Caldera is a heat battery company that seeks to institutionalise zero-carbon energy solutions for the masses. Its patented breakthrough, Warmstone heat battery, can store 100kWh of heat for a standard home for 24 hours. Caldera asserts that it takes renewable energy using a flexible green tariff with prices as low as 5p/kWh and stores it as heat, providing carbon-free hot water and heating via Warmstone. The company has raised over £1.5 million through grants and investment to date, installed its first pilot Warmstone product in a family home, established a manufacturing and R&D base, and acquired the support of an energy think tank, Energy Systems Catapult. It aspires to become a contender in the estimated £3.5 billion renewable energy storage market in the European Union (EU). The company is working with König Metall to build and sell Warmstone units via approved UK installers. Caldera will use the investment to install a small number of pilot units in trial homes in 2021 before a full commercial rollout in 2022.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,572,524
Agua de Madre is craft-brewed water kefir aimed at the evergrowing no- and low- alcohol UK market. It aims to be an ethical brand that makes a delicious drink with live bacteria up to 250 billion live cultures per 100ml. The naturally low-alcohol fizzy water kefir is sold in deli's, restaurants, bars, and other food stores in London. Agua de Madre has also attracted media interest from major publications including Metro, Vogue, and Wallpaper. Furthermore, the company is planning to maximise its production potential, hire a specialist sales agency Windfall, expand to sell further in southwest London, and ramp up marketing with its PR Agency, Visible.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£250,990
The Cauldron is a technology-led entertainment studio that aims to deliver immersive experiences to its guests by combining technology with food and drink. Upon entering the company's venues, guests are given a magic wand, which acts as a control device for their visit. It helps them pour pints, activate lights and locks, explore science experiments, and stir cocktails. The device is also programmed to act as an open bar tab to track user spending. The Cauldron has served 1 million potions till date and welcomed 260,000+ guests. It has also inked ticket and product selling partnerships with entities like TimeOut, Airbnb Experiences, Secret London, Virgin Experience Days, and others. The company has featured on publications like Thrillist, NBC, Forbes, and Edinburgh News. The Cauldron will use 70% of the investment to open a central-London Cauldron flagship and provide additions to Wands & Wizard Exploratorium, 20% to finish the build for three new pop-up venues to open in markets across the US and Europe, and 10% to pay staff salaries.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£304,690
NGX is the world’s first genetically personalised nutrition shake designed to bring nutrition to everyday athletes. The company has ongoing discussions to form partners with U.A.E and U.S to expand. NGX's nutritionist approved formula is a less than average vegan-friendly, environmentally responsible, allergen-free, naturally sourced, and macro trends within the millennial and Z generations. With the proceeds, the company aims to create a range of products from personalised meal plans, and protein bars to enhance its position as the go-to personalised nutrition brand.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£207,860
Cranes Drinks is the fastest growing cider company in the UK, producing a range of innovative fruit ciders. By utilising the fruit’s natural sweetness, its drinks contain 30% fewer calories compared to that of brand leaders. Cranes ciders come in 3 flavours: blueberry & apple, cranberry & lime, and raspberry & pomegranate. As per Cranes, 34% of cider drinkers haven't consumed cider drinks much because it’s too sweet or has too much sugar. This makes Cranes a top contender in a growing fruit cider market worth £1.3 billion. The company's entire range is available on Ocado, and it has received 3 national listings in prominent retail chains like Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons. The brand has won 3 awards for its spirit range including a Gold Award in the Liqueur Masters organised by The Spirits Business and two awards from the International Wine & Spirits Competition. It has also received substantial media coverage in publications like Made In Chelsea, Dragons Dens, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening Standard, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Bella amongst others. With the investment, the company aims to use 25% of it as working capital, 60% in marketing, and 15% in managing key finances.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£246,046
The Cookaway is a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) company that makes and sells recipe boxes to users to enable them to make delicious food from the comfort of their homes. Users receive all the ingredients, including premium oils, along with complete recipe cards made by the company's expert chefs. The Cookaway has garnered over 500 verified reviews on TrustPilot with an 'Excellent' rating and onboarded 10 chefs including 5 MasterChefs and a 2-Michelin starred chef. It has featured in publications such as The Independent, Forbes, The Week, and The Daily Mail. The company was the 'Chosen Food Partner' for The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch 2021. The Cookaway will use 25% of the investment to hire talent, 20% to boost brand visibility via content generation, 15% to make its technology platform more intuitive, 15% to launch new chefs and cuisines, 5% to improve its sustainability credentials, 5% to develop its app with more features, 10% towards automation, and 5% to launch a membership program.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£792,187
Family Secret (FS) is a company that specialises in making sauces that are low on fat, sugar, calories and contain no added preservatives. The company's seven cooking sauces are listed with retailers including Ocado, Coop Midcounties, Amazon, as well as, hosted on QVC. The company's pouches are recyclable, and it is the process to make them compostable/biodegradable. It aims to be a disruptor in the $605 billion snacks market. FS won the 'Best Pitch' in the West Midlands 2019 via Pitchfest at Venturefest, were finalists for The Midlands region of the Family Business Entrepreneur 2019 via Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and appeared with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay in a recipe video. The company will use the investment to expand its range of cooking sauces, produce more recipe videos to attract customers, expand sales by making its website more intuitive, and bring out snack boxes.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£147,070
planarTECH is an engineering company founded in 2014 as a provider of process equipment for the growth and characterisation of graphene and other emerging 2D materials. Its core product line is the planarGROW Chemical Vapor (CVD) system. The company has the ability to deliver scalable production systems that allow lower-cost production of graphene in comparison to other options currently available in the market. Moreover, from 2014 to 2019, the company’s cumulative revenues exceeded £5 million. The company's products have been installed and used by faculties and students at prestigious universities like Stanford University (USA), IIT- Bombay (India), Deakin University (Australia), and many others. From the investment, the company will utilise 45% as working capital, 30% in Capital Expenditures (CAPEX), 15% in R&D and 10% in hiring additional staff.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£425,061
Thinking of You is a mobile app designed for the charity sector to attract critical but harder to reach younger demographic. It links messages to donations, launching a whole new way of supporting others and their charities. It is supported by The Charities Aid Foundation and has 70 charity partners already. Thinking of You aims at achieving a 1.5% market share by end Y3. With the proceeds, the company will develop the application and rapidly grow userbase and charities.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£133,560
SL'M is the world's first zero sugar, zero carb, zero fat range of wines which is approved by both the TSO and FSA. During COVID-19, the company witnessed record earnings, amidst profitable online sales in March 2020. The company has also been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan, The Sun, and many more. Slim Wine's audience comprises Gen X, Millennials, and Boomers, giving the company a great cross-generational position in the market. The company has served over 2 million glasses of wine and generated profits of over £1 million amidst a growing customer base. Slim Wine's latest vintage, Cuvée 450, was showcased at the 'Royal Berkshire Polo Club'. The company will use the investment to boost sales and marketing, advertising campaigns, and wine production.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£262,948
