Zoom 1hr is a hyperlocal last-mile delivery service delivering food, convenience and retail goods within one hour. The company is currently operating in West Midlands, Wales, and bordering English counties. It aims to become a contender in the online food delivery market that is projected to reach over £5 billion in 2021. Zoom 1hr has witnessed 70,000 app downloads, processed over 280,000 orders through its platform, and gained an annual turnover of £665,000 in 2019-2020 at an order growth rate of 108%. Zoom 1hr argues that its list of partners consists of local, national and international stores including Subway and KFC. It has also secured a contract with Co-Op to be its third national last-mile delivery partner, currently servicing 61 stores. The company will use the investment for New Area Mobilisation (NAM), product and website development, key hires, and team expansion.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£595,084
BEEN London is a next-generation sustainable accessory brand which converts waste into beautiful products, for customers all around the world. They aim to change the way people make, perceive and buy beautiful things and want to make everyone part of the solution, involving local artisans and people with learning disabilities in the growing economy of sustainable fashion. Till now, they have successfully shipped orders to 18 countries worldwide, achieved profitability from Year 1 and launched 17 different products including backpacks, laptop cases and tote bags. BEEN is a UK FUTURE 20 startup, a finalist at the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards, and a profitable company looking to scale up into a global, game-changing sustainable brand. BEEN have been approved for investment by London Fashion Fund. With the funds, they want to accelerate sales, increase margins and turn other streams of waste into new incredible products.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£325,589
Karshare connects renters with owners, giving those with cars the opportunity to earn extra income while those in need of a car can rent from their local community. The company aims to unlock community car sharing by tapping into the estimated 10 million cars parked at UK airports each year and 38 million vehicles parked on UK streets. Karshare's platform features telematics and keyless technology allowing for cars to be booked instantly and unlocked using facial recognition. Karshare has a TrustScore of 4.9/5 and 852 reviews. It has onboarded partners such as Allianz Insurance, OCTO Telematics, Rentalcars.com, and RAC. Karshare has featured in press publications like The Times, Huff Post, BBC and Evening Standard amongst others. The company will use 25% of the investment for business operations, 45% for growing the business, and 31% for developing User Experience (UX) and functionality.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,444,182
Wedding Planner is an online wedding-planning marketplace that provides an easy way to plan and book a wedding. Around 20,000 couples are using this platform to plan their dream weddings. Besides being a pre-COVID profitable business in the UK, it is the UK's number one ranked site for 'Wedding Planner' as per Google. The website has been created by combining a digital wedding booking system, curated venues, planning tools, and supplier search options. The platform generates 8,500+ leads for venues and suppliers per quarter and has a registered base of 3,000+ venues and other suppliers. With the investment, the company will use 25% to update their booking system catering to couples and suppliers, 12% in creating new and tested standardised contract templates between the couple and the supplier, 13% in developing a partnership with a wedding insurance provider, 30% as substitution funds for supplier and venue subscriptions frozen during COVID-19, 13% in continuing the platform's growth in Sweden, and 7% in costs associated with fund-raising.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£25,010
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
Drinkly is an award-winning tech platform that delivers chilled beers, spirits, wines, and more in one hour. The company has increased by 400% in sales since its launch, delivering more than 14,000 orders in Edinburgh, London, & Glasgow. Moreover, it has won the 2019 Online Business of the Year at the Scottish SME Awards. Drinkly has also worked in collaborations with global drinks brands including Asahi, Heineken, and Tito's Vodka, introducing new products to market and gathering invaluable customer insights. With the proceeds, the company will recruit staff and grow sales; it will also invest in and execute its marketing strategy to fuel customer acquisition and retention.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£262,496
Not In The Guidebooks (NITG) is a travel agency that believes in making tourism sustainable and enjoyable for travellers and local communities. NITG has raised a £250,000 seed funding to build its platform and connect with local partners. It's contracted agent partners include British Airways, Mid counties Co-Op, Spear Travel, and Intele Travel, amongst others. The company is set up as a global collective, ensuring 10% of its profits go to its local partners. NITG has also acquired and integrated Go Learn To, an experiential holiday provider focusing on immersive learning experiences. The company will use the investment to build a team to create content, secure new partnerships, build consumer brand awareness with a strong social media presence, and develop technology with geolocation and live availability to enliven trip itineraries.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£128,899
GENEROUS APE is an online shopping destination for the style-led conscious shopper. The company asserts that the word 'APE' is an acronym for 'Animal, People and Environment' and is targeted towards sustainable shopping. GENEROUS APE argues that it has completed eight weeks of beta-testing with an average of 450 visitors showing interest in its website and 47.62% being returning customers. The company asserts that the average basket value was £89 with partnerships signed with 80 style-led sustainable brands. GENEROUS APE onboarded 'DHL GO GREEN' as its primary delivery associate and partnered with World Land Trust on the 'Buy an Acre' scheme to facilitate wildlife protection in perpetuity. The company will use the investment for optimising marketing, boost organic growth channels and paid media, improve the consumer experience, and develop a personalised dashboard for each customer.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£208,525
HUN Wines sources premium quality wine from Stellenbosch, South Africa, to create the UK's first Fairtrade, wine in a can. It aims to become the largest canned wine brand in the world. The company asserts that its products are fully recyclable and vegan friendly. HUN Wines claims that it is backed by industry titans including James Bailey, current Waitrose CEO, Andy Shaw, previously Brewdog Beer CEO and RedBull MD, Formula racing legend David Coulthard and RedBull executives. The company has successfully canned 300,000 units of its products consisting of flavours like Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rosé Bubbles (one of the lowest-calorie wines in the UK). It accepted its first order via a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) site in May 2020, launched nationwide in Tesco Supermarkets in June and expanded onto the e-commerce platform, Amazon, in July. HUN Wines will use 15% of the investment towards staff expenses, 40% towards marketing, 25% towards festival activations and listings, and 20% towards New Product Development (NPD).
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£600,761
Faizpay is a financial technology entity that provides a cost-effective alternative to card payments in-store and online. The company facilitates account-to-account payments from a consumer to a merchant via 'Open Banking' as per the European Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and bespoke direct Application Programming Interface (APIs) with financial institutions, when available. It asserts that their online tool provides seamless integration with a retailer’s e-commerce system including plug-ins and Software Development Kit (SDKs) for WordPress, Android and iOS. FaizPay states it also allows merchants to offer first-time and regular discounts that automatically apply to transactions. The company has 71 fully registered merchants with 95 registered terminals. FaizPay has onboarded the nine biggest UK banks and signed notable entities like Monzo, Revolut and Starling. The company will use the investment to grow its team, hire additional tech development and sales personnel, apply for an e-money license in the UK, and seek relevant financial authorisation to provide its services in the European Union (EU).
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£536,714
