B-North is creating an SME business bank that will deliver fast decisions with loans being given in two weeks. Its model is formed around strong relationships with both brokers and customers. B-North is in a positive conversation with the British Business Bank for Tier 2 debt, and its FinTech enabled lending platform is excellent. The funds will be used to expand the team and develop the platform. The company also aims at assembling a highly-experienced and ambitious management team supported by a heavyweight board.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£2,815,350
B-North intends to revolutionise the business lending industry, which is often outdated, impersonal and slow. The fintech company uses some of the most advanced cloud-based technology, coupled with face-to-face relationship teams to get the best lending solutions for borrowers and their businesses. The company is powered by a team with prior experience in starting and scaling challenger banks, and profitability is its focused goal. B-North has submitted the banking licence application, and the result is expected by 2020.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£2,135,456
Virtually Visiting (VV) brings 360° tours and experiences to the world via its digital platform with the aim of removing traditional barriers to travel by making it accessible to all, anywhere, any time. The company's platform is accessible to users via a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, mobile, computer or tablet. VV aims to drive evolution within travel by working with passionate and knowledgeable local experts to create an immersive 360° video library. The company's motto is to turn anyone with an internet connection into an explorer. VV will use the investment to finalise and launch a full beta test of its new VERus Platform and app. They will also engage with new suppliers and companies to capture their experiences in 360° videos and take them to a global audience, build brand awareness through advertising and PR, and test and demo new live 360° VR content.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£215,410
Juggle helps companies hire, manage and retain experienced professionals on flexible contracts. The company has onboarded more than 9000 professionals and over 700 businesses on its platform. Juggle asserts that its portal is completely free for companies to post jobs wherein professionals will receive a recommendation to the right opportunities based on their profiles. Juggle allows both companies and candidates to manage the timesheet and payment formalities through its platform once a contract is agreed upon. The company claims that 85% of professionals recommended by its platform are interviewed. Juggle aims to become a contender in the online recruitment industry that is projected to reach $36.2 billion by 2027. It will use the investment to make additional hires in certain key positions, expand product features, and apply to the FCA for a license to handle payments at a larger scale.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£467,537
Findr aims to automate the creation of business partnerships by providing easy access to hyper-targeted opportunities in minutes. The company asserts that its platform allows any business, regardless of its size, to sign up, post its partnership requirements, and explore opportunities for free. The company's portal allows users to request a 1-hour 'Discovery' call with a potential partner when the said user spots a relevant opportunity. Findr argues that it has made 'Discovery' for free for the first few months to build its user base. The company has onboarded 140 business users ranging from early-stage to global brands such as Mastercard, Uber and Visa since November 2020. Findr has featured in Forbes for helping businesses navigate COVID-19. The company will use the investment to develop two new price plans – Unlimited and Enterprise, introduce new platform features, hire a machine learning expert, and undertake digital activity to grow its user base.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£396,288
CharitableBookings is an original and amazing hotel-booking platform with a social purpose. This free lifestyle platform offers its members excellent perks while helping to raise funds for any registered charity of their choice at no cost to them or the charity. The customers can book rooms at 600,000+ hotels across 80,000 locations worldwide at cheaper room rates than other hotel-booking sites. The company has earned various star endorsements, such as Sir Martyn Lewis CBE and Zoe Wannamaker CBE. CharitableBookings has been highlighted in the press including the Sunday Times Magazine and Country Life magazine. The company is also working with its charity partners to expand its global social media reach. The funds raised will be used for marketing the current platform and creating and marketing new products.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£255,177
Opportunity Network is a digital network that provides equal growth opportunities to Chief Executive Officers (CEO). The portal's algorithm vets prospective users, allows them to buy, sell, raise or invest in an asset, gives them the option to choose the industry they wish to do business in, and then post their requirement for the same. The user can then select the best deal for their business from a list of responses and scale profitably. The company's platform connects 32,000+ qualified CEOs in 130+ countries to $295 billion worth of commercial, financial, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals. 86% of the deals on the portal find at least 1 counterpart in 48 hours. Opportunity Network aims to reach full scale by the end of 2020 and find 10 counterparts for 95% of the deals in 1 hour. The company has also been featured in publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Financial Times, and The Economist. It will use the investment to scale its business across various verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£962,500
VINEX is a digital Business-To-Business (B2B) trading platform that connects buyers and sellers to source, sample, negotiate and execute contracts related to wine. The company has traded more than 115 million bottles of wine across 26 countries since 2016. It has also witnessed 3,200 monthly visitors on its platform with an average of 80 million litres of wine traded each month, from 16 countries. The company recently launched VINPay, an industry-first financial technology service customised for the wine industry, providing wineries with guaranteed payment and increased access to capital liquidity. VINEX argues that VINPay pays wineries in 3 days from dispatch, rather than them waiting for 90+ days, and removes non-payment risk. The company points out that it has already started processing invoices, making and receiving payments from 7 countries. VINEX aims to become a contender in the wholesale wine market that is set to exceed US$381 billion in 2021. It will use the investment to help wineries invest and flourish.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£159,720
Kestrl is a mobile app based on the principles of Islamic banking. It aims to cater to the over 1.9 million British Muslim community to invest in the UK in line with their religious beliefs. Consumers can avail a host of financial services from finding interest-free savings accounts to taking out a mortgage. The company raised a £135,000 pre-seed round from C-level Islamic banking professionals in January 2020. It also launched its application on Google Playstore and App store in September 2020. Kestrl is working on launching an equity-based home purchase product soon. It also aspires to expand to Malaysia/Indonesia by white labelling with established retail banks and utilising its 'inside knowledge' of the region. It will use 39% of the investment towards platform up-gradation and tech team expansion, 20% towards hiring personnel across various departments, 19% for maintaining agency license fees and acquiring its own regulatory permissions, 8% in marketing, and 14% towards ancillary costs.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£194,502
Rebel Energy (RE) is an energy supplier on a mission to address inequality and provide everyone with easy access to clean and affordable energy, to eventually eliminate fuel poverty. RE claims that fuel poverty led to 16,500+ cold-related deaths in the UK in 2018. RE argues that as the UK home electricity market enters a phase of growth in a post-COVID world, it will be focused on offering reliable customer service and develop strategies that help people who are struggling with their electricity bills. The company has applied for a B Corporation accreditation. RE asserts that its customer support systems are automated and can handle multiple queries simultaneously. It plans to offer a weekly direct debit payment option. RE will use the investment to grow its business across different verticals.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£503,810
