Belated congratulations to Ken Hawkins and his team at TheDigitel for landing their recent investment. TheDigitel is a true asset to the Charleston community, both tech and otherwise; I know that I’ve become better in-tune with my city than ever not only because of the work they do, but because they permit citizens like you and me to directly contribute to the news.
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A Charleston digital media company that launched a little more than a year ago has closed on a first round of venture capital financing and plans to use the money to expand its business model to other markets.
TheDigitel.com aggregates local news from a variety of sources, including original content creation, and builds a community discussion around story summaries and links regarding news, events, arts and entertainment happenings.
TheDigitel uses a variety of online tools — such as Twitter feeds and message boards — and original video production on the Web to drive traffic from its site to media outlets across the Lowcountry. Ken Hawkins, founder and creator, said the key focus has been to make the content “hyperlocal.” That focus led to discussions with Palmetto Investments & Exchange Group, a Charleston-based venture capital firm that is focused on startup companies with long-term potential, according to its Web site.
Hawkins said his company found Palmetto Investments through word of mouth.
“They were referred to us from the folks at Belief Networks,” he said. “Belief Networks knew we were kind of getting to that point. … It was about a monthlong process. We wound up closing on Tuesday of last week.”