Honcho is a new mobile app that’s going to revolutionise the way people buy products and services…saving them time and money. They have developed the first online reverse auction marketplace for financial services.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£829,370
Desi High Street (DHS) make ethnic shopping easier by giving you the choice, convenience and confidence to browse a selection of ethnic goods on one website with one secure checkout. DHS bring your favourite shops from across the UK onto one site, together with your favourite online retailers and brands.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£85,430
Wamo is a mobile app that cuts through the clutter of other social networks. Curate, post and inspire using your own unique content. Wamo harnesses the power of communities to maximise brand engagement.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£441,330
Helm Tickets is an event management platform that allows organisers around the world to create, manage, and promote their events. Organisers can easily sign-up and start selling the tickets of their events in minutes. In the last 18 months, the company has generated around £1.48m in GMV. From all over the world, more than 100 new organisers have signed up on this platform. The famous registered organisers are charity Dravet Syndrome UK, MTV, and many universities. It is aiming to raise funds to continue to build on international traction. With the proceeds, Helm Tickets will increase organiser acquisition, diversify marketing & advertising and continue developing its product.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£89,050
A wind turbine's generator currently uses rare-earth magnets which cost £40 per kg, Greenspur have developed innovative generators which use ferrite magnets, an abundantly available material, that cost as little as £1 per kg. The company have made further advancements by removing the gearbox, which has resulted in lower maintenance costs and improved efficiency.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£368,640
Sol-Gel Materials and Application (SGMA) is a sustainable technology company that is using its new sol-gels to create sustainable solutions to plastic environmental waste. The company has researched and developed a non-plastic, non-toxic coating for products, from food packaging to electronics, that is water and oil resistant yet recyclable. Its product is the world’s only biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable (BCR) solution. The company's founder and CEO, Dr Fanya Ismail, has won the award 'Women in Innovation 2019' by Innovate UK and the company's work has been covered by BBC South East Today. The company plans to function as an IP management company, sub-contract manufacturing to chemical firms moving from bulk to advanced materials, and outsource distribution to partners, whose packaging customers serve brand owners.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£611,040
Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems (ABBS) develops patented systems to counteract the forces an armoured vehicle sustains when a mine or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explodes under it. ABBS asserts that mines and IEDs accounted for over 80% of UK and US army casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. ABBS argues that its systems can reverse this scenario. It aspires to become a contender in the $20 billion armoured vehicle protection market. The company has been tasked by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) to draft safety regulations for emergency descent arrest systems. It also holds multiple patents for its proven Vehicle Global Acceleration Mitigation (VGAM) vehicle mine protection system and has a patent pending for a Zero-Zero Crash Prevention (ZZCP) system for light aircraft and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOLs) systems. ABBS will use the investment for marketing, boosting R&D, and maintaining and expanding its IP/patent portfolio.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£297,534
Lupe Technology (LT) aims to solve the frustrations that consumers were having with cordless vacuum cleaners. Its product, Lupe Pure Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, consists of the company's patented Suction Intensifier (SI) technology that can pick up dust more efficiently than conventional vacuum cleaners. Forbes calls the Pure Cordless 'The Rolls Royce of vacuum cleaners.' In 2019, LT completed the biggest ever crowdfunded vacuum cleaner campaign. In 2020, LT secured its first trade orders and completed a £560,000 Kickstarter campaign in 5 weeks. The company recorded profits of £100,000+ in November 2020 and achieved a positive Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) position. LT will use 19% of the investment received towards marketing, 55% in stock, and 26% on overhead costs including payroll.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£556,126
Tier 1 London aim to help their clients meet the complex requirements of the Tier 1 visa. The tier 1 visa is designed to allow foreign investors and entrepreneurs to become a UK national.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£25,500
After a successful fundraise with Funding Tree last year and subsequent growth since, specialist wedding planning service Bespoke Weddings Ltd is raising funds for a second time as it seeks to finance further growth and expansion.
Note to investors:
This loan is underwritten by Jeff Sills who has provided us with a personal net worth statement which exceeds the amounts outstanding on Funding Tree loans.
Business growth
Prior coming to Funding Tree in June the business only covered one UK region, bringing in around 73 bookings. One venue in particular, Shottle Hall, generated £42,120 for the business from 52 weddings in the time prior to the Funding Tree loan.
Since securing said loan from 31 Funding Tree investors in June 2015, Bespoke has been scaling the business in line with its long-term strategy to cover more UK regions.
As part of developing a network of venues and planners, the business hired a new divisional coordinator and four new regional coordinators. It also trained 18 new wedding planners and appointed a further 9 wedding venues in the East Midlands. Furthermore, the business created a new wedding website for all the Brides & Grooms.
This has enabled the business to increase bookings from 73 to a forecasted 180 a year, which the planners are on target to achieve.
Revenue Model
Under the name The Platinum Wedding service, Bespoke charges the Bride and Groom £500 for each booking plus a booking fee for the wedding suppliers, which is £185 (on average), plus ‘on the day’ wedding planning which is a minimum of £125.
Each wedding booking is bringing in around £810. Further revenue streams include the business offering ‘exclusive offers’ at venues, which brings in a commission of £500 per booking.
Looking ahead
Jeff Sills and his team are now targeting further growth opportunities in the Midlands and London/South East, followed by the South West and North of England.
To carry out expansion plans, the business is seeking a further loan of £25,100 over 36 months. This will be used to raise the number of venues in each region to 20.
With more wedding venues on his books, Jeff expects to increase the number of enquiries into the business to around 800 each month per region, with around 600 bookings expected per year.
Case study
The growing success of the business is evident from the following case study. In just 12 months The Platinum Wedding Service achieved the following for one of Bespoke’s wedding venues - Shottle Hall, Derbyshire:
52 Additional Wedding Bookings (an increase of over 50%)
Increase in Sales of over £300,000
Increase in Net Profit of £167,423
Increase in Net Profit of over £600%
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£10,040
