3RD ROCK is a sustainable activewear brand that aims to make the best and most ethical climbing clothing in the world. It claims that it has developed a worldwide reputation for making extremely comfortable, better fitting, Made-To-Move garments that perform on the rocks, meet high ethical standards, and transition seamlessly into a user's everyday life. The company has witnessed a 215% growth in the last twelve months despite COVID-19, sold over 65,000 units, and garnered £1.3 million in revenue to date. The company has also acquired knowledge from the Goldman-Sachs accelerator programme. It has recycled over 12,000 plastic bottles into its garments and over 1 tonne of sea waste in its leggings and bra-tops The company will use the investment for range expansion with new innovative product lines, build up its Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) model further, and hire key personnel.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£393,439
Marketsnapp is the UK's first online platform for market traders and micro businesses. Marketsnapp promotes local shopping by letting people explore what's on the rails and shelves of their local markets. Marketsnapp is free, easy to use and takes seconds to upload.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£21,555
First Natural Brands is the owner of Tisserand Aromatherapy, one of the leading self-governing players in UK’s essential oil industry. It offers a variety of affordable organic and quality accredited products which consumers can relish as part of their daily lifestyle. Tisserand Aromatherapy is experiencing a growing interest among media, retail and consumers. Since 2007, the company’s sales have increased from £1.7mn to £6mn, owing to Robin Russell (CEO & Chairman) for bringing Tisserand into the mainstream market with a value for money proposition. Further investment will allow the company to expand its production capacity.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£325,660
Fitbakes is a low sugar and high protein baked snacks brand. The company claims that its products have 90% less sugar, 80% less fat, 60% fewer calories and 200% more protein than leading cakes and chocolate brands with no artificial sweeteners, flavourings or colourings. Fitbakes claims that its products are compliant with the UK government's 'Non-HFSS' policy. The company has sold over 1 million cakes via the 'Direct 2 Consumer' channel, experienced 25% repeat purchase in-store, onboarded retailers such as Coop and Selfridges, and planned a launch in 1,000 Tesco Express stores in Q3 2021. The company is also working with over 1,000 micro-influencers and over 50,000 Instagram followers. It was also a winner at the 'Best of Health Awards' and a finalist at the 'MidCounties Good Food Awards'. The company has received press coverage in BBC1 News, The Times, Forbes, The Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Grocer. It states it will use the investment to support its digital growth and retail launch with major retailers.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£523,184
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
Bird and Blend Tea (BABT) is a British independent tea mixologist. The company claims to offer 100+ blends of tea in a vegan-friendly product range, employs 125+ people and runs a global e-commerce platform attracting 100,000 monthly users. It claims to have achieved a £3.97 million turnover in 2020-2021 despite lockdown closures of its retail stores. BABT asserts that it operates 13 experiential retail stores across the UK since its last crowdfund in 2017. It has also featured in press entities such as The Independent, OK!, Huff Post, The Telegraph, and GQ Magazine. The company states it will use the investment to expedite the growth of its brand with investments in digital innovation, develop its technology stack, strengthen its team, open more multisensory stores, and undertake impactful projects to achieve B Corp status.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£999,867
Brew Monster is a Cwmbran-based microbrewery and also the winner of Beverage Industry Award in the Cardiff Regional Awards 2018. It serves primarily the South Wales region, including Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, and is increasingly gaining nation-wide popularity. In just 16 months since its establishment in 2017, Brew Monster has garnered a quarterly turnover of approximately £70,000 (Oct-Dec 2018). In this short period of time, the brewery has also doubled their production capacity, established a profitable micropub and set up a brewery tap.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£99,250
Hagley West is an online watch company co-owned by cricketing legend, Chris Gayle. The brand has more than 50,000 followers on Social Media and has already sold its products in 39 different countries. To eliminate high barriers constructed by big brand markups and sales agents, Hagley West has developed a strategy to deliver direct to the consumer. Hagley West aims at increasing its presence to billions of global cricket fans with growth plans focused in the Asian market. With the proceeds, the company will accelerate its core business, develop new ranges, and expand into new markets.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£353,540
Tethered Drones Systems Limited (TDS) builds and develops autonomous tethered drones for use in surveillance and communications scenarios. Its product, Tethered UAV, exhibits a flight duration of 24 hours or more with secure communication via a tether. The platform can carry a range of payloads to meet client needs. The company asserts that the product has multiple uses for broadcasters such as telecasting outdoor sporting events. The UAV's blue light services, including search and rescue, holds prominence in high-risk maintenance inspections for oil and gas platforms and wind farms – both on and offshore. The company will use the investment to grow its business across different verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£73,125
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
