rest of the finalists on Red Herring.

“The guys from Bragster really got the point. It’s a service on which friends can dare each other to something incredibly stupid. And it works, the people and the press love it.”

Check out the rest of what Ernst-Jan has to say about us on his very awesome Euro-techy blog, The Next Web.

“ExBrag Delivers Social Networking Capabilities and User Generated Videos to Sports Enthusiasts”

Read the rest of the article on Yahoo!Finance.

“What could be more satisfying than bragging rights over your friends? Getting paid to claim bragging rights over your peers, of course. And Bragster, a social network for making dares and social bets, aims to do just that with a $3.5 million Series A investment from Intel Capital and angel investor David Frankel. Fulfilling (with proof) a challenge nets users Bragbucks (OK, it’s the site’s internal currency, not real money) that they can then use to bet and dare other people.”

Check out the rest of the article on TechConfidential.

“First off, London-based Bragster.com. The betting site was founded as Gottabet.com in late 2006 by Bertrand Bodson and Wim Vernaeve, but rebranded as Bragster in October while the site was securing its second round of venture funding. Bragster.com now employs 10 staff. ” – from PDA: The Digital Content Blog

The Guardian is my favourite newspaper, so I’m happy about this one!

“Bragster, a social network for dares (think Jackass meets Facebok), has closed a $3.5 million Series A round of venture capital funding led by Intel Capital, the global investment arm of Intel Corp. They were joined by angel investor David Frankel through Puressence Limited. Frankel previously invested in companies including GetMeIn and SiteAdvisor, sold to Ticketmaster and McAfee, respectively.”

Check out the rest of the article here. Thanks Mike!

See more coverage of our funding announcement on TechCrunch

“From smart to useful to silly, many social networking and other online services are popping up in Europe.” – from Web 2.0 Storms Europe

BusinessWeek is Wim’s favourite magazine, so we’re loving the love!

“Now in its 28th installment, the European Tech Tour is back with a focus on Web 2.0, Mobile/Web Communities, and supporting infrastructure. The top 25 companies from Europe are selected to meet with the leading US, European, and Asian venture capitalists and media companies. The event is free for selected companies. Selection is purely based on merit.”

Check out their site for more info.

“If she comes to Los Angeles, we’re so bringing some cream cheese and lox and having a Mann sandwich!”

Check us out in Perez Hilton