Team and Concepts

Team and Concepts, commonly abbreviated as TnC, is a Hong Kong technology company founded in 2003 by David K. F. Lee and other young entrepreneurs who were still university students. The company began during the SARS period, initially operating as an information-service provider for event organisers. Its first known product was PEM, a web-based event-scheduling application that received an award, establishing the company’s early focus on browser-based business software. The company later changed direction from event-oriented information services toward Web 2.0 applications. In early 2006, after receiving support from the Hong Kong Government’s Innovation and Technology Fund, Team and Concepts developed and released EditGrid. EditGrid was an online spreadsheet platform that allowed users to create, manage, and potentially share spreadsheet documents through a web browser rather than relying exclusively on locally installed desktop software. Its launch placed TnC among the early Asian companies associated with collaborative online productivity tools. EditGrid became the company’s best-known offering and the principal reason Team and Concepts received international attention. The product reflected the wider Web 2.0 shift toward browser-hosted software, user participation, and online document collaboration. In June 2007, EditGrid announced a Series A investment of US$1.25 million from WI Harper Group, providing external venture backing for the company’s online spreadsheet business. The investment was reported during a period when web-based productivity applications were attracting growing interest from technology investors. Team and Concepts also gained recognition through its founders. In August 2006, one of the company’s founders was nominated by BusinessWeek as one of Asia’s Best Entrepreneurs Under 25. The available reference material does not identify the nominee beyond describing the person as one of TnC’s founders, nor does it provide a later corporate ownership, listing, headquarters, or operating-status update. Accordingly, the company’s present status and the subsequent history of EditGrid are not established in the supplied sources.

Team and Concepts was established in Hong Kong in 2003 by David K. F. Lee and a group of young entrepreneurs who were still studying at university. Its creation coincided with the SARS period, when the founders began building a business around online information services. The company’s initial activity was directed toward event organisers rather than general consumer productivity. Its first reported product, PEM, was a web-based event-scheduling system. The software won an award, giving the young company early validation for its approach to browser-delivered applications. The company subsequently broadened its ambitions. In early 2006, Team and Concepts obtained funding from the Hong Kong Government’s Innovation and Technology Fund and used that support to move toward Web 2.0 software. This transition reflected a broader technology-industry movement in which applications traditionally installed on personal computers were increasingly delivered through web browsers. Team and Concepts’ principal product from this phase was EditGrid, an online spreadsheet service made publicly available in April 2006. EditGrid was the company’s defining product. It represented an early attempt to provide spreadsheet functionality through an internet service and associated the Team and Concepts name with online productivity and collaboration. The product’s emergence also helped distinguish the company from its original event-services orientation. Rather than remaining a specialist provider for event organisers, TnC became known primarily as a software developer participating in the emerging Web 2.0 market. The company and its founders received recognition during 2006. In August of that year, BusinessWeek nominated one of TnC’s founders among Asia’s Best Entrepreneurs Under 25. The available source does not specify which founder was nominated. In June 2007, EditGrid announced a US$1.25 million Series A investment from WI Harper Group. This financing was a significant development in the company’s reported history because it connected its online spreadsheet product with institutional venture capital. The supplied reference material does not document later financing rounds, acquisitions, a public listing, a change of ownership, the company’s current management, or the present availability of EditGrid. It therefore supports a history centered on the company’s 2003 formation, its initial event-software work, its 2006 transition into Web 2.0, and the 2007 venture investment, while leaving the organization’s later status unresolved.

• 2007

  Series A investment announced

  [1]Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org

  EditGrid announced a US$1.25 million Series A investment from WI Harper Group in June.

• 2006

  Innovation and Technology Fund support

  [1]Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org

  Government funding from Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Fund supported the company’s move into Web 2.0 software.

• 2006

  EditGrid released publicly

  [1]Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org

  Team and Concepts launched EditGrid, its browser-based online spreadsheet service, to the public in April.

• 2003

  Company founded in Hong Kong

  [1]Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org

  David K. F. Lee and other university student entrepreneurs established Team and Concepts during the SARS period.

• 2003

  Initial event-services software developed

  [1]Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org

  The company began as an information-service provider for event organisers and developed PEM, a web-based event-scheduling product that received an award.

An early Hong Kong Web 2.0 software company focused on browser-based productivity and collaboration tools.

• Event scheduling software

  PEM

  PEM was Team and Concepts’ first reported product. It was a web-based event-scheduling application created for the company’s original information-services work with event organisers. The product received an award, although the supplied reference does not identify the award or provide detailed information about its features, customers, or continuing availability.

• Online spreadsheet and Web 2.0 productivity software · 2006

  EditGrid

  EditGrid was Team and Concepts’ best-known product and the service that defined its transition into Web 2.0. Released publicly in April 2006, it provided spreadsheet functionality through the web and positioned the company within the early market for browser-based productivity applications. The product later announced Series A financing from WI Harper Group. The supplied sources do not establish whether EditGrid remains available.

• 2007

  Series A financing for EditGridOther

  Background

  After the public launch of EditGrid, the online spreadsheet business attracted institutional venture investment.

  Action taken

  EditGrid announced a US$1.25 million Series A investment from WI Harper Group in June 2007.

  Aftermath

  The financing provided reported external backing for Team and Concepts’ Web 2.0 business, although later corporate developments are not documented in the supplied material.

  Series A investment. US$1.25 million (June 2007)

  Source

• 2006

  Shift from event information services to Web 2.0 softwareStrategy

  Background

  Team and Concepts began as an information-service provider for event organisers but pursued the emerging Web 2.0 market after obtaining support from Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Fund.

  Action taken

  The company developed and publicly launched EditGrid, an online spreadsheet service, in April 2006.

  Aftermath

  EditGrid became the company’s principal known product and the focus of subsequent venture financing.

  Source

1. 1Team and Conceptsen.wikipedia.org