Handset Expert (HE) is a company on a mission to help a customer select his/her next phone or SIM card in a quick, cost-effective, and easy manner. HE claims to provide all the information customers need when buying a new phone and/or SIM and streamline every step of the process. In 2018, 28.8 million handsets were sold in the UK. 61% of consumers expect to buy a new phone in the next two years, and the advent of 5G will usher a new generation of devices. The company, having undergone a thorough test and build phase, believes that it is in a suitable position for a full launch with a comprehensive go-to-market plan in place. It has featured in publications such as The Guardian, The Sun and The Mirror, been recommended by MoneySavingExpert and received Ofcom accreditation. It will use the investment to grow its business across different verticals to become the UK’s go-to mobile recommendation service.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£286,670
Vestemi is a clean tech company with an environmental and social purpose. It has created, in partnership with EDF Energy, Radbot, a smart heating control product that saves money by reducing energy consumption of up to 30%. Radbot is easy to install, simple to use, and scalable. Moreover, Radbot has been awarded National Energy Efficiency Product of the Year, 2019. With the proceeds, Vestemi focuses on developing Radbot and testing the market to optimise its commercial strategy. It will also generate growth, increase brand awareness, and invest in sales & marketing to drive market sales.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£421,705
Toraphene is an environmental technology company that aims to eliminate plastic waste. It has released with its product, Toraphene, to solve this crisis. It claims that Toraphene is a biodegradable, compostable and commercially-viable plastic packaging substitute for conventional plastic. The company asserts that its product is biodegradable even in the ocean, and has been developed using graphene technology. It is focussed on eliminating carrier bags and food containers in its first-round which account for 23% of marine waste. It aims to be a segment leader in the projected $25.4 billion biodegradable plastic industry by 2026. The company will use the investment to make Toraphene accessible to companies worldwide and make plastic packaging obsolete.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,000,000
Ascot Brewing are passionate brewing award-winning real ales and hop-forward craft beers. They are on a mission to deliver value for its shareholders and customers while providing opportunities for its employees. They have opened a 2,500sq ft,20 tap - taproom and launched its hop-forward craft beer brand. Till now there are 785 investors backing Ascot Brewing Company and they have recently moved to new 8,500 sq. Ft building & installed new brewing kit. The company have successfully launched our hop-forward craft beer brand (Disruption is Brewing®). Ascot Brewing is seeking investment to expand the sales team, build out one of the best taprooms in the UK, growing export trade, add a small canning line, and address export inquiries.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£150,000
Doodle Drinks (DD) aims to make all-natural soft drinks that kids can enjoy. The company cites research data arguing that children aged 18 months to 18 years are drinking 26% fewer sugary drinks and consumption for 10-year olds has fallen 35%. It wants to capture this sentiment and deliver a soft drink that's a healthy choice for both parents and their kids. DD has secured distribution with the noted distributor, Bravura Foods. It has also signed a partnership with the largest independent bottler of beverages in Europe and North America, Refresco, who have over 60 manufacturing sites globally to fulfil its objective. DD will use the investment to grow its business, execute its marketing strategy and increase its product range.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£877,830
Intellibonds is an AI/Human collaborative investment platform for fixed income institutional investors. The platform analyses the users' objectives and renders intuitive financial analytical data for the user to make the correct investment decision with the click of a button. The modular AI-enabled assistants (virtual workforce) support workflow and augment decision-making of credit analysts, portfolio managers and traders (in development). In 2019, IntelliBonds joined Fintech Sandbox accelerator and Microsoft programme for startups. In 2020, the company made data partnerships with Refinitiv, S&P Global Ratings and BondRadar, as well as, formed a strategic partnership with University College London (UCL). The company will launch two modules; a Virtual Credit Assist (VCA) and Virtual Portfolio Assist (VPA) to further simplify the process of financial investments. It will use £225,000 of the investment for product development, £50,000 for distribution channels, and £25,000 for patents, trademarks and other legal/advisory fees.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£383,275
Invisage is a cloud-based platform that helps asset managers optimise their performance and research costs by identifying the true value of investment research. The company asserts that Directive 2014/65/EU has led to the investment research market falling from $16.5 billion to $14 billion as managers look to reduce costs and increase value. Invisage asserts that its platform helps asset managers identify, objectively measure ‘value’ added by research, and consume only high-impact research. The company also offers a web-based research consolidation, valuation and attribution solution that gives a quantitative assessment of value added by research to client portfolios. Invisage will use the investment to enhance deep learning-based Natural Language Processing (NLP) models that detect the implicit ideas from research narrative, build partnerships with data providers and other solution providers, and market scale its sales function
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£75,000
TheVeganKind is a plant-based supermarket subscription box service that sells different vegan and plant-based products. The company has generated a revenue of £2.5m during Nov 2018-Nov 2019. TheVeganKind had shipped more than 130,000 orders alone in 2019. There are more than 4,500 different vegan and plant-based products in stock. It has been recently voted the UK's Top Online Retailer for Vegan Shopping. TheVeganKind has more than 500,000 social followers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With the proceeds, the company will allocate 60% of the funds towards marketing and branding; 20% will go towards warehouse expansion, and in increasing its inventory; 20% will go towards operating expenditure and team expansion.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£669,188
Zapaygo allows consumers to order ahead at coffee shops, food outlets, restaurants, bars, events spaces, stadiums, and many other venues, improving customer experience while increasing venue revenues. The app also has a loyalty program for its users, RewardZ. This blockchain, digital rewards token is a key offering by Zapaygo to chain and individual merchants who can redeem RewardZ Tokens. Using Zaypaygo allows venues to reduce time taking orders by 40% and increase their sales by 30%. The company has developed an innovative technology platform that has identified core venues & corporate partners in the UK as initial target markets and is ready to scale. With the funds received, the company is focused on covering customer/corporate convenience in collecting F&B (Food & Beverage) and experience growth similar to the success experienced by apps like UberEats and Deliveroo. It also aims to offer 'order to delivery' end to end services.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£596,030
CatchApp is a scheduling software that aims to fulfil the scheduling needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), professionals, and enterprise users. CatchApp has 15,000 users using its application. It has featured in the US 'Appstore's' home screen and selected by Apple as 'App of the Day'. CatchApp is used by organisations like Microsoft, CERN, PwC, Harvard, and NHS. Calendars from Google, Apple, and Microsoft Outlook are compatible with the software. The business productivity software market will grow from $98 billion in 2018 to $106 billion in 2021, and CatchApp aims to be a major contender in this segment. The company will use the investment to build up marketing, business development and technical teams, accelerate revenue from SMEs via the company’s newly-launched Software as a Service (SaaS) product, launch CatchApp Enterprise solutions, and global partnerships.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£832,102
