Bird and Blend Tea (BABT) is a British independent tea mixologist. The company claims to offer 100+ blends of tea in a vegan-friendly product range, employs 125+ people and runs a global e-commerce platform attracting 100,000 monthly users. It claims to have achieved a £3.97 million turnover in 2020-2021 despite lockdown closures of its retail stores. BABT asserts that it operates 13 experiential retail stores across the UK since its last crowdfund in 2017. It has also featured in press entities such as The Independent, OK!, Huff Post, The Telegraph, and GQ Magazine. The company states it will use the investment to expedite the growth of its brand with investments in digital innovation, develop its technology stack, strengthen its team, open more multisensory stores, and undertake impactful projects to achieve B Corp status.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£999,867
Novai is a UK biotechnology company, developing and commercialising transformational technology in ophthalmology. The company's initial focus is on ophthalmic disorders such as glaucoma and AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration). Novai argues that current clinical endpoints lack early disease biomarkers to objectively detect and measure cell health and response to treatment in the retina. Novai asserts that its proprietary biological marker, DARC (Detection of Apoptosis in Retinal Cells), combined with its bespoke and patented Artificial Intelligence (AI) aided algorithm, allows, for the first time in vivo, identification of cellular-level disease activity in the retina. Novai stresses that DARC can also predict disease progression, allowing for enrichment of clinical trial cohorts. The company anticipates an exit via licensing of its biomarker business to a Contract Research Organisation (CRO), an Initial Public Offering (IPO) following a successful phase 3 trial of the diagnostic platform, or trade sale to a strategic pharmaceutical company.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,314,967
Grubby is a purpose-led recipe kit brand on a mission to make plant-based cooking more accessible without damaging the earth. It argues that there has been a 400% increase in people moving to a plant-based diet from 2014 to 2019. It intends to cater to this demand. The company asserts that it is a 100% plant-based business and intends to combine three rapidly growing areas namely, food delivery, meal kits, and plant-based diets. It also wants to become a contender in the recipe kits market that has experienced a £385 million growth since 2015. Grubby has served over 50,000 meals since its launch, received 100+ 5-star reviews, and grown sales 130% in the last quarter to £135,000. It has received investment from angel investors including founders of Skyscanner and World First. Grubby will use the investment to continue its growth through product innovation, speciality add-ons, and an enhanced digital experience to boost customer acquisition.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,049,472
Freetrade is an award-winning, commission-free investing application. In the investment industry, high commissions and clunky products can make it complicated for people to start their investment journeys. This is where Freetrade comes in by offering a simple, transparent freemium pricing model where the user can pay for the premium features they want. The company is an FCA-regulated stockbroker and a member of the London Stock Exchange. Its new proprietary brokerage platform, Invest by Freetrade, has scaled smoothly while keeping costs low. It also consists of new features such as free Instant Orders & real-time deposits compatible with Apple Pay/Google Pay. The company has also shipped fractional shares, breaking down another barrier to investing. 150,000+ customers are enrolled in the ecosystem with a 500% growth Year-on-Year (YoY). The company's app won the Best Online Trading Platform at the British Bank Awards 2019 and 2020. With the investment, the company aims to grow engineering & marketing and continue expansion into Europe.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£7,015,011
what3words is a company whose mission is to make finding and sharing exact locations a simplified task. It has divided the world into 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words. what3words is backed by organisations such as Mercedes-Benz, Intel Capital and Sony Innovation Fund. The company's app provides a precise location to drones, driverless cars and voice-controlled devices, in turn, boosting businesses. Emergency services and NGOs are also using what3words for critical services and saving lives. Till date, the company has received over £50 million of funding and was the 'App of the Day' in 143 countries. The company will use the investment to become a global standard for communicating location.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£7,155,716
Aqua British (AB) manufactures and sells premium English spring water in its patented 100% biodegradable water bottles. It asserts that millions of plastic bottles are ending up in landfills. AB aims to be at the forefront of the fight against plastic pollution, offering an alternative to PET, RPet, cartons and cans. It argues that its water bottles, caps and labels are made up of 100% sugarcane residues, are 100% recyclable and 100% compostable. AB also points out that its spring is fully equipped with solar panels to keep carbon emissions neutral. The company supplies water to renowned entities such as Hotel De Paris Monaco, Hotel InterContinental and South Kensington Club, West Ham United Women Football Club, Thermes Marins Monte Carlo, GreenBay Supermarket, and Compass Group Airbus France, amongst others. It will use 80% of the investment towards expanding its brand and distribution inside and outside of the UK, and 20% towards marketing and distribution channels.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£216,195
Paradym is an emotional intelligence (EI) coaching application. After identifying EI as the pillar of happiness and wellness, Paradym app has been designed to help people live their fullest and happiest lives and, in turn, promotes both their personal growth and wellbeing. Since its launch in 2018, it has signed a contract with Quiqup, its first B2B client and joined WeWork incubator, giving it access to 300k members. Moreover, it has also seen organic growth in its user base and in its international reach. Paradym's plan for 2019 is to increase its user base by investing in marketing and developing content to trigger sponsored content and product revenue. Its immediate revenue focus is 10% of the UK startup market which stands at £240M.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£430,360
Upgrade Pack is a software development company working towards transforming the way companies most valued customers and employees get access to discounts and travel upgrades. It is all about simplifying the whole process of flight and hotel upgrade by creating mutual value at the same time. To capture the global market, Upgrade Pack is not only launching in the UK and USA but also in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland, and projecting a revenue of $240 million in 2019.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£587,085
Boring Money is an investment guidance platform that presents users with investment/pension guides & comparison tables to help them make sound investment decisions. The company asserts that 47% of the UK's 16 million investors lack confidence and want clearer communication to make better investment decisions. BM sees itself as the solution to the aforementioned issue and aims to be a market leader in the segment. The company earned £1 million+ in revenue in 2019 and a 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot. BM's clients include organisations like BlackRock, Barclays, Wealthify and Nutmeg. The company has also featured in publications like The Financial Times, The Times & the BBC. It will use the investment to grow its presence, monetise its website, and help more people make better investment decisions.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£900,009
Founded by Glen Elliot, 2005 in the early days of the professional video gaming industry, Esports Gaming League (EGL) has since helped shape esports into a fast-growing phenomenon. The brand aims to be at the forefront of esports starting in Europe before expanding globally into Asia, South America, and the Middle East. It has worked with clients such as KFC, Science Museum, Activision among other brands. The esports industry is valued at $1.1 billion globally for 2019, and EGL has positioned itself to be at the heart of it. The platform has 315,000 registered users engaging in regular tournaments online. With the funds raised, EGL aims to enhance its tournament platform and make the process of playing and competing easier. It will also work with major game developers across multiple platforms and make their titles esportable.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£189,540
