Equipsme is on a mission to democratise health insurance by making it affordable for businesses of all sizes. The company cites data arguing that there has been a 53% increase in National Health Service (NHS) treatment waiting lists since 2012 due to the low reach of health insurance by conventional insurance companies. It aims to change this scenario. Equipsme offers flexible fixed-price packages to companies wherein employees are allowed to upgrade and add family members to their plan as per their pleasure. Members can also speak to a General Physician (GP) 24/7, and, if necessary, be referred to a consultant for diagnosis and treatment through the company's proprietary app. The company was felicitated with the 'Best New Product' award by Cover Magazine Excellence Awards 2019. The company will use the investment to enhance its user experience, ensure its technology remains market-leading, and scale its marketing and customer service capability.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£286,096
Skin In Motion (SIM) is a first-of-its-kind exercise-friendly beauty range that seeks to promote the positive effects of exercise through healthy and confidence-boosting skincare and makeup products specifically designed to be worn pre, during, and post-exercise. SIM claims that its products are available Direct To Consumer (DTC) via its website and are listed on LookFantastic, Amazon and Oliver Bonas. SIM was awarded the 'Best New Business 2020' award by the Women's Business Club. The brand has reached 3 million potential customers and has an Instagram following of 3,000 to date. The company has also featured in Sunday Times Style Magazine, Hello!, RED Magazine, and Women's Health, to name a few. It will use the investment to grow its team, increase marketing and brand awareness, and accelerate new product developments.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£166,111
EBar is a ‘Beer as a Service’ entity. It argues that music and sporting events experience long bar queues with millions of people waiting in serpentine lines for their pint. EBar aspires to change this. Its patent-protected EBar machine allows a customer to order, pay and dispense two drinks in less than 30 seconds and in half the time taken by a typical event bar. The machine is supplemented with an integrated 'Point of Sale' (PoS) software, payment solution and data reporting systems. The company has secured over £800,000 of funding from private and public sector sources to date. It also deployed new EBar units at pilot events pre-lockdown and commercially in summer 2020 where it served over 3,500 pints in a socially distanced open-air environment. EBar has patents pending across international territories such as North America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Australia. It will use the investment to build more units, grow its team, develop supply chain partnerships, and boost business development.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£356,377
YEO (Your Eye Only) Messaging is a next-generation communication platform that connects business with people. The company asserts that its patented continuous facial recognition requires users' ID as an authentication key to display content, making it impossible for someone else to read a user's messages. The portal also doesn't allow others to screenshot, copy, save or forward content unless allowed by the user. YEO Messaging claims that its 'Geofencing' and 'Burn After Reading' features provide sender control even after content is sent guaranteeing delivery to the person rather than just the device. YEO was selected as one of eight companies worldwide for CyLon London’s Cohort 10 accelerator in the autumn of 2019 and has a valuation of £8.3 million when only considering issued shares. The company will use the investment to expand its team to accelerate the development of its desktop and enterprise solutions to drive revenues and further its partnership in the insurance and healthcare sectors.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£823,622
FinOptix is an innovative FinTech company that solves real business problems. FinOptix’s objective is to become a significant player in a rapidly growing FinTech market by developing systems that provide financial clarity to decision-makers. FinOptix has a well-established user base, as well as a sales pipeline that covers multiple geographies and sectors. Their verification and validation procedures applied during the development process and operational trials have led to engagement with commercial partners. With the proceeds, they will design an Evaluator for the future, apply AI techniques to solve complex problems, develop their skill set and framework and hire a team of data scientists based on the assessment.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£125,000
HairFare is an end-to-end hair and beauty chair rental platform that connects beauty professionals to salons, studios and barbershops across the UK. It asserts that the hair and beauty industry was worth £10 billion in 2018 and is set to increase. HairFare aims to be a contender in this segment. HairFare asserts that it has expanded to five cities within the UK with no marketing budget. The platform has featured in media platforms including The Barber Magazine, Islington Gazette, Startups of London, Business Daily, ITProPortal, ExBulletin, Compsmag, and LinkedIn News, to name a few. It will use 40% of the investment for creating its proprietary app, 40% towards marketing to increase the number of business owners and beauty professionals on the platform, 10% towards setting up its merchandise line, and 10% towards establishing the HairFare Academy.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£57,736
Nourish is a company that makes snacks free from refined sugar, gluten, and dairy. The company's mission is to become one of the UK's most popular free-from brands. It aims to provide a range of delicious treats and snacks to consumers, athletes and those with specific dietary needs, ensuring that they possess sustained energy. The company's products are stocked by retailers including, Ocado, Wholefoods, Planet Organic, and Daylesford. Its online sales grew by 740% in April 2020. The company has featured in publications like Ooh Magazine, VeganLife, and Natural Health. It became 'Organically Certified' in 2017 and 'Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) Certified' in 2018. Nourish will soon launch its new product line in the next 12 months. The company will use the investment received to build the team, continue to raise brand awareness by investing in more price promotions in stores, and undertake geo-marketing campaigns.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£133,207
Ruby Violet (RV) creates ice cream flavours, vegan sorbets and iced delights. It asserts that it has grown from a market stall in 2011, to two parlours and an accompanying vintage van, tricycle and trolley, almost doubling its revenue from 2016 to 2019. RV aims to become a contender in the ice cream industry that is worth £1.4 billion in the UK and £44 billion worldwide. It asserts that 90% of the packaging used by the company is either recyclable or compostable. It has featured in press entities like The Times, The Guardian, Vogue and the BBC, to name a few. RV has also collaborated with noted gin company, Gin Mare, creating gin ice cream and sorbet specific to their infused botanicals. RV's clients include Costa Coffee, Nike, McVitie's, and Moet & Chandon. It will use 75% of the investment for capital expenditure, 15% for marketing activities, and 10% for hiring key personnel.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£357,173
Aloha is a barrier-free WiFi hotspot and data-sharing platform. The company estimates that 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide pay to access the web with many unable to access the internet daily due to technical or financial constraints. Conversely, 67% of smartphone users do not consume all of their mobile phone data available to them each month. Aloha aims to change this scenario. It enables users to get paid for sharing unused data and be rewarded with 'Aloha Tokens' that can be exchanged for cash, bitcoins and exclusive offers from Aloha's partner companies. Business users and advertisers can use the advertising tools in the Aloha application and broadcast offers and promotions directly to a targeted audience within the Aloha community. The company will use 20% of the investment to list the Aloha Token with one or more key Crypto exchange platforms, 15% to expand the application development team, 17% to complete development of the Aloha Marketplace, 20% for marketing and PR, 16% for running monthly costs, 3% for Aloha app upgradation, and 10% as contingency funds.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£307,707
NOQ aims to solve the issue of queuing at events by digitising the process and bringing increased sales and profit for event management companies, coupled with data-driven insights. It aspires to capture the UK market share through partnerships with event management companies, food concession groups, PoS (Point of Sale) systems, and WiFi providers. NOQ offers a three-step solution for event-goers namely, pre-order ahead of time, click and collect or deliver to a location within the event. The company also claims that it provides a bespoke solution specific to suit the needs of each event and ensure seamless execution of the same. NOQ has overseen transactions worth £275,000+ on its platform, onboarded 13,000+ active users across iOS and Android, and covered 190+ events in 2020. It will use the investment for hiring key personnel, marketing and operational expenditures.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£214,393
