Have you ever been sat around the dinner table at family gatherings reminiscing over photos from special occasions scattered on various phones, iPads or laptops and wished you could share and enjoy them together?

A mother and daughter from west London became fed up and increasingly frustrated about not having a private platform online to share photos and videos with family and friends.

Keeping in touch with just the people they wanted was impossible under current social media's privacy policies and so Chiswick-based business KatchUp was born in November.

Fast-forward five months and founder Katie Hobbs, 26, of Chiswick, now provides a truly private photo and video sharing website and app to thousands of families in the UK.

The platform is based on three principles: user data is never sold to third parties, there is no advertising on site, and users own 100% of their uploaded content.

Her family, including mum Angie Hobbs, president of Chameleon Communications in Ealing, has supported her since the start of the venture, which has more recently taken a new turn.

Miss Hobbs has also created a west London innovation hub with the Workspace Group, University of West London and Hounslow Chamber of Commerce to rival that of Silicon Roundabout in east London.

Called The West Link, it will bring the brightest entrepreneurs from business, education and youth charities together to create partnerships with an aim of changing the way businesses work together.

The focus will be on forming a tech cluster of businesses that can help the community as well as each other.

Miss Hobbs said: “With 12,000 startups and a host of multi national businesses, west London has the potential for an unrivalled central hub of knowledge sharing, innovation and tech expertise.

“The forthcoming construction of CrossRail also makes it the perfect time to put the area on the map as the place to work, live and play.”

Among other business leaders and youth organisations attending the event include Pernod Ricard, TV Triangle and Tech City UK as well as Brentford FC, Hounslow Council, Omnicorn Group, vInspired, The Challenge and many more.

KatchUp will host The West Link's first networking and brainstorming event at High Road House, Chiswick High Road, on Wednesday (April 29) from 6.30pm.