Significant projects and companies from three decades of building at the intersection of data, technology, media, environment and the web.
Icebreaker One active
Founder with Climate KIC and UKRI backing, created groundbreaking data governance to unlock access to sustainable finance. Convenes hundreds of stakeholders across government, banking, energy, water, insurance, infrastructure and data to deliver national and international programmes
Open Data Institute active
Co-founded with Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt backed by UK Government. As founding CEO, Gavin led the ODI to unlock over $100M in direct economic impact, incubate 50+ companies, launch franchises across 20 countries, and train 10,000 people. The ODI remains a global institution shaping data policy and practice.
AMEE sold 2015
Multi-award-winning environmental data company, organising the world’s environmental data and standards into an open web-service. Raised over $10M from leading international venture capital funds including O’Reilly, Union Square Ventures, and Amadeus Capital. Won multiple innovation awards before being sold in 2015.
Consolidated Independent active
The world’s leading digital music distributor, the first company to deliver digital products to iTunes and responsible for 25% of Amazon’s download store at launch. Built and scaled the digital supply chain for music, becoming market leader in digital distribution within three years.
Tornado Productions sold 2003
Award-winning pioneering streaming media company, helping invent common formats now seen in internet broadcasting worldwide, from multi-format video slidecasts to daily short-form content (predating YouTube and TikTok). Worked across music, sport, lifestyle, documentary and education. Sold to a larger media group in 2003 and onwards to Level 3.
Other commercial projects
From strategy to delivery, a range of commercial ventures, advisory roles, board positions and startup projects spanning the web, data, media, environment, finance and technology. Includes work with organisations from Arup and Cap Gemini to the World Bank, BBC, Channel 4, Rolls Royce, Tate Modern, Shell, Radiohead and UNICEF.
Non-commercial projects
Making things happen: creative, civic and research projects spanning media art, astrophysics, environmental activism, community infrastructure and open culture. Includes co-founding Global Cool, founding exequo (non-profit streaming for the third sector), Hermitage Community Moorings, and Binary Dust.
Webcasting & streaming
Pioneer of webcasting and streaming media in the UK and Europe from 1995, joining Richard Branson’s Virgin Net as employee #5 to help build what became Virgin Media. Co-founded the International Webcasting Association (IWA) in Europe. A detailed history of this period (when live video and audio on the internet was genuinely new) is documented in the archive.
Current work and active projects