HairFare is an end-to-end hair and beauty chair rental platform that connects beauty professionals to salons, studios and barbershops across the UK. It asserts that the hair and beauty industry was worth £10 billion in 2018 and is set to increase. HairFare aims to be a contender in this segment. HairFare asserts that it has expanded to five cities within the UK with no marketing budget. The platform has featured in media platforms including The Barber Magazine, Islington Gazette, Startups of London, Business Daily, ITProPortal, ExBulletin, Compsmag, and LinkedIn News, to name a few. It will use 40% of the investment for creating its proprietary app, 40% towards marketing to increase the number of business owners and beauty professionals on the platform, 10% towards setting up its merchandise line, and 10% towards establishing the HairFare Academy.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£57,736
Oyako is a distance-control application that aims to reduce the stresses and strains on children's eyes. The company asserts that an increase in mobile technology usage has led to an increase in myopia (nearsightedness) in children. It also leads to parents incurring a cost by way of purchasing spectacles along with a cost to the National Health Service (NHS) and medical insurance companies. By 2050, half of the global population will be short-sighted if current trends continue. Oyako aims to solve this issue through its application. Oyako's prototype app uses a simple traffic light design to signify safe or damaging scenarios, intelligently controls the phone camera without compromising battery usage, and is available on the App Store and Google Playstore. Oyako will use the investment to finalise its application and take it to market at £6.99 per download.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£131,641
Miso Tasty is a Japanese inspired food brand that specialises in the production and sale of Miso, a delicacy of Japan. To maintain authenticity, the company sources its key ingredients directly from Japan and has experience of over six years in manufacturing a range of delicacies such as Miso Soups, Miso Pastes, and Meal Kits. Led by an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and creative chef Bonnie Chung, Miso Tasty has established itself into the UK's top two supermarkets -Tesco and Sainsbury's. It's products have been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Daily Mail, and The Sunday Telegraph. Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver mentioned Miso Tasty on his TV show. The brand has also launched a collaboration menu with Masterchef Winner Tim Anderson's restaurant, NanBan. With the funds received, Miso Tasty will put more efforts into brand awareness within the UK, launch product ranges such as marinades and sauces that delve deeper into Japanese cuisine, recruit more staff and capital resources to further the brand's business.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£384,088
Patch is a modern plant shop for contemporary plant people. It helps in finding the most suitable plants and delivering them to the door. The company has delivered over 2,50,000 plants to over 82,000 customers in Paris and London. Patch has witnessed solid growth at +124% vs last year, reaching £4.48m in revenue. The company has a 4.6-star rating on TrustPilot and, it has been featured in The Times, The Telegraph etc. The funds will be used to expand across Europe, eliminate the middle-man and expand into the B2B market.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£2,412,150
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
ClearWaste is a price comparison website for waste removal and a provider of enforcement services to councils across the UK. The company argues that the cost to local authorities and taxpayers for cleaning up fly-tipping in England in 2016/17 was £57.7 million and is now thought to exceed £100 million. ClearWaste is on a mission to combat it through its app and web platform utilising reporting and prevention methodologies. The company links consumers with govt-registered waste removers backed by a £1k no-fly-tipping guarantee. ClearWaste argues that the UK waste industry is worth over £6.8 billion and supports more than 103,000 jobs. It aims to be a contender in this segment. ClearWaste has featured in press entities such as BBC, ITV, Channel 5, Sky, Times, and The Guardian. It was also a finalist at the National Recycling Awards 2020. ClearWaste will use the investment to develop its sales and marketing functions and further raise brand awareness.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£199,599
Ticketpass is a ticketing platform that is set to disrupt the traditional ticketing industry with an ethical approach by donating to charity every time a ticket is sold. This 'Tech for Good' company aims to create a fair platform that uses ticketing to create a positive impact, allowing anyone to enhance their events for better social impact at no extra cost. Ticketpass won the Warwick Startup Venture Cup in 2016. It also launched its iOS and Android check-in apps in 2018. In 2019, the official launch of Ticketpass was featured by National Industry Media and Forbes. The company will allocate 56% of the funds to team/tech development, 17% to new hires, 10% to marketing and the remaining 17% to Office & Operations.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£282,667
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
Cuckoo is an internet broadband provider. The company claims that incumbent internet providers treat customers with poor customer service, high prices, and complicated contracts. Cuckoo aims to change this by providing users with fair and transparent prices, simple contracts, high-quality routers, and responsive customer service. The company is currently developing its website and billing engine ahead of launching with its first customers in the second quarter of 2020. Cuckoo's business is in the pre-revenue stage. It expects to start generating revenue in May/June 2020 when they launch their broadband service. Cuckoo will use 50% of the investment towards paying salaries to staff, 25% as technology development fees, 10% as professional fees, 5% as rent, and 10% as AOB. Cuckoo's exit strategy is via a trade sale or listing in the United Kingdom.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£69,622
Polysolar specialises in manufacturing photovoltaic windows capable of generating electricity, which can be used in buildings to generate clean renewable energy whilst also meeting planning regulations. Its technology is already in-use by major organisations such as Network Rail and Sainsbury's.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,311,180
