In the crowd-funded arena, one name keeps popping up: Mark Bowness. Tribewanted, the experimental island community he founded, is now the focus of a BBC documentary series. Two other ventures—VIPbandmanager and the Liverpool Culture Cafe—haven't taken off as quickly, but Mark has high hopes for his latest project: Have You Got The Nerve TV.

Have You Got The Nerve aims to be a new type of TV production company: one that's created, lead and inspired by a group of 3,000 executive producers. Fusing the collaborative power of the internet and the enduring mass appeal of television, Nerve will take on three genres: documentary, drama and entertainment. Content will be made both for TV and online viewing.

To sign up as an executive producer, anyone can pledge to pay a one-off fee of GBP 60 as soon as 2,999 others have agreed to do the same. Once the 3,000 execs have joined, Nerve will be open to more people, who will pay a small monthly fee have access to the the platform. These members will also have input into programming, but only the executive producers will share in Nerve's profits. Revenue sources will be the traditional 10% cut of production value that TV production companies get, plus earnings from book deals, online social networks, games, mobile content, etc.

Will the crowds be able to create content that's more engaging than traditional producers? And will Nerve be able to reach a wider audience than user-generated Current TV? We'll be watching ;-)

Website: www.haveyougotthenerve.tv
Contact: mark@haveyougotthenerve.tv

'Personal chemistry' has long been a blanket term for all the things that make people compatible (or not), but until recently only science fiction films like Code 46 have taken the notion literally. As of December, however, Boston-based ScientificMatch is using DNA to assess personal chemistry for dating purposes.

ScientificMatch uses three components to match up singles through its dating service: personal chemistry, values and personal preferences. While the latter two are assessed via questionnaire, personal chemistry matching is done via DNA analysis. The immune system is what has been found to affect sexual compatibility, with people tending to prefer those whose immune systems are different from their own. The benefits of well-matched immune systems, according to research cited by ScientificMatch, include a more satisfying sex life, increased faithfulness, higher fertility and healthier children. Members who sign up for the company's USD 1,995.95 service send a cheek swab to ScientificMatch, which analyses the portion of their DNA that relates to the immune system. Matches are then suggested with other members who have compatible chemistry. The matching process won't work for women on the pill or for people who weren't raised by their natural parents, ScientificMatch cautions. It will, however, work for those seeking same-sex relationships. ScientificMatch currently serves just the Greater Boston area, extending into New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Not long ago we wrote about deCODEme, 23andMe and Navigenics, three firms that are providing personal genome services to consumers interested in gaining insight into their genetic ancestry and risk profiles for a variety of diseases. With ScientificMatch's debut in dating, genomics are moving out of the realm of research and medicine and into the mainstream business world. Other contenders are sure to follow soon—care to be one of them? (Related: Dating cards fuse physical & virtual connections.)

Website: www.scientificmatch.com
Contact: info@scientificmatch.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Peer-to-peer lending is no longer a new concept, with marketplaces like Zopa, Prosper and others already out there, vying for consumers' attention. But while most such sites facilitate general-purpose lending, Fynanz appears to be the first to take a niche approach with a service dedicated to funding student loans.

New York-based Fynanz, which is gearing up to launch in select states within the next quarter, offers students an "open loan" process for financing their education. To apply for a loan, students fill out an application and create a personal profile, including the amount and interest rate desired. Tapping into 15 years' worth of student loan data, Fynanz uses that information to give each student a grade and place them in one of six groups reflecting both their credit score and their academic characteristics, among other things. Individual lenders including friends, family and alumni of the institution the student attends are then given priority as they bid alongside lender networks to fund the loan. The more participants bid on the loan, the lower the winning rate is likely to be, Fynanz says. Servicing fees will be "no more than" what other marketplaces charge, company CEO Chirag Chaman says, but there will be no application fees or hidden costs for borrowers. For lenders, meanwhile, the benefits are attractive returns and the knowledge that they are performing a social good.

Fynanz's platform is built using the same characteristics that traditional lenders use, preserving the legality and distinct tax status of the education loan, Chaman explains. There is also likely to be increasing demand for student loans, he predicts: "I came from the student loan world, and there are some big problems there. Those cracks have turned into huge gaps over the last year, and personally, I think the worst is yet to come. People used to dip into home equity, but that's not there anymore."

The P2P lending market, meanwhile, could grow to between USD 5 billion and USD 10 billion in annual volume within 10 years in the US alone, according to data released this week by Online Banking Report. Is there room for niche players? Time will tell. Keep an eye on this one! (Related: Person-to-person loans for home buyers.)

Website: www.fynanz.com
Contact: customer.care@fynanz.com

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

Products that carry a sense of place or provenance are coveted by consumers for a variety of reasons, from environmental concerns to shifting perceptions about what constitutes value. As people move away from mass consumption to unique products and memorable experiences, the importance of storytelling deepens. Which is a boon for smaller companies, who are often more closely in touch with their product and history. We recently spotted a great example in Copenhagen.

Gerbola Vin was founded by two brothers, Emil and Magnus Gerbola. Their grandfather came to Denmark from Italy while touring Europe as a circus clown. Going back to their roots, Emil and Magnus have started importing wine from Northern Italy, selling to wine bars, restaurants and corporate clients. And directly to consumers, which is where it gets interesting. Instead of setting up shop in one of Copenhagen’s famed shopping streets, the brothers found a location that has the ideal temperature and humidity for storing wine: an underground air-raid shelter. Built in 1942 and located in a small park, the shelter has no electricity or other modern comforts, which suits the wine perfectly. It also makes for an interesting experience—customers don’t just buy a carefully chosen bottle of Italian wine, they also acquire the experience of descending into a candle-lit bunker, and the opportunity to share those details with their friends.

Gerbola Vin is currently open on Fridays only, and by appointment. However, as can be expected with a good story, word is getting out and the Gerbola brothers are considering expanding their retail operations.

Website: www.gerbolavin.dk
Contact: info@gerbolavin.dk

Spotted by: Trine Plambech

Grand funerals and eloquent eulogies are all very well when it comes to marking the demise of the wealthy and well-respected, but as the royalty and nobility of days gone by can attest, there's nothing quite like a requiem to cement one's name in the annals of time. Fortunately for today's moneyed elite, there's Requiem for You, an Austrian firm that can compose a personal requiem on demand.

Just launched last year, Requiem for You offers services on three levels, the most basic of which is the composition of an individually tailored requiem. The firm represents a network of composers, librettists and musicians who will write an individual requiem in advance, capturing the client's unique personality and accommodating preferences for balance among vocal, instrumental and textual components. Styles available include baroque, classical, romantic, jazz or Broadway musical, with text in German, Latin or English. A personal laudatio is also available.

In addition to composing the piece, Requiem for You can also produce an audio recording of it using a team of freelance artists, orchestras and recording studios, once again honouring the client's personal tastes in the CD's cover art. Finally, upon request the company can arrange a performance of the requiem, using anything from an audio presentation of the recorded version to a live performance with orchestra and choir. Prices reportedly range from EUR 20,000 for the requiem's composition to EUR 400,000 for the all-out live performance.

Requiem for You obviously targets the highest of high-end consumers, offering a premium shot at immortality that only the wealthiest can afford. This is where gravanity and premiumization meet—and given that there are some 9.5 million millionaires in the world, according to the 2007 World Wealth Report from Cap Gemini and Merrill Lynch, that's not a bad place to be! (Related: Art after life.)

Website: www.requiemforyou.com
Contact: salzburg@requiemforyou.com

Spotted by: Martina Meng