Vertically Urban (VU) is a horticultural lighting specialist that produces high-tech LED lighting solutions for indoor industrial farms, glasshouses, medicinal growers and onsite Pod farms, who in turn, supply to supermarkets, restaurants and the medical market. The company aims to be a segment leader in the global vertical farming market that is projected to reach $12.7 billion by 2026. VU asserts that vertical farming has been tipped as the future of food production and supported by early investors such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. The company has witnessed £30 million+ worth of sales to date. It will use the investment to increase brand awareness via horticultural trade shows, market its products on online and offline portals, develop new technologies, and recruit senior personnel to oversee growth in key markets.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£335,040
Elemental is an agricultural food technology company that converts 78% of beef processing waste into sustainable fertiliser. The company claims that its technology can potentially reduce global beef CO2 emissions equivalent to 50 million cattle. Elemental asserts that its technology has been developed through extensive R&D and protected by patents in 60+ countries. The company raised £1.5 million on Crowdcube in late 2019, signed agreements for 14 projects in the UK and Europe using its technology, built a demonstrator plant and agreed to install its technology on commercial terms at 6 UK abattoirs. The company states they will use the investment to operationalise their first plant by December 2021 and grow their business across different verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,395,801
Genomes.io is a safe and private DNA data storage application resolving the problem of DNA data breach and exploitation. It helps the users to store, manage, promote and arrange their genomic data in order. The company is a member of Consensys Labs Tachyon II Accelerator 2019. It has also signed MOU with TenX Health VC for lead investment and board position and, it is in discussions with Pharma & Biotech co for establishing partnerships. The company is seeking funds to bring its B2B and B2C products to market.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,035,370
Dream Reality Interactive (DRI) is a software development company that builds interactive programmes and games across the full spectrum of immersive platforms and devices. DRI is in a soft launch of its mobile Augmented Reality (AR) karaoke game, Singheads, with the full launch expected in late June. DRI is partnering with Snapchat to leverage its 229 million daily active users towards this objective. The game offers players a new song to sing every day, and the unique business model opens the mobile karaoke market to ad-funded play. AR avatar heads powered by Bitmojoi (similar to Apple’s highly valued Memoji) significantly enhance the user experience. The company will use the investment to further develop its game. It will exit by being a catalyst in launching a successful number of games and eventually be acquired by a global platform such as Snapchat, Apple, Tik Tok, or by a global video games company such as Electronic Arts, Zynga, Activision, Tencent or NetEase.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£135,000
JiveBird allows users to create and send a greetings package that consists of a personal voice message, music, eCard, a photo or selfie, and a gift to their loved ones or acquaintances. The company asserts that its package can be sent at the last minute or in advance. Jivebird claims that for the millions of people who send greetings and gifts every year, its portal provides a personal, cheaper, and convenient way to send greetings. Jivebird argues that it has no direct competitors. Its exit strategy is to sell the company when it achieves the growth metrics in the business plan, projected to be within five years of consumer launch.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
Withheld
TheCarCrowd is a Passion Asset Investment (PAI) platform that intends to address the lack of investment options for the 8 million UK millennials by allowing them to take a real equity stake in a classic car and benefit from the potential appreciation. The company argues that classic cars appreciated 194% over 10 years up to Q4 2019 as per expert reports. TheCarCrowd points out that its portal allows interested investors to buy shares in cars from just £20 and unlock the benefits of potential appreciation. The company asserts that its business idea has found traction amidst users with over 620 investors registering on the portal since the company's launch in November 2020. TheCarCrowd will use 12% of the investment for Public Relations (PR), 48% for marketing, and 40% for working capital.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£379,108
Sugi is an app that aims to show everyday investors how green their investments are and help them build a greener portfolio via its app. The company asserts that there are over 3 million Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investors in the UK, with over £210 billion of investments and 76% of that number want their investments to have a positive impact. Sugi intends to do just that. Its app combines three key trends namely, ESG investing, Open Finance, and carbon tracking to further green investments. The company has raised £210,000 to date. Sugi connects to a user's existing investment platform, be that an ISA, SIPP, or trading account, and enables them to learn how their investments affect the planet and what they can do to leave an eco-positive impression. Sugi has featured in publications like Reuters, The Times, Good with Money, This is Money, and AltFi, to name a few. Sugi will use the investment to further develop its app, expand its team, and implement its growth strategy.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£406,157
The Cookaway is a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) company that makes and sells recipe boxes to users to enable them to make delicious food from the comfort of their homes. Users receive all the ingredients, including premium oils, along with complete recipe cards made by the company's expert chefs. The Cookaway has garnered over 500 verified reviews on TrustPilot with an 'Excellent' rating and onboarded 10 chefs including 5 MasterChefs and a 2-Michelin starred chef. It has featured in publications such as The Independent, Forbes, The Week, and The Daily Mail. The company was the 'Chosen Food Partner' for The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch 2021. The Cookaway will use 25% of the investment to hire talent, 20% to boost brand visibility via content generation, 15% to make its technology platform more intuitive, 15% to launch new chefs and cuisines, 5% to improve its sustainability credentials, 5% to develop its app with more features, 10% towards automation, and 5% to launch a membership program.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£792,187
Good Club is an online grocer that aims to sell sustainable household food and products across the UK. The company's sales have grown from £18,000 to £234,000 in May 2020. The potential demand for sustainable food and products is £61 billion in the UK, and the company finds itself as a strong contender in this domain. COVID-19 has led to an increased interest in home-delivered grocery products amongst consumers. Good Club responded to this by opening its first distribution hub in North London. It has also carried out a 'Life Cycle Analysis' of its proposed process and prototype packaging to ensure that its sustainable and eco-friendly. The investment raised will help the company grow its revenues, establish scalable marketing foundations for future growth, and roll out 'Closed Loop' service to strengthen customer loyalty.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,001,337
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
