ST VALENTINE’S Day proved to be one to remember for an exciting Basingstoke social media start-up.

CubeSocial, based at the Grove House premises of Absolutely Offices, learned on Tuesday that the business had been picked as the overall Local Business Accelerators competition winner.

CubeSocial chief executive Linda Cheung said: “I really couldn’t be more pleased to receive this news as it was on St Valentine’s Day that we moved to Absolutely Offices with our first hire.

“It was then that we could explain what we want CubeSocial to be and what we want to build. So to hear we have been picked as the local overall winner is a perfect birthday present.

“It’s that recognition locally that is so important – we’ve been so determined to be a Basingstoke start-up, and it gives us a good start for our second year.”

Back in December, the former City of London high-flier gave a 10-minute pitch to a panel of judges, made up of Gazette editor Mark Jones and publisher Gary Kendal, along with RSM Tenon’s business development consultant Mike Loftus and associate director Jez Quigg in a Dragons’ Den-style event.

CubeSocial was one of three finalists, along with recruitment specialist vacancy2market.com and wedding stationery business Handmade By Gemma, to win three months worth of advertising in The Gazette and free business mentoring from the RSM Tenon experts.

“We’ve already had a meeting with Mike and Jez,” said Linda. “There was clear excitement, finding out what Mike and Jez can do for CubeSocial.

“It was really interesting to get their perspectives on social media.”

Linda added: “There is a lot of fear and misconceptions about what social media can mean for businesses, and what we want to do is take that fear away.”

The LBA competition was organised by the Newspaper Society, which launched the campaign in October, attracting more than 3,000 entrants from across the country.

CubeSocial will now be put forward for the national contest when a business will be picked as the overall Local Business Accelerators winner and receive mentoring from the campaign’s national ambassador Deborah Meaden, of Dragons’ Den fame.