• Are you an internet start-up CEO in the North East of England?
• Have you worked in technology in the North East for a while?
• Do you know the technology sector well?
• Do you have experience of starting out, trying to get funding and asking for help and support?
• Do you have a story to share – good or bad – about any publicly-funded bodies in the North East?
• Do you have an opinion about the level of support and access to expert knowledge in the region?

Answered ‘yes’ to any of the above? Good. Then it’s you I’m after.

Now, sit yourself down and pour yourself a cup of tea. Because I want you to do something for me. Something brave.

Part Two of my series for TechCrunch Europe on tech start-ups in the North East will look at the quality of institutional support and resources available to start-ups, and whether some well-intentioned development programs are doing more harm than good to the local digital economy.

That means I need you to tell me about your experiences with Business Link, Codeworks, One North East, North East Finance, NorthStar and everyone else. I want to know everything: the good, the bad, and the hideously ugly. And I want you to tell me on the record (your name will printed next to the comments you make).

Visit this TechCrunch post and leave a comment if you’d like to help. Feel free to tell me of your experiences anonymously (Chatham House) or off the record (in which case I won’t repeat them at all) as well, but please indicate which it is clearly at the top of your message, or break your message into clear sections. Alternatively, you can call or email me privately (full contact info at the bottom of this page).

This is politically and financially sensitive stuff. I’m aware of that. But if you’d like to have your say (and who know, maybe even make a positive difference to the long-term economic health of the North East), get in touch.

Well, I promised I would, and now I am. Going to Newcastle, that is. I’ll be there for a few days, starting Thursday 23 July, and I’m keen to meet some hotshots from the North East keen to prove my legendarily unpopular thesis wrong. I’m looking for the hottest internet start-ups in the North East.

While I won’t have time to get around to everyone, I’ll be at the Codeworks party on Thursday night, so hopefully I’ll be able to say hi to as many people as possible there. (I’ll be the one in the corner, surrounded by bodyguards, looking sheepish.)

I’ll also be at The Forth pub from 12noon to 3pm on Thursday.

If you fancy grabbing a pint – even if only to tip it over my head – please drop me a line. And I promise to do a write-up or report of some kind when I get back.