Broadband Genie is launched
We had a simple goal: save consumers time and money by making broadband switching as simple as possible.
Who we are
Genie Ventures is a fast growing digital marketing and publishing company which owns and operates four successful brands: Genie Goals, Broadband Genie, Genie Shopping and Office Genie.
We’re based in Cambridge with a staff of more than 60 fantastic people and operate principally in the UK, European and US markets. We are a tech-focused company and work directly with some of the biggest global brands including Google, Amazon, Karl Lagerfeld and Sky.
Genie Ventures is jointly the trading name of Staircase 51 Limited and Genie Ventures Ltd. Staircase 51 Limited (Company registration number: 08865467, Registered address 9 Hills Road, Cambridge, England, CB2 1GE). Genie Ventures Ltd (Company registration number: 05085554, Registered address 9 Hills Road, Cambridge, England, CB2 1GE)
A brief history of Genie
Genie Ventures is founded
We founded Genie Ventures, moving our three staff into our first office - The Old Bakery, off of Mill Road in Cambridge.
Desk Space Genie (now Office Genie) is launched
Recognising a gap in the market, we launched a website where anyone could list spare desk space they had for rent.
Clarence v1.0 is launched
The first iteration of our bidding machine rumbled into life. It had an immediate impact, fuelling volume and slashing cost of sale.
Genie Shopping is launched
We started to use our in-house paid search technology to power our own shopping comparison sites, such as Crowdstorm.
Genie Goals is created
We created Genie Goals with our first PPC client, Amara, which is still with us today. Its PPC revenue had risen 1,529% by July 2017!
Kopi comes on board
We acquired a majority stake in Kopi, a disruptive coffee startup. The idea: a monthly delivery of outstanding fresh coffee to your doorstep.
Moved to Millers Yard
With the Old Bakery at capacity and more expansion plans in place, we moved to Millers Yard in central Cambridge (19 staff and counting...).
Luca Senatore joins
Luca Senatore arrived to run Genie Goals. He has since been named in the Top 5 international PPC experts; and Top 25 most influential PPC experts.
Big Cup Little Cup is launched
We got behind Big Cup Little Cup, a coffee ecommerce startup taking on Nespresso in the coffee pod market.
10th anniversary of Broadband Genie
As the UK's longest standing dedicated broadband comparison site, we were now welcoming more than 1.5 million visitors to the site each year.
Dwell becomes a client
Leading UK furniture design brand Dwell became a Genie Goals client, marking our first big splash in the retail digital marketing space.
Kopi sold to Cafédirect
Having strengthened the Kopi brand it caught the eye of luxury coffee experts Cafédirect, who bought our majority stake.
Moved to Carlyle House
With Millers Yard being redeveloped, we took the opportunity to move across Cambridge to Carlyle House; a space with real expansion potential.
Sold our stake in Big Cup Little Cup to CaféPod
With Big Cup Little Cup going from strength to strength, we sold our stake to market leader and sister brand CaféPod.
Top international clients come on board
International fashion icon Calvin Klein and American luxury lifestyle brand Shinola Detroit became Genie Goals clients.
Wellness workshops begin
Covering everything from stress and sleep to workload and sitting properly, our free wellness courses began.
First Genie Academy graduations
The first new recruits passed through our in-house training academy, covering everything from productivity to PPC skills.
The client list gets better and better...
Genie Goals continued to grow its reputation as a leading digital agency and retail specialist, adding The Conran Shop and Raging Bull to its client roster.
Moved to the top floor of Carlyle House
Less than two years after moving in we'd more than doubled our staff number to 50, so moved upstairs to a bigger floor.
More amazing clients join our family
Karl Lagerfeld, Hackett London & Lindy Bop became the latest high profile Genie Goals fashion retail clients.
Genie Goals wins prestigious Google Award
Genie was named in three of six categories at the EMEA Google Partner Awards, winning the Google Shopping Innovation Award.
'Top Employer' award win
Genie Ventures became proud winners of a prestigious Workingmums.co.uk 'Top Employer' award: an organisation celebrating quality, diversity and flexibility in the workplace.
More award wins to celebrate
2018 began with two fantastic achievements. We were named Employer of the Year at the Cambridge News Business Awards, before being given a coveted two-star accreditation from Best Companies.
GSN awarded Google CSS Partner status
Having launched Genie Shopping Network in March after Google opened its Shopping channel to CSSs, we were awarded Google CSS Partner status.
Genie Goals continues to grow
2018 saw the impressive Genie Goals client list continue to grow, with international retailers including Bestseller, Smythson and Tom Dixon joining the family.
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Back in 2008 we were a tiny startup working from a converted bakery: now we’re an international business with more than 50 staff and some of the world's top brands as customers, and growing fast.
- Ciaron Dunne, Genie Ventures CEO
The Genie Philosophy
We love the internet and the opportunities it creates – which means we love what we do. We’ve become experts in our field because everyone at Genie is driven to succeed by their own enthusiasm - and that makes it a fun place to be. We’re encouraged to experiment which creates an infectious sense of ambition around the place – and best of all, it’s a philosophy that’s working.
Co-founder Paul says: “I’m proud we’ve managed to keep the feel and enthusiasm of a startup, while transforming into a successful, cutting-edge tech business. We’re never happier than when we’re innovating, pushing the boundaries and moving the company forward.”
