Honcho is the UK’s first reverse auction marketplace for financial services that is revolutionising the car insurance market. In a reverse auction, the company works by inviting insurance providers to bid against one another. For just £1 a bid, insurance providers can go head to head to give the customer their best price and helping the latter to avoid any hidden charges and commission. Honcho's first major £830,000 funding round closed in March 2018 with support from crowd investors plus Maven Capital Partners. The company has just launched its first partner integrations, bringing its services to consumers of two major employee benefits platforms plus a major affiliate network. Honcho was selected for the 'Tech Nation Fintech programme 2019.' Honcho will use the investment to diversify its investor base and bring itself to a platform with support for Insurtech businesses, launch offers in other sectors, evolve its role as Platform as a Service (PaaS), and enhance marketing initiatives.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,433,325
Lumio is an intelligent and independent application that intends to help people grow their money on autopilot. Lumio argues that £176 billion of lazy money is depreciating in the UK while for Europe, that number stands at £10 trillion. Lumio aims to optimise this money for everyone so that everyone can gain access to financial security and decide their financial future. The company claims that over £90 million worth of user transactions has been analysed by its smart algorithm. It has more than 6000 users on iOS and Android, which is growing 20% monthly. Lumio was recognised as part of the 'Top 100 Fintech Disruptor' by BusinessCloud in 2020, ahead of Monzo and Seedrs. It has also featured in Forbes, Tech Nation and Sifted by FT. It will use the investment to grow 1 million customers' money by 2024 and accelerate financial independence and personal progress through its technology.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,149,659
Lenderwize is the first lending platform for Telecom Operators, offering investment opportunities in a new Asset Class. Its typical clients are mid-sized operators with an annual revenue of 50-300 million USD. Lenderwize sells to large Tier1 Operators (Originators) and buys from smaller (Terminating) Operators. Thanks to Lenderwize's in-depth industry knowledge, they have identified 1350 wholesalers in need of $96 million, making the Cost of Acquisition of clients very low. Additionally, its lean Back Office, Credit Vetting and Loan Management gives Lenderwize a competitive edge over Market Invoice or Funding Circle. With the funds, the company will invest in technology development and integration, increasing sales, marketing activities, and recruitment to enhance its reach globally.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£100,045
Drop is a tech-enabled on-demand virtual wine cellar that delivers quality wine to a customer's doorstep within 1 hour. The company asserts that 25% of the UK's 28 million regular wine drinkers are now buying online. Drop feels that its portal is well-equipped to fulfill the demands of its audience. Its app is available on the App Store and Google Playstore. The company has fulfilled over 25,000 orders to over 4,000 customers with over 750 customers having ordered over five times. Drop will use the investment towards technology development, boost its business, and fuel company growth.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£533,380
ClickMechanic offers car repairs, servicing, Ministry of Transport tests (MOTt), diagnostics and pre-purchase inspections through its nationwide marketplace of vetted mechanics. The company cites research group Mintel's data stating that 50% of drivers got ripped off by car service centres. ClickMechanic wants to change this and become a leading contender in the £23 billion UK automotive servicing industry. The company takes a 20% commission on every completed booking and has secured a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 85+ for its services. Their exit strategy is via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or trade sale.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£100,000
O-ZONE is building a unique 3D interactive virtual world for social commerce on the web. It aims to provide a new immersive experience where users can search and innovatively purchase products while connecting with each other. It is best experienced in virtual reality (VR) but runs instantly on all devices with a web browser. The potential market is the 171 million VR users worldwide, and the global market expected to grow to 209.2 billion by 2022. O-ZONE's primary revenue streams will come from Dropship direct sales to seed the marketplace, Saas 3D platform as a marketplace, Virtual Goods merchandising and in-app purchase. Also, its secondary revenue streams will come from Development services like B2B, Technology & IP licensing, and Advertisement revenue. The company intends to target the Millenials and gamers who are already in the virtual world by using a high tech approach to gain users. They will utilise most of the funds towards, intellectual property, marketing, and engineering. It will enable O-ZONE to go to market, anchor and solidify the engineering team and talent.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,250
Atom Universe (AU) is an established virtual world, available on PC and consoles that allows players to create their avatars, explore a vast 3D universe, and meet like-minded individuals from all over the world to chat and play with. The company asserts that its game has seen over 2 million downloads with an average of 20,000 unique players registering every month. AU claims that the revenue from in-game purchases added up to over £500,000 since the company's launch in 2016. The company has partnered with Crash Media providing players access to over 100 Kung-fu movies to play in its Kung Fu Theatre, signed up with Valiant Comics to open its comics store, and plans to run an NBA 2K eSports event, with a virtual rap battle lined up. It will use 60% of the investment to develop the mobile version of its game, 30% to grow its team, and 10% for marketing.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£94,518
SKOOT is a platform that connects friends who need lifts or errands, with friends who can help. The app auto-calculates fares for lifts taken and splits the costs. It also permits users to organise, request and arrange errands or simple favours from friends for free or a £5 tip. SKOOT claims to be the only carbon negative green navigation app for drivers. The company argues that it has also taken up the '1 Million Tree Challenge' and plants a tree for every journey on the platform. SKOOT is live on the Apple App Store and Google Playstore, with more than 18,000 users. It aims to become a contender in the ride-hailing industry that is worth $85.8 billion. SKOOT states it has raised £3.1 million from investors, won £75,000 from Innovate UK, and completed over 1,200 tasks to date using its 'Errands' feature launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. SKOOT states they will use the investment to extend its product, create more revenue streams and increase user activation across the EU, USA, Australia and Canada by early 2022.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£409,913
SilkFred is a curated online marketplace for over 200 independent fashion brands. It’s a destination for customers seeking to differentiate their wardrobes. SilkFred cuts through the noise of online shopping and provides a central destination for female shoppers to find affordable pieces that their friends won’t have (and will love!). Having cultivated a cult social media status and attracted a growing number of loyal shoppers and brands, SilkFred is now ready to scale its business model rapidly.
www.silkfred.com
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£906,630
The Fertility Circle (TFC) aspires to become the go-to channel for one in six couples that are struggling to conceive. It aims to help them via its app that consists of four core features namely, community guidance, expert help, knowledge sources, and holistic support channels. The company aims to become a contender in the fertility market that is projected to hit $41 billion by 2026. TFC asserts that it is supported by notable entities like Virgin Startup, FemTech Lab, and 'M' accelerators. TFC has featured in media entities like Grazia, Thomson Reuters, and Thrive Global and was included in Apple's ‘Hot Right Now' list being ranked second for 'Fertility Support' in the App Store. The company has witnessed a 40% Month-on-Month (MoM) user growth, over 6,000+ app downloads in 6 months, and a social community presence of 5,000 followers to date. TFC will use the investment to pilot with six leading fertility clinics to offer the application to their patients.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£391,372
