Rachel JAMES is a luxury casual menswear label that featured in London’s men’s fashion week in January this year.
The Creative Director, Rachel James is a British menswear designer and BA (Hons) graduate of Fashion Design from the University of Westminster. During her education she gained invaluable experience working within all areas of the fashion industry, from design to production, pattern cutting to print, PR to Sales at companies including Acne Studios, Todd Lynn and Christian Dior.
However it could be argued her rise in the fashion ranks is owed to a rather fortuitous event during a graduate internship at an Australian fashion house.
People who eventually go on to become huge successes often get a lucky break somewhere along the line. Rachel had hers in 2013 when she was interning at Australian fashion designer Josh Goot in Sydney. While working in the fashion label’s studio, the brand’s design co-ordinater unexpectedly went on leave, leaving Rachel to take charge of many of his duties as well as her own – leading a team of around 10 employees and overseeing both design and production of the collection at that time. She performed her impromptu role so impeccably well that she was instructed to lead a project to re-define and re-design the whole design process within the company – ultimately setting her on the path to understanding what it takes to become a fully-fledged menswear designer.
Fast forward a few months to 2015 and Rachel’s passion for her work and hunger for recognition were two characteristics that helped her secure an invitation to show her new collection at men’s fashion week in London (LC:M) earlier this year. For a graduate designer this is unheard of; applicants typically have 4/5 seasons behind them before they are considered for any space at such a prestigious event. The exhibition proved a great success for showcasing, networking and publicising the brand: Rachel JAMES has since been invited to showcase again this season, has been featured in Italian Vogue and has had pieces requested to style British artists Calvin Harris, Tom Odell, Mark Ronson and Skepta.
From the debut, the label’s PR team have been inundated with press requests and website traffic was given a huge boost. The company is now ready to start making sales with the online shop having just opened for business.
The designer is offering a 25% equity for £50,000 investment.
This is a brand that designs and produces creative, exciting, casual menswear, using luxurious fabrics and impeccable 100% British manufacturing. It is offering investors the chance to come onboard at an early stage.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£8,050
Reset Paris offers a wide range of high-end wellness services including spas, massage, sports and therapy classes. These services are delivered by highly qualified and experienced professionals with a holistic approach. Workshops based on matters like stress-relief, nutrition, focus, memory and sleep are also provided right at the office. The company has recruited a team of freelance professionals and tested their performance with B2B and B2C customers, developed a CRM platform and started collective classes with exceptional feedback. Reset is well-positioned to grow by selling health weeks to companies and increase its visibility through digital marketing.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£111,430
Spotlight Consultations aims to diagnose diseases based on evidence-based questionnaires. The company's Algorithmic Questionnaire (AQ) strives to be a simple 3-5 minute questionnaire, dynamically responsive with each question linked to an actionable care pathway. The company estimates that 10% of global health expenditure per annum is spent on diabetes, which is predicted to rise to $825 billion by 2030. Indirect costs from premature death, disability, and diabetes-related health complications add an additional 35% more to this number. Spotlight intends for its AQ to help reduce expenditure and healthcare burden while improving the quality of care and health outcomes. The company will use the investment to support early revenue generation, team expansion and stimulate Research and Development (R&D) tools to cover more diseases like CVD, IBD, chronic pain, and cancers.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£69,682
Lucy Choi has created an affordable luxury footwear brand that comes with a unique heritage, having learnt her craft from her uncle, the great shoe designer, Jimmy Choo. Lucy Choi London has been featured consistently at London Fashion Week and in the elite fashion press. The brand has been featured in platforms such as The Times, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Grazia, and The Telegraph. It has been worn by A-list celebrities including Hailey Beiber and Sharon Stone. From 2018 to 2019, there has been a 40% increase in the number of shoes sold. Lucy Choi London has also been sold to various UK stockists and wholesaled internationally. Around 5,800 subscribers have subscribed to its website since 2016 (41% CAGR). With the proceeds, the company will refocus on wholesale globally, design a new website, hire new employees, and increase marketing spends.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£182,770
Hussle is one of the UK's top fitness marketplace, providing many flexible fitness opportunities according to your requirement. The company has provided c.2.5M gym visits, raised £12M+ to date, and serviced more than 500k customers. The platform has c.40% of UK gyms and c.3,000 fitness venues. Besides a huge customer base, 10,000 new members are added to the facility each month. It has received a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 on TrustPilot across 1,500 reviews. So far, Hussle has raised £12M+ from Albion, MMC, Concentric, TechnoGym, and Channel 4. With the proceeds, the company aims at creating a globally trusted fitness brand by enhancing the brand's awareness and by broadening the range of physical activities available on the platform.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,440,500
Moody is a health-tracking application that connects users with customised health, food and fitness advice based on their moods, symptoms and cycles. It endeavours to become a sustainable force for good in women's health. The company argues that women control >80% of household health spend and are 80% more likely than men to use a digital health app. It aims to harness these trends and capitalise on the global remote health care market that is forecast to hit £40 billion by 2025. 'The Moody Month' app featured in publications like Vogue, Grazia and The Guardian. It has witnessed over 136,000 downloads since its Version 1 release in 2019. The app has compiled over 5 million moods to date. The company will use the investment to scale its business globally and reach 1 million subscribers within a four-year time frame.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£142,026
Hemspan states that it designs bio-based building systems and products for construction by combining modern methods, technology and hemp to produce net-zero carbon solutions. The company argues that every time an average house is built, the CO2 emitted by the manufacture, transport and assembly of the materials used is around 50 to 60 tonnes. Hemspan says that one hectare of UK-grown industrial hemp can absorb 11 tonnes of CO2 each year with regeneratively farmed hemp capable of sequestering a further 6 tonnes per hectare of CO2 into the soil each year. Hemspan intends to activate significant demand for hemp farming in the UK and develop processing technologies to reduce reliance on imports and enable large scale manufacturing of bio-based cladding and insulation products that spin out of R&D programmes. It asserts that the global industrial hemp market is expected to grow at 25% CAGR reaching US$ 27 billion by 2028. It aims to be a contender in this segment.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£200,000
Future You Cambridge is a company that sells clinically proven health supplements directly to consumers. Since its launch in 2016, it has sold products to over 100,000 customers. The company's Lactolycopene product received a patent in December 2017 and its Fertility+ product was also covered by the European Journal of Nutrition in a clinical paper and was shown to have resulted in a 40% increase in male fertility. The company's offerings now stand at 24 products, including the popular CBD product and its first product for pets, Curcupet-K9. Additionally, the company won the 2018 Cambridge Service Excellence and Independent High Growth Business of the Year Awards and has 5-star ratings on Trustpilot. They will use the investment to scale up direct advertising campaigns, expand its product range by more than 10 new products, and invest in their website to make it more intuitive.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£655,011
Clinical Net is a health-tech firm focused on revolutionizing access to innovative clinical trials. Their AI platform swiftly connects patients with suitable trials, addressing the challenge of low participation rates and delays that hinder pharmaceutical research. With over 69,000 trials globally, their solution aims to streamline the cumbersome and time-consuming process of trial matching, making it more efficient and accessible within 5 minutes. This innovative approach targets the $3.73 billion patient recruitment market while ensuring individuals have easier access to groundbreaking treatments.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£136,827
Nooro makes cannabidiol (CBD) snack bars. Company founder J.D. Furlong asserts that blending CBD and certain nootropics lead to better cognitive functions in individuals. Nooro also argues that it is the UK's first CBD snack bar seller that is plant-based and gluten-free. The company's products are stocked across 250 retail outlets, cafes, gyms, and delis across the UK. Nooro pivoted to Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) sales during COVID-19 to get better margins. It invested in creating a business model with four distinct revenue streams with 60% earnings coming via e-commerce D2C sales, 15% via digital affiliate sales, 15% via direct sales to partners, and 10% via wholesalers. The company will use the investment to launch an additional three new flavours by February 2021 and grow its business across different verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£235,819
