East London Liquor Company (ELLC) has been distilling, importing and serving gins, whiskies, vodkas, rums, and canned cocktails since 2014. ELLC asserts that off-trade gin sales hit US$8.4 billion in 2020 with UK seltzer sales expected to reach £75 million by 2023. It intends to become a contender in the aforementioned categories. ELLC has had a 600% Year-on-Year (YoY) increase to £206,000 in off-trade sales from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. The company has partnered with the UNESCO world heritage site, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to release its product, Kew Gin. It has also entered into the Ready-To-Drink and seltzer categories with its range of canned drinks, and onboarded retailers like Waitrose, Tesco, and Co-Op. The company will use the investment to grow its off-trade channels both in the UK and abroad, expand its Direct To Consumer (DTC) output, update its 'Brand Home' to attract more customers, and increase its whisky production to meet demand.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£921,686
PLAYin CHOC is an innovative, premium and award-winning manufacturer of vegan organic eco-friendly toys and chocolates. Its products are allergen-free, plastic-free, 100% organic and inspire creative play. Since its launch, PLAYin CHOC has sold approximately 50,000+ units in 21 countries. Additionally, potential stockists for its products are estimated at 100,000 in the UK and 1 million globally. Now, PLAYin CHOC is planning to take its product to the market via high-end food supermarkets; independent food, confectionary and gift shops; travel retail market; direct to the consumer via subscription; and international distributors. Funds raised will be used to increase growth by securing larger and permanent premises and intensify targeted marketing at trade & consumer shows and online.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£278,450
Creative Hub is a fast-growing cloud software platform for creative people to store, share files, and collaborate on projects. The collaboration tools also allow users to chat in real-time, and add comments on images, allowing creative teams to work faster and deliver better results. Creative Hub enables users to order professional art & photographic prints, or physical 3D prints, which are produced at its print production facilities in London(UK) and Dusseldorf (Germany). The platform currently has 40,000 active users which are growing day by day. With the investment, the company will drive growth through marketing and launch its New York production facility.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£286,992
Marine Power Systems (MPS) states that it has developed a technology that can harness wind power, wave power or combined wind and wave energy at grid scale. It argues that governments worldwide are looking for alternative sources to meet global energy consumption needs. MPS endeavours to usher in an energy revolution and become a contender in the floating offshore energy market that is set to be worth over $100 billion by 2035. MPS claims to have successfully tested its medium-scaled prototype in the ocean, demonstrating the ease of transportation, deployment, and showcasing the devices ability to generate grid compliant electricity. The company has been awarded a £12.8 million grant by the European Union (EU) to deliver a full scale, grid-connected commercial demonstrator in 2022. It says it will use the investment to conduct its final phase of development and testing before taking its devices to market in Q1 of 2024.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£4,151,001
Aguulp innovates and curates liquid formulas using liposomal technology. The company asserts that vitamins in pill form have an absorption rate as low as 5% which is further eaten by stomach acid upon consumption before a person gets a chance to absorb it. Agullp aims to resolve this. Its product, NutriProtect, shields nutrients from corrosive stomach acid and helps 98% of nutrients reach the small intestine for absorption. The company estimates that over 3 million people in the UK and more than 10 per cent of the world’s population is malnourished for a variety of reasons, including environmental pollution, unhealthy diets and stressful lifestyles that block nutrient absorption and compound deficiencies. Aguulp aims to change this with its product line that includes Aguulp for Gut, Aguulp for Brain, and Aguulp for Immunity. The company will use 55.6% of the investment for marketing purposes, 44.2% for paying their staff, and 0.2% as other expenses.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£317,993
Andersen fills the gap by producing intelligent, strong and customizable charging points that can be happily used by customers at home. It has proved itself as a premium provider in the rapidly growing electric vehicle home charger market. The company has witnessed an increase in growth by 10x in 2018 and a third of all sales in the last three months. Andersen has been featured in The Times, BBC London and much more famous press. The company has received 5* on Google review and 'Great' on Trustpilot. It will be using funds to scale up the production and accelerate the growth.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£588,560
Sauce Shop is a craft condiment brand which offers customers a variety of fresh-tasting, innovative and punchy flavoured sauces. The company's products have received 2000 5-star reviews on their online shop, and total revenue is over £340k (EBITDA -£13.5k - July 2019). The revenue growth of the company is over 100% YOY. The brand is now stocked in Sainsbury's, Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods Market and many independent food retailers across the UK. Its Tomato Ketchup won a 2-star Great Taste Award. The company will use the funds to expand operational capacity, grow its team and to facilitate a move in premises to ensure that they can continue to meet demand.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£254,270
Scent & Co is a fragrance subscription service provider that offers choice, portability and flexibility with high-end fragrances at fair prices. Customers get a 30-day supply of 10ml bottle of their choice of fragrance or the choice of scent determined by fragrance experts. Since May 2017, with minimal marketing spend, Scent & Co has attracted 1500 customers and currently, has 850 loyal subscribers. The company has a loan-to-value ratio of £24 while 96% of its revenue is raised from the subscriptions. By next April, it aims to reach 7000 subscribers and to enhance customer experience to reduce churn.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£12,750
The Funky Appliance Company is the manufacturer of electronic appliances like irons, toasters and kettles. They give popular small domestic appliances a funky twist by designing them in a new stylish and smarter way. The company is working on a new product which will launch in the UK in 2020, and will be sold on its website and dedicated Amazon and eBay stores. They have also finalised arrangements with at least two large UK retailers which will see the new product range go into over 100 stores and online. Funky Iron has got the Good Housekeeping Institute Approval in 2019. The company will use the funds for the tooling and moulds of new products including their certification. The balance of capital will be used as working capital.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£171,359
Troubadour is a London-based menswear brand specialising in designing minimalist bags & accessories by combining performance design with a clean & modern aesthetic feel. The company has delivered its products to 60+ wholesalers. It is backed by Pembroke VCT, a luxury-focused venture capital firm based in London. Troubadour is planning to work with non-traditional retailers including Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, and Equinox. It has also collaborated with many world-renowned brands such as British tailors 'Thom Sweeney' and British essentials brand 'Sunspel' that is famous for clothing James Bond. The company has also been a case study for classes at the Harvard Business School. With the investment, the company will support sales growth to its customers and retail partners and also fund working capital requirements from its forecast growth plan.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£621,240
