Bookblock is a custom gifting platform that makes buying gifts and sending cards easier and affordable for everyone. In 2014, it began as a design-led gift manufacturer taking the client's idea and turning it into a premium bespoke product. Since then, it has seen over £5.4m of sales and a profit of £348k in FY 2018. Since its last fundraise, Bookblock has grown into a £2m revenue business. Bookblock has made manufacturing accessible by introducing 3D technology that simplified intricate manufacturing processes. Since launch, it has implemented many functionalities and improvements, and are now ready for a marketing push.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£169,670
Established as a trusted brand since 2017, YPP provides high-quality and bespoke printed products to the public, private, and third sectors. In 2019, YPP launched a site Customgifts.co.uk for year-round gifting, following the success of Santa Sacks, a B2C Christmas brand in 2018. Within six months, they have achieved sales of over £300,000, hold licenses with many world-renowned brands with the likes of Harry Potter, Batman, Loony Tunes and Elf, and a variety of top-flight football clubs. The Custom Gifts site has already processed over 14,000 orders with more than 13,000 customers joining their database. The funds raised will be used for online marketing, new product development, and hiring of new staff.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£404,490
A grocery retailer and kitchen combination, for customers to purchase essential food whilst drinking a coffee. Melrose and Morgan currently operate in two locations; Hampstead and Primrose Hill. They are now seeking funds to expand their business further in London, with the aim of opening two stores in 2019 and totalling 10 stores by 2022. The company has been trading for almost 15 years and has their products listed in other retailers, including Selfridges, Ocado and independent shops.
Melrose and Morgan own more than 50 SKUs and source their produce from small businesses in the UK. The company has recently restructured, which has resulted in refurbishing their two existing stores, upgrading their website and investing toward research and development of new products and fine food.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£115,600
RosemaryWater produces botanical drinks with fresh and pure botanical extracts, mixed with spring water. Its production process makes it unique in both the wider global market (est. $215bn by 2025) and the $2.4bn UK bottled water industry. Further, No1 Botanicals is found in Harvey Nichols, Waitrose, Whole Foods, M&S, and many other stores. Each botanical was chosen for its unique medicinal properties and flavour. Additionally, its range is authenticated by the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Moreover, a clinical trial has confirmed that Rosemary Water™ can enhance memory by up to 15%. With the fund raised, it will launch a soda mixer range, boost exports to new EU & US regions, and target high-end restaurants and bars.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£1,223,320
Based in Henley-on-Thames, Marloe Watch Company is a designer and producer of wristwatches. The company has sold over 4,700 watches globally. MWC has witnessed profit in each year of trading (£340k revenue, £45k net profit in FY March 2018/19). It has also received over 100 pieces of positive press coverage. The company was also featured in one of BBC's articles. The company is planning to use the funds for scaling the business model and for becoming the first-ever customer-owned watch company.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£594,510
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
The Sports Edit (TSE) is one of the UK’s fastest-growing eCommerce retailers that sells activewear brands and products, as well as, produces content and events, centred around inspiring movement and mindfulness. It is among Europe’s foremost curators of premium activewear, partnering with 50+ leading brands. The company aims to become a major contender in the womenswear market, forecast to grow 7.7% per annum to $216 billion, by 2024. The company has >45,000 social media followers, a leading gym retail partnership, and seen its online revenues grow over 145% in the first five months of 2020 Year-Over-Year (YoY). For its timely response to customers' queries, TSE was validated by the Feefo Gold Service Award 2020 & garnered a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 72. The company will use the investment to widen its brand & product range, hire staff for marketing and merchandising, ensure customer acquisition & retention, and launch its deal with Nike in the third quarter of 2020.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£930,307
AEVHA London is a luxury fashion brand that makes beautifully crafted handbags at an accessible price. Their handbags have been used by celebrities including Beyoncé, Jessica Biel, and Amy Adams. AEVHA London has a wide global wholesale distribution and is stocked by Harvey Nichols and Yoox-Net-A-Porter. The brand has also been featured in publications such as Vanity Fair, Grazia, Marie Claire & Elle. AEVHA acquired 45,000 followers on Instagram without a dedicated digital marketing budget. With the investment, the company will allocate a digital marketing budget and build an experienced team to execute an efficient paid media strategy to drive more sales.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£278,291
The Wild Curl (TWC) makes custom-formulated and plant-based curly hair products. The company chooses its ingredients based on research that centers around the composition of curly hair across different demographics. TWC argues that it supports and fights for inclusive beauty standards by empowering women to adopt their naturally curly hair since 65% of women in the world have textured hair. The company claims to have changed the hair journey of 5000 customers globally. TWC has 5,000 customers, 5,600 email contacts and 6,000 followers on social media. The company has earned £100,000 in revenue since its launch and shipped over 5,000 orders to customer’s doorsteps worldwide. TWC will use the investment to expand its product range focused on conditioners.
days to go:
Expired
investment:
£95,689
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
