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
Drone Ag is a UK based farm-oriented research and development company which has created 'Skippy Scout ', a software to make farming more productive through drone automation and AI technology. The software enables drone systems to scout crops more efficiently. This technology has the potential to reduce manual labour, chemical use and costs, and negate yield loss. Alongside completing its AI model, the company has developed an Application Program Interface (API) that communicates with both its app and 3rd party data sources/platforms and further lays the path for future integrations. The company won the 'Gold Future Innovation Award' at LAMMA 2020 and has been featured in over 45 print publications since November 2019. With the investment, Drone Ag will develop future versions of the software, moving towards creating a fully autonomous, integrated drone platform for agriculture using AI.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£300,220
Gively is an online marketplace where users can give and get secondhand items for free. The secondhand clothing market will double in value to £50 billion annually by 2023, and the company finds itself as a suitable contender in this domain. They aim to lower greenhouse gas emissions and minimise landfill sites through its portal. The company has reached over 5,000 users, 70% of which came from unpaid channels. Gively won an SME (Small and medium enterprises) grant worth £10,000 of television advertising and has received rave reviews from its users through the App Store, social media, and in person. They will use 50% of the investment for marketing purposes, 25% for technology up-gradation, and 25% for hiring human resources.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£105,207
Homemidwife is an on-demand private midwifery service for mothers during and after pregnancy. Homemidwife cites data arguing that the National Health Service (NHS) in England is short of almost 2,500 full-time midwives. The company also asserts that the freelance midwifery market is still old-fashioned, with NHS midwives struggling for time to advertise their private midwifery service. HomeMidwife aims to change this by making it easier for mums to look for professional and experienced midwives. The company allows users to make appointments for a teleclinic or home visit through its website or app. It will use the funds to improve the functionality of its web portal, scale-up its app coverage in London, and increase recruitment of midwives to 200.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£61,339
Itasca Wines is a Hampshire-based vineyard and winery that produces fine English wines. The company is raising funds for its contract winemaking facility, to fulfil the growing demand from vineyards. There are over 760 vineyards in the UK currently, 111 have their own winery and only a handful of these provide contract winemaking services to other vineyards. Itasca Wines aims to become a major winemaker and create award-winning wines at Penn Croft. The company planted its first vineyard of 16,000 vines in May 2019 and has featured in Vineyard Magazine in February and May 2019.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,147,003
Nexus is a digital platform that empowers users to take control of their health and wellbeing. It states that long-term health conditions like diabetes and cancer will account for over 50% of global health spending by the end of 2021 with depression becoming the leading cause of disability. Nexus aims to address this situation via its app. It argues that its app will offer users health coaching, telemental health, products, and services to transform their lifestyle. Nexus claims that the app can track progress via self-entered user data and is being designed to connect with apps and wearables to inspire life-long behavioural change. Nexus has prepared a pilot for an NHS Trust endorsed by Boston Scientific with a collaboration agreement to roll out the app to 30,000 NHS users. Nexus was one of 100 startups chosen to pitch at the World Business Angels Forum 2020. The Company says that it will use the investment to support Phase 2 of its tech build, grow further in the UK, and start its expansion in the UAE.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£280,360
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
Algarve Rock Brewery manufactures Portuguese craft beer. The company aims to put Portuguese craft beer on the map with flavoursome beers that embody local ingredients. They have won Best Stout award in Trujillo Festival 2018- Spain. They supply to major Portuguese outlets including Emprodalbe distributors, Apolonia supermarkets, prestigious Quinta do Lago resort and 'house' beers to Casa do Frango group in London. The proceeds will be used to start its themed Brewbars and Brew kiosks, to increase exports to the UK and USA, strengthen brand identity, team expansion and expansion of brewery to cope with increased demand.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£205,456
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
We Are Fetching is a free application that helps parents manage the school run amongst their trusted friends, whilst keeping the school informed. The app allows parents to earn credits to use as per their necessity when they collect a friend’s child as well as their own. Fetching asserts that 56.2% of mothers have made a change to their employment due to childcare in the UK. The company points out that its portal can address the aforementioned concern. Fetching also includes a walk-home option and contact reporting in response to COVID-19. The company's platform aims to get more parents back to work and reduce administrative pressure in schools in the wake of COVID-19. Fetching will use the investment to grow its parent user base and make its platform live in 20% of UK schools by 2022.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£41,976
