Alphagreen is Europe's largest online marketplace for Cannabidiol (CBD) healthcare products listing over 150 brands and more than 2,500 products on its portal. It claims that it is backed by high-profile cannabis investors like Enexis, West Creek Investments, and others. It aspires to become the leader in the CBD market that is expected to be worth over £900 million in 2025 in the UK alone. Alphagreen aspires to build a trusted ecosystem for customers with Sleep, Pain and Anxiety problems, enable them to access alternative healthcare, and distribute medical cannabis from Q3 of 2021. The company has featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Prohibition Partners, The Financial Times, and The Grocer. It will use 31% of the investment for sales and marketing, 25% for team expansion, 16% for general corporate affairs, 15% for international expansion, and 13% for technology up-gradation.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£2,039,375
Ember Snacks (ES) is a sustainable meat snack brand that aims to end factory farming in the meat industry. It works directly with farmers committed to using high welfare and regenerative practices to improve soil health and encourage wildlife on their farms. Since its launch in 2017, ES's products have been stocked in over 2,000 distribution points across the UK, including Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. It also argues that it is the most reviewed meat snack brand on Amazon across the UK and Europe, with nearly 4,000 reviews. The company asserts that its products are stocked in 200 Stonegate pubs, supported by field activation. It earned over £1.75 million in sales in 2020, won a medal at the Charcuterie Live Awards 2021, and received over 35 pieces of press coverage in 2021. ES states it will use the investment to discourage factory farming, build its team, grow distribution channels in major UK supermarkets, launch a campaign to highlight factory farming practices, reach out to new customers, and launch new products.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,420,578
Rnwl is aiming to be the first ever over-the-top insurance platform. The company asserts that conventional insurance companies rely on a lead generation business model that is archaic and inefficient. These result in a customer's insurance options becoming an expensive and time-consuming affair. Rnwl is endeavouring to simplify this. Users can enter their credentials and requirements on the Rnwl website. The company will analyse the market and suggest the best deals for the user. Rnwl has been accepted into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA's) Innovation Hub. It will use 74% of the investment in human resource, 14% in marketing, and 12% as operational costs.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£450,366
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
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
Aguulp innovates and curates liquid formulas using liposomal technology. The company asserts that vitamins in pill form have an absorption rate as low as 5% which is further eaten by stomach acid upon consumption before a person gets a chance to absorb it. Agullp aims to resolve this. Its product, NutriProtect, shields nutrients from corrosive stomach acid and helps 98% of nutrients reach the small intestine for absorption. The company estimates that over 3 million people in the UK and more than 10 per cent of the world’s population is malnourished for a variety of reasons, including environmental pollution, unhealthy diets and stressful lifestyles that block nutrient absorption and compound deficiencies. Aguulp aims to change this with its product line that includes Aguulp for Gut, Aguulp for Brain, and Aguulp for Immunity. The company will use 55.6% of the investment for marketing purposes, 44.2% for paying their staff, and 0.2% as other expenses.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£317,993
The first regulated crowdfunding business in the UK offering investment opportunities in environmental, ethical and social companies. Since 2011, Abundance has funded 34 investments totalling more than £75m, whilst delivering gross returns of 4-15% per year across renewable energy, social housing and sustainability projects. This equates to total interest returns of £12.1m. More than 5,250 investors on the platform have contributed funds almost 5 times on average over various campaigns.
Abundance also offers an IFISA product and as at April 2018, they have 8% of the IFISA market, which equates to over 2,900 ISA customers. The business’s investor's numbers have grown 52% since January 2017 and in the past year their customer portfolio has seen a 30% increase. In the last 3 years, marketing expenditure efficiency has also improved by 76%.
Abundance's services are free-to-use for investors. This means there are no fees for investing or withdrawing funds in opportunities or ISA products. Revenue is generated from borrowers who are seeking to raise finance for their projects. This is in the form of a set-up fee and a regular admin fee per year.
The business is crowdfunding to expand on the types of projects they currently offer, as a means to attract a wider range of investors. In addition, Abundance aims to market the campaigns on the platform through numerous channels and upgrade the technology they currently use to enhance the user experience.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,621,138
Glint is a proprietary multi-currency platform that allows users to buy, save, spend and send real gold and other currencies, digitally with its application. The company asserts that its scalable technology enables its clients to use their currencies such as GBP, USD, EUR and Gold, with Glint's UK, EU and US-issued Mastercards in 210 countries worldwide. Glint also points out that its Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Service, Glint It!, allows clients to send and receive gold and currency between Glint accounts in over 160 countries. The company has raised £20 million in equity funding to date, reached 79,000 registered clients, and overseen over £158 million worth of transactions on its platform. Glint will use the investment to maximise revenue, organically grow its business, increase its registered customer base to 250,000 in 2021, and hire key personnel across various portfolios.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£3,072,539
StepLadder is a financial technology company dedicated to helping people buy their first home. The company asserts that it is tackling the housing crisis with its 'StepLadder Circles' that is based on the Rotating Savings and Credit Association model (ROSCA). Users have to state a monthly monetary contribution and a financial goal. The portal then adds them to a group of people with the same goal wherein all users contribute the same amount each month. The portal then randomly allocates one person in the circle each month the total contribution received. This repeats every month for the duration of the circle until everyone has received their deposit. It has awarded over £750,000 to members on its portal. The platform has featured in The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, and The Independent. It also won 'Innovator of the Year' in the Women in Tech Awards 2020. StepLadder will use the investment received to improve its pan-UK growth via referral and ambassador programs.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£161,420
Livia's is a brand that makes 100% plant-based, natural and indulgent treats. The company develops the recipes in-house and sells through retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s & Boots, as well as, through online channels like Amazon and its website. The company has sold almost 7 million treats and has 200,000+ online followers. Their products cater to those with allergies and intolerances. They have seen sales increase by over 1,000%+ during the lockdown. Livia's will use the investment for new product development, grow its e-commerce platform, enhance its marketing and sales team, and scale its operations.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,935,322
