Zoom 1hr is a hyperlocal last-mile delivery service delivering food, convenience and retail goods within one hour. The company is currently operating in West Midlands, Wales, and bordering English counties. It aims to become a contender in the online food delivery market that is projected to reach over £5 billion in 2021. Zoom 1hr has witnessed 70,000 app downloads, processed over 280,000 orders through its platform, and gained an annual turnover of £665,000 in 2019-2020 at an order growth rate of 108%. Zoom 1hr argues that its list of partners consists of local, national and international stores including Subway and KFC. It has also secured a contract with Co-Op to be its third national last-mile delivery partner, currently servicing 61 stores. The company will use the investment for New Area Mobilisation (NAM), product and website development, key hires, and team expansion.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£595,084
Pedal Me uses high-tech cargo bikes, trailers and trained riders to provide delivery & taxi services when needed. The company offers a solution that will out-perform motors in car-centric cities as bike-friendly measures like bike lanes are introduced. As of now, the company has 32 bikes and 45 staff in total. It has witnessed a strong MoM growth (19% on avg). The trips provided by Pedal Me has negligible carbon footprint in comparison with vans, taxis or electric vehicles. With the funds, the company will improve the technology, maintain speed with demand, develop the staff and balance the process.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£421,330
BEEN London is a next-generation sustainable accessory brand which converts waste into beautiful products, for customers all around the world. They aim to change the way people make, perceive and buy beautiful things and want to make everyone part of the solution, involving local artisans and people with learning disabilities in the growing economy of sustainable fashion. Till now, they have successfully shipped orders to 18 countries worldwide, achieved profitability from Year 1 and launched 17 different products including backpacks, laptop cases and tote bags. BEEN is a UK FUTURE 20 startup, a finalist at the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards, and a profitable company looking to scale up into a global, game-changing sustainable brand. BEEN have been approved for investment by London Fashion Fund. With the funds, they want to accelerate sales, increase margins and turn other streams of waste into new incredible products.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£325,589
Karshare connects renters with owners, giving those with cars the opportunity to earn extra income while those in need of a car can rent from their local community. The company aims to unlock community car sharing by tapping into the estimated 10 million cars parked at UK airports each year and 38 million vehicles parked on UK streets. Karshare's platform features telematics and keyless technology allowing for cars to be booked instantly and unlocked using facial recognition. Karshare has a TrustScore of 4.9/5 and 852 reviews. It has onboarded partners such as Allianz Insurance, OCTO Telematics, Rentalcars.com, and RAC. Karshare has featured in press publications like The Times, Huff Post, BBC and Evening Standard amongst others. The company will use 25% of the investment for business operations, 45% for growing the business, and 31% for developing User Experience (UX) and functionality.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,444,182
My Beauty Squad is a technology platform having a team of 120 mobile beauticians across four cities. It aims to be the number one beauty platform for women to book mobile-beautician appointments, watch tutorials, get advice on beauty products, and be part of a beauty community. The My Beauty Squad app consists of features like an online booking medium for mobile beauticians, promotional apps for big brands, and blogger apps with product information. The company has completed over 5800 bookings since launching its application. It won the 2019 'Best Mobile Beauty Specialists' Award by SME News. The company will use the investment to improve its technology, operations and marketing in London and other major cities. It also plans to launch its proprietary beauty product lines, including lash collection (October 2020) and beauty tools set (February 2021).
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£60,451
MusicGurus is an e-learning platform that offers video courses, interactive sheet music and online tests/exams. The company argues that conventional music learning is archaic consisting of lessons in either paper or PDF formats. MusicGurus aims to change this. Its portal features celebrity artists and pro musicians teaching all instruments and styles allowing users to avail the scrolling sheet music option and even "Play with a live band". MusicGurus asserts that it has 40,000+ users worldwide. It aims to become a contender in the $18 billion music learning industry. The company has raised £700,000+ to date from Venture Capitalist’s (VCs) such as Ascension Ventures and business angels such as the founder of Caffè Nero. MusicGurus has also partnered with music establishments such as Rockschool, Sony ATV, Hal Leonard, and Schott, amongst others. It will use the investment to develop new celebrity and partner courses, increase its sales, and prepare for a Series A round in 2021.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£176,336
Neat Nutrition is a UK based company that aims to make 100% plant-based protein powder using simple and nutritious ingredients. Its current lineup includes two varieties, namely Pea and Hemp, and Whey. The plant-based supplement market is due to be worth $7.38 billion by 2026. Neat Nutrition wants to capitalise on that potential. It has sold more than 1 million protein shakes in 32 countries and has been featured in prominent publications like Women's Health, Vogue, GQ, Esquire & Men's Health. It was awarded Men’s Health Reader’s Choice Best New Product Award in 2017. Moreover, in 2018, Neat Nutrition raised £1.46 million that helped it to invest in its proprietary platform, brand, and infrastructure. It has built key relationships with established entities such as Lululemon, Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter. With the investment, the company will push forward new product development and open up new distribution channels.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£287,920
Polysolar specialises in manufacturing photovoltaic windows capable of generating electricity, which can be used in buildings to generate clean renewable energy whilst also meeting planning regulations. Its technology is already in-use by major organisations such as Network Rail and Sainsbury's.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,311,180
StanMe aims to be the first community marketplace to enable collaboration and co-selling between independent creators. It asserts that the majority of creators have to continuously learn techniques to market themselves, adapt to social platforms’ ever-changing algorithms, and grow and maintain a large community to generate a sufficient amount of sales. StanMe claims that not all can do so and intends to address this situation with its services. It launched its public beta in July 2020 with more than 1,000 users and has processed over 130 transactions since its beta launch. StanMe claims it has more than 1,900 pre-registered users on its waiting list and aspires to become a contender in the creator economy valued at $11 billion in 2019. It will use the investment to accelerate its growth, invest in technology, and boost marketing initiatives.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£164,080
Grubby is a purpose-led recipe kit brand on a mission to make plant-based cooking more accessible without damaging the earth. It argues that there has been a 400% increase in people moving to a plant-based diet from 2014 to 2019. It intends to cater to this demand. The company asserts that it is a 100% plant-based business and intends to combine three rapidly growing areas namely, food delivery, meal kits, and plant-based diets. It also wants to become a contender in the recipe kits market that has experienced a £385 million growth since 2015. Grubby has served over 50,000 meals since its launch, received 100+ 5-star reviews, and grown sales 130% in the last quarter to £135,000. It has received investment from angel investors including founders of Skyscanner and World First. Grubby will use the investment to continue its growth through product innovation, speciality add-ons, and an enhanced digital experience to boost customer acquisition.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,049,472
