Innovate Recycle (IR) is a company that aims to reduce carbon emissions from burning discarded carpets. It asserts that only 2% of the 400,000 tonnes of discarded carpets in the UK is recycled, with the rest going into a landfill or being incinerated. IR further points out that burning waste carpet leads to an estimated CO2 impact of £16 million per annum in the UK. It wants to solve this crisis. IR is building a new carpet recycling plant in Northamptonshire that would be able to recycle carpets into reusable materials. They have already received grant funding of up to £2.35 million. IR claims that a single production line in the plant, at full capacity, can recycle up to 20,000 tonnes each year and generate 12,600 tonnes of polypropylene pellets. It will use the investment to expand to a second production line by Year 4 at the same facility.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£2,650,000
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
Black Ballad (BB) is a subscription media lifestyle platform that uses media, community and data to empower black women in Britain and beyond. The company asserts that since its inception in 2014, it has become a dominant force for Black women in Britain, with thousands of members paying upwards of £4.99 per month or £49 per year to access BB's combination of content, events and lifestyle perks. BB claims that it has been the recipient of over £125,000 in grants from organisations that include NESTA, Deutsche Bank and Kings College London. BB argues that it launched two successful surveys about Black Motherhood and Black Women in Britain producing over 400,000 data points from nearly 6,000 respondents. The company has also signed a content partnership with BBC to launch Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe' mini-series. It will use 35% of the investment on technology evolution, 23% towards content creation, 23% towards audience development and marketing, 13% for business development, and 6% for legal, accounting and miscellaneous expenses.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£337,885
eFOLDi a business that uses inventive engineering to unlock mobility in the less abled. It is a portable, lightweight and versatile mobility vehicle which can be folded to a suitcase size or used as a chair. The eFOLDi has an international patent, a registered trademark, passed various safety tests and won British invention of the year 2016
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£939,650
Square Mile Farms (SMF) is a company that installs innovative and productive vertical farms in a workplace to engage employees and help businesses create a culture of healthy, low-impact living. Its 'Office Farming' model creates green spaces for engagement and collaboration. In 2019, it was invited to build a vertical farm in Paddington Central by British Land, one of UK’s largest landowners. The setup now acts as a hub for the company's office farm installations and a base from which it can conduct Research and Development (R&D). SMF's customers include Grosvenor Group Limited and Vodafone. Moreover, the company has been covered by media platforms such as BBC One and BBC Radio. It will use 45% of the investment for sales and business development, 15% for design and technology up-gradation, 15% for raising its profile and increasing brand awareness, and 25% for operations.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£504,118
The Landsite is the UK's first online property portal that connects various entities within the property industry such as developers, legal services, insurance advisors and architects, to one another, simplifying the process of finding and buying a property. By registering with The Landsite, a business/professional can list their business as operating in a specific region of the country and appear against all property searches that take place in that same region. The user then needs to put in their postcode or address and can then access properties within that region, as well as, seek available professional guidance to zero in upon a potential purchase. The platform also has an insights page that aims to become a recruitment, training and educational hub for the property industry. The company will use the investment to grow its business across different verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
Withheld
One Year No Beer (OYNB) is a community support platform that helps people change their relationship with alcohol. It does this by allowing its users to choose a plan from the company's subscription-based models that consist of a 28-day, 90-day, and 365-day challenge to stay away from alcohol. The platform has empowered 70,000+ people in 90 countries through its challenges. Excess alcohol consumption leads to 3 million deaths per year and costs up to £59 billion to the UK economy alone. OYNB aims to resolve this crisis through its platform. For its efforts, the platform has been mentioned in publications such as the BBC, ITV, Metro, and Daily Telegraph. It also has an online presence of 130,000+ Facebook and 50,000+ Instagram followers. The company will use 42% of the investment to hire personnel, 33% for technology and product builds, and 25% as overhead costs.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,757,111
Asap water crafts have developed an electric power-assisted watercraft for beach lifeguards that blasts the user through the water, for the ultimate adventurer, or for rescue to reach people faster. Their aim is to help lifeguards save more lives. In production and selling worldwide, they have been granted EU Design Registration and have EU & US patents pending. Asap has grown the production setup by making significant improvements - lowering assembly skill level with a modular/practical design. Its goal is to reduce product costs by at least 30%. With the proceeds, Asap will scale with a big marketing push by lowering the manufacture costs and providing the required capital to fulfil orders quicker.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£154,380
Auto Lease Compare is a company that uses a web-based platform to provide business services of leasing cars in the UK market. The company is on a mission to transform the growing UK car leasing industry. They are currently operating in a leasing & rental market worth £49 billion in the UK alone. Auto Lease Compare have increased their users to 40,000 on the platform and have also partnered with some of the UK’s leading leasing companies. With the investment, the company will grow its business by revamping and upgrading the website, executing a strong marketing strategy and increasing brand awareness.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£111,860
pluumo makes sustainable thermal packaging material from waste feathers. The company asserts that fresh food deliveries need thermal packaging to keep ingredients frozen and prevent spoilage. pluumo claims that plastics such as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) are used in this process, leading to 141,000 tons of plastic waste generated in the EU in 2019. pluumo asserts that its patent-pending material matches the performance of EPS, keeping items chilled for up to 40 hours. The company has secured £450,000 in grants/awards, including £140,000 via InnovateUK. It aims to be a contender in the $137 billion online food delivery industry. pluumo argues that 74% of consumers would pay more for green packaging, with e-commerce sustainable packaging predicted to be worth $65 billion by 2023. The company will use the investment to scale production and expand into the wider UK market.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£511,325
