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
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
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
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
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
envoPAP is a company that specialises in manufacturing printing and packaging materials from agricultural waste. Started in 2015, the company has achieved £7.3 million in revenues across 45 countries. The European packaging market is valued at over £100 billion and the European Union (EU)are looking to ban some single-use plastic products with effect from 2021, envoPAP aims to capitalise on these developments. The year 2019 saw envoPAP introducing its product 'envoBarrier’- a material resistant to oil, water, and grease which won the 'Packaging Innovation of the Year' at the Business Green Technology Awards. In 2020, envoPAP became a certified B Corporation rendering it a business that balances purpose and profit. The investment will be used to protect its Intellectual Property (IP) and expand its team.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£381,128
WRAP is a co-working hub for families to work, rest and play. The company argues that COVID-19 has led to the need for a space where work and leisure intersect. WRAP's premises consist of an upstairs section having shared and private offices. The downstairs section consists of a café, nursery and play centre. The company aims to be a carbon-neutral entity by implementing methods like using reusable nappies in the nursery to channelling 100% renewable energy system throughout the building soon. The company has gained support from cornerstone investors such as Penny Jones, Dave Stewart, and Ian Wood, who have experience in overseeing property and co-working facilities. WRAP will use 94% of the investment for refurbishing its building premises, 2.3% in marketing, 1% to setup digital tools such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), 2% for legal assistance, and the remaining for getting regulatory approvals from Ofsted UK.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£321,064
HireHand is a VC-backed platform connecting people and businesses. The company has helped more than 2000 people in earning £3M by giving valuable support to 750 businesses owners in the UK. It has 750 businesses on its platform and it has received a 4.5-star quality rating from businesses. HireHand aims to provide people with stability and flexibility instead of under-employment and insecurity. It has been featured in the Financial Times media platform. HireHand has received funding from Mustard Seed Impact VC. With the proceeds, the company will hire additional technical talent and launch in New York (food retail) and London construction (scaffolding).
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,011,505
Found, as the name suggests, aims to become the go-to community across the UK for lost properties, offering a better and simpler way for the public to get their property back. The company is noted by Insurance Post as the 'Top 6 insurtechs to watch for 2020.' It has also won the Start-Up Guernsey Angel Pitch Event sponsored by Barclays. Found offers multiple potential revenue streams (insurance, software subscriptions, SaaS and analysing data) with both B2B and B2C channels. Found will employ 30% of the proceeds, in product development, 25% in team development, 10% for the insurance product, 10% in operations, and 25% for its launch in Bristol and UK wide BD.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£254,372
