Love Ocean (LO) is an ocean-inspired bathroom product brand. It is on a mission to make natural marine ingredient products, eliminate single-use plastic in the bathroom and drive a 'Reuse & Refill' (R&R) culture. LO aims to become a contender in the adult and children's toiletries market worth £750 million in the UK alone. LO is launching a children's product range that consists of a whale tail-shaped bottle made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, designed to be reused and refilled via a quarterly subscription. LO asserts that it contributes part of its profits to the Plastic Bank that endeavours to remove 1 kilogram of ocean-bound plastic in Haiti, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The company is planning to launch a baby range in 2022, an adult range in 2023, and a youth range in 2024. LO will use the investment to create educational editorial content to eliminate ocean-bound plastic, build an engaged community, and scale its business.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£296,156
Fightback is a beer and cider brand on a mission to save music venues with support from across the live music industry. The company claims that every pint sold contributes to Music Venue Trust (MVT), a UK-registered charity, which acts to protect, secure, and improve Grassroots Music Venues. It argues that it has sold 10,000 pints and 10,000 cans in 61 venues before the COVID-19 lockdown. Fightback asserts that it has agreed on a new national distribution deal to make the brand more accessible amidst the lockdown. It intends to supply 900+ venues affiliated with MVT when venues reopen. Fightback will use the investment to roll out beer and cider to help secure the long-term future of the venues that ensure that the music culture is kept alive.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£52,596
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
Nourish is a company that makes snacks free from refined sugar, gluten, and dairy. The company's mission is to become one of the UK's most popular free-from brands. It aims to provide a range of delicious treats and snacks to consumers, athletes and those with specific dietary needs, ensuring that they possess sustained energy. The company's products are stocked by retailers including, Ocado, Wholefoods, Planet Organic, and Daylesford. Its online sales grew by 740% in April 2020. The company has featured in publications like Ooh Magazine, VeganLife, and Natural Health. It became 'Organically Certified' in 2017 and 'Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) Certified' in 2018. Nourish will soon launch its new product line in the next 12 months. The company will use the investment received to build the team, continue to raise brand awareness by investing in more price promotions in stores, and undertake geo-marketing campaigns.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£133,207
Ruby Violet (RV) creates ice cream flavours, vegan sorbets and iced delights. It asserts that it has grown from a market stall in 2011, to two parlours and an accompanying vintage van, tricycle and trolley, almost doubling its revenue from 2016 to 2019. RV aims to become a contender in the ice cream industry that is worth £1.4 billion in the UK and £44 billion worldwide. It asserts that 90% of the packaging used by the company is either recyclable or compostable. It has featured in press entities like The Times, The Guardian, Vogue and the BBC, to name a few. RV has also collaborated with noted gin company, Gin Mare, creating gin ice cream and sorbet specific to their infused botanicals. RV's clients include Costa Coffee, Nike, McVitie's, and Moet & Chandon. It will use 75% of the investment for capital expenditure, 15% for marketing activities, and 10% for hiring key personnel.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£357,173
The Sports Edit (TSE) is one of the UK’s fastest-growing eCommerce retailers that sells activewear brands and products, as well as, produces content and events, centred around inspiring movement and mindfulness. It is among Europe’s foremost curators of premium activewear, partnering with 50+ leading brands. The company aims to become a major contender in the womenswear market, forecast to grow 7.7% per annum to $216 billion, by 2024. The company has >45,000 social media followers, a leading gym retail partnership, and seen its online revenues grow over 145% in the first five months of 2020 Year-Over-Year (YoY). For its timely response to customers' queries, TSE was validated by the Feefo Gold Service Award 2020 & garnered a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72. The company will use the investment to widen its brand & product range, hire staff for marketing and merchandising, ensure customer acquisition & retention, and launch its deal with Nike in the third quarter of 2020.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£930,307
The Wild Curl (TWC) makes custom-formulated and plant-based curly hair products. The company chooses its ingredients based on research that centers around the composition of curly hair across different demographics. TWC argues that it supports and fights for inclusive beauty standards by empowering women to adopt their naturally curly hair since 65% of women in the world have textured hair. The company claims to have changed the hair journey of 5000 customers globally. TWC has 5,000 customers, 5,600 email contacts and 6,000 followers on social media. The company has earned £100,000 in revenue since its launch and shipped over 5,000 orders to customer’s doorsteps worldwide. TWC will use the investment to expand its product range focused on conditioners.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£95,689
Catipilla designs, manufactures and retails a range of high quality, functional, wall-mounted climbing frames, resting points, and scratchers to create unique living spaces for cats. The company asserts that the cat segment of the pet market is worth an estimated £5 billion in the UK alone. It wants to become a contender in this segment. Catipilla has sold 2,000+ products across 16 countries, listed at retailer Pets at Home, and became a finalist in the PetQuip '2018 Product of the Year' in the past three years. Catipilla's products are situated in vet practices, catteries, and cat rescue centres. The company claims that it is endorsed by International Cat Care and has a partnership with IAMS, a global pet food giant. After a 5.36 times increase in orders during the 2020 lockdown (compared to Q2 and Q3 2019), Catipilla requires investment to scale up sales, distribution, manufacturing, and export capability.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£196,702
Tom & Teddy Limited is a family-centric global swimwear brand started by Bristol-based female-founder. Tom & Teddy is a beachwear brand for men & boys that has sold more than 55,000 shorts in 2018 generating a revenue of approximately US$1.8m. The shorts are made in a quick-dry microfibre fabric with UV protection and a super-soft finish. The company aims to grow to £8m by the year 2023 (with significant upside potential), £1.6m EBIT.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
Withheld
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
