Crowdfund Champion » equity crowd funding http://crowdfundchampion.com championing the brightest crowdfunding ideas Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:05:55 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.4 Heighten security with PassWear on your smart watch http://crowdfundchampion.com/passwear-security-seedrs/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/passwear-security-seedrs/#comments Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:37:02 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=2021 If you’ve lost faith in passwords as a means of keeping your mobile and other devices safe from prying eyes, PassWear has introduced software for ...

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passwear

If you’ve lost faith in passwords as a means of keeping your mobile and other devices safe from prying eyes, PassWear has introduced software for your wearables that can help keep your device secure as long as you are with it.

The PassWear app works on a range of smart watches, and uses two-step verification to secure any apps – from social media, to more demanding enterprise apps – ensuring no one can break into your accounts and steal data.

PassWear chose to use wearables as its security option because the market is growing fast. Additionally, it says that by 2020, 284 million devices and 1 billion employees will be using their personal device at work, meaning corporate mobile security is essential.

Clearly aimed at the enterprise, PassWear plans to sell its product through an annual subscription. It’s already available via Good Technology, but the company will be looking to add more distribution partners to its line-up in the future.

It is also offering a white label product and is working with Samsung to offer its software as a native app on its platforms. It hopes to set up more licensing agreements like this so a range if vendors can offer PassWear as a value-added service.

Finally, PassWear will be offering its SDK to app developers who can then integrate the highlights into their products and sell via freemium or paid-for apps in app stores.

PassWear is appealing for £175,000 in funding on Seedrs and it’s hoping to use the funds in order to turn trial users into paying customers, complete its Samsung commercial agreement and finish building the SDK for developers so it can start monetising that way.

In exchange for investment, PassWear is offering 14 per cent equity and at the time of writing, it had raised just shy of 10 per cent of its target.

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ChargeBox funding to stay ahead of the competition http://crowdfundchampion.com/chargebox-crowdcube/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/chargebox-crowdcube/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2015 08:18:43 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=2012 ChargeBox has launched a campaign on CrowdCube to help it stay ahead of the competition. The company, which produces and installs smartphone and tablet charging ...

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chargebox

ChargeBox has launched a campaign on CrowdCube to help it stay ahead of the competition.

The company, which produces and installs smartphone and tablet charging stations in public and semi-public places, wants to boost its sales and marketing efforts, plus inject some money into development of the next-generation devices.

The company wants to make free charging of devices as prevalent as free Wi-Fi in cafes, restaurants, shopping centres and other places as consumers increasingly rely on their smartphones for everything in life.

ChargeBox was launched ten years ago, but other competitors have now popped up in the market, making it a hard industry to crack.

“Loved by end-users who frequently call ChargeBox a #lifesaver, we have provided over 5 million charges so far this year, and we have built (or have in production) over 2,000 machines,” the company explained.

“Our clients include well-known organisations who wish to provide the best customer experience to their visitors and encourage smartphone use, which is highly correlated with increased spending.”

The company has drummed up a fair amount of revenue from rentals, service contracts, short term event rental, a legacy vending business, and international license and software maintenance fees. It has two patents to protect its designed, but is now seeking the next big thing to differentiate its products.

To help take a bigger share of the market, ChargeBox will be spending the £500,000 it hopes to raise on Crowdcube on expanding the sales team, marketing and PR including events, exhibitions and the employment of PR consultants, R&D expenditure, IT development and to a lesser extent working capital.

ChargeBox is offering 7.2 per cent equity to investors and at the time of writing, was 40 per cent of the way through its funding cycle with 18 days to go until the campaign ends.

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Readbug claims to be the Spotify for magazines http://crowdfundchampion.com/readbug-spotify-seedrs/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/readbug-spotify-seedrs/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2015 08:05:36 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=2009 Readbug – a subscription-based content innovation – has launched on Seedrs, helping print media become more accessible to everyone with a mobile device. “Today’s readers ...

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readbug

Readbug – a subscription-based content innovation – has launched on Seedrs, helping print media become more accessible to everyone with a mobile device.

“Today’s readers want accessibility, immediacy and convenience, [but] print publishing has struggled to deliver against new and emerging digital platforms,” the company said on Seedrs. “The problem isn’t the content, it’s the delivery method.”

It has suggested the answer to this is offering consumers high quality, specially optimised content from some of the world’s leading publishers in a format suited for mobile devices.

“Our members can read the absolute best in fashion, music, film, travel and lifestyle from the likes of Dazed, Sight & Sound, Huck, Oh Comely and many more,” Readbug continued.

“Users can flick from cover-to-cover, select their favourite titles, scroll through their personalised article stream, share stories and read the best magazines wherever they want, however you want for a monthly subscription.”

Users of the app don’t have to pay a per-download fee, nor do they have to pay every time they want to read just one article from a magazine or newspaper. With Readbug, they pay a monthly fee that gives them access to thousands of articles they can choose based on their interests.

Other products such as Spotify have proven that subscription-based, all-you-can-eat models work and are attractive to consumers, making this an obvious way to get more people reading content that is only usually available to people buying physical publications.

The Readbug app will be available on Apple devices, with more than 60 publishers behind the idea. It has also sealed a number of commercial partnership deals with The Hospital Club and five universities around the country.

Readbug is appealing for £500,016 on Seedrs in exchange for 12.5 per cent equity. It hopes to spend the money on operations, developing the product, marketing, overheads and contingencies.

“During the next 12 months we plan on refining our marketing and growth strategy and gaining critical user traction. We plan to onboard a minimum of 100 publishers, expanding our library of titles,” Readbug finished.

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Kabbee compares the best taxi deals for you http://crowdfundchampion.com/kabbee-crowdcube/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/kabbee-crowdcube/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2015 08:00:18 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1993 If you’re not a huge fan of Uber, or don’t really like using Addison Lee every time you want to catch a cab, Kabbee allows ...

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Kabbee

If you’re not a huge fan of Uber, or don’t really like using Addison Lee every time you want to catch a cab, Kabbee allows you to compare the prices of taxis in your area, helping you make a more educated decision on which company to use.

The company has been running since 2011, but it now wants to expand outside of just London and airports to become a nationwide cab comparison engine.

It’s simply more than a comparison engine for consumers though – it’s also designed to help private taxi firms market themselves to their customers, without the big outlay of advertising.

“In London 62,000 cars are spread across 3000 fleets (http://bit.ly/1M9TFYs). In the rest of England & Wales, fragmentation is even more severe with 108,000 cars spread across 11,800 fleets,” Kabbee explained. “Fragmentation means small fleets are unable to invest in marketing and technology and thereby grow their business and coverage. Drivers sent on long journeys almost always return empty.”

It uses similar models to hotel booking and insurance industries, where the industries aren’t particularly suited to big advertising or marketing campaigns.

“Aggregation provides the opportunity for fleets to benefit from marketplace dynamics, drivers to reduce dead mileage and customers to get good service and value wherever they are,” the company said.

Kabbee’s technology brings together value for money for customers, while also meaning cab drivers can ick up their next job where they last had a drop off, helping drivers claw back that wasted mileage.

Kabbee is appealing for £1m funding from investors on Crowdcube, with which it plans to boost profits in London by redeveloping the iPhone app and launching an Android app, add new features to the entire platform, including the taxi company-facing part and build the demand for a cab comparison app nationwide.

It wil introduce new loyalty features and concentrate its marketing strategy on low spend, but high impact ideas.

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Pimoroni takes Raspberry Pi to the next level http://crowdfundchampion.com/pimoroni-crowdcube/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/pimoroni-crowdcube/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2015 08:20:45 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1973 Pimoroni not only develops accessories for the Reaspberry Pi computer, but also sells a range of other ‘maker’ accessories through its online portal of goodies. ...

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Pimoroni

Pimoroni not only develops accessories for the Reaspberry Pi computer, but also sells a range of other ‘maker’ accessories through its online portal of goodies.

The company was launched alongside its Pibow case for the teeny tiny computer, followed by the Picade – an arcade machine for the Raspberry Pi which launched a campaign on Kickstarter a couple of years ago.

It then launched a Maker store, offering more than 1000 products for the Raspberry Pi, which to date, has had more than 53,000 orders.

The company is now seeking more funding to support its entire business and help it buid its portfolio of even more cool add-ons.

“The way we approach our products is a mixture of graphic design, electronics, software support, and user experience,” Pimoroni said. “Traditionally hobbyist electronics have been created by engineers, for engineers – we strive to make electronics accessible, attractive, low friction, and fun to use for everybody.

“We also manufacture our products in-house which allows us to experiment with ideas, be agile in our manufacturing, and truly understand the processes involved.”

It will be investing the money it raises to employ more engineers, because the company says it can’t currently turn products into reality quick enough at the moment. It will also be brining onboard content creators to help build its portfolio of tutorials, projects, and supporting video.

The final investment will be to launch worldwide. It will start by opening stores in Western Europe, increasing its potential customer base by 600 per cent.

Pimoroni is hoping to raise £315,000 via Crowdcube to jump start its growth plans, in exchange for four per cent equity. The campaign will run until the end of November and to date it has secured around 15 per cent of the money it needs to super-charge its strategy.

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Vroomo unifies cars with new owners http://crowdfundchampion.com/vroomo-seedrs/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/vroomo-seedrs/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2015 07:39:30 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1965 The search for a new car can be a challenge. When you do eventually find one you love, you find it’s 250 miles away, which ...

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Vroomo

The search for a new car can be a challenge. When you do eventually find one you love, you find it’s 250 miles away, which is hardly practical unless you’re 100 per cent committed to it and it’s a one-off limited edition.

Once you have decided to trek to the location of your new motor, you find that it’s either not up to scratch or the person selling it is trying to scam you out of your hard earned cash.

Enter Vroomo – a platform that brings cars and their new owners together, with complete peace of mind their new vehicle is completely safe, the best quality and eradicates the risks associated with selling it to private individuals.

A three-month warranty is also thrown in, so if something goes wrong as you’re driving it off the forecourt, Vroomo will cover the cost of fixing it.

“The platform will aim to eradicate the need for countless hours answering calls from classified ads or entertaining strangers, buyers will be able to buy with more confidence as the information asymmetry will be reduced,” Vroomo said. “Buyers will benefit by not having to spend countless amounts of money on numerous pre-inspection tests & visits on vehicles which may not pass the test.”

Vroomo has partnered up with some of the biggest names in the car industry to ensure the buying experience is as seamless as possible, including DEKRA for vehicle inspections, VVM logistics for vehicle delivery and pre delivery inspection, finance via ZUTO and provenance checks via HPI. Extended warranties and breakdown cover are provided by The AA and initial insurance by Aviva.

Vroomo is appealing for £100,010 investment in exchange for 8.33 per cent equity and is currently halfway to wards its goal with 40 days left to run.

If you’re interested in funding this innovative idea, head over to Seedrs before the campaign ends.

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Nuklius gives startups the leg up they need to succeed http://crowdfundchampion.com/nuklius-seedrs/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/nuklius-seedrs/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2015 07:37:44 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1953 Nuklius is a platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses to transform their company by finding the people and resources they need to make their ideas ...

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Nuklius

Nuklius is a platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses to transform their company by finding the people and resources they need to make their ideas succeed.

Like a matchmaking dating app, Nuklius links up the people needing resources with those that have the resources. Anyone you’re matched with is likely to be local to you, so you don’t have to worry about having conflicting cultural views or travelling too far for a meeting.

If you have an idea, you can enter the details, including the skills required and Nuklius will show you the ‘cards’ of people who have the matching skills to make it work. Alternatively, for those with skills they want to offer up, Nuklius will match you up with ideas contributed by others.

Nuklius also features an entire platform for companies to collaborate with people in their networks, talent mapping existing contacts to find the best talent.

“We are looking to solve the disconnect between people having ideas but not possessing all of the skills required to realise their ideas, where the idea stays just that, an idea,” Nuklius said on its Seedrs campaign page.

“We do this by connecting them with the people who do. We want to remove the road block between having an idea and turning that idea into a reality. We fundamentally believe that startups drive true social and economic innovations; so the more people we can help connect to build their ideas into companies, the better.”

Nuklius has already surpassed its target of £25,000 on Seedrs, raising more than £34,000 of investment in exchange for 5.8 per cent equity.

It hopes to use the funds raised for business development (including costs for travel, marketing, conferences and exhibitions), operating costs and to pay the founders salaries.

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Tigmus is the AirBnB for live music http://crowdfundchampion.com/tigmus-is-the-airbnb-for-live-music/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/tigmus-is-the-airbnb-for-live-music/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2015 07:32:12 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1950 Tigmus helps musicians get their music to the people they know love their music. Described by the company as the ‘AirBnB of the music world’, ...

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Tigmus Founders

Tigmus helps musicians get their music to the people they know love their music. Described by the company as the ‘AirBnB of the music world’, Tigmus helps artists discover their fans and then set up gigs in those areas, with the guarantee their concerts will sell out (well, hopefully).

Tigmus covers the whole artist journey. They can discover their fans, book gigs and sell their tickets from one pace, meaning no middlemen or confusion.

“The traditional live music industry is a largely offline world, built around promoters, booking agents and ticket vendors,” Tigmus said. “All of these agents eat into the profits of artists and venues.  In the age of online streaming and social media, Tigmus offers a new solution for venues, artists and fans.”

The website contains a searchable database of venues around the UK, so artists can find a decent venue where they want to play a gig. Musicians can integrate their social media metrics to uncover their fans, listen to what they’re saying and whether they’re likely to attend a gig and use this to organise entire tours if they wish.

So far, Tigmus has helped 49 concerts happen and has another 100 planned via the platform. More than 700 venues are now registered with the platform and 200 artists are ready to get organising their tours.

The company makes money on ticket sales of between 10 and 20 per cent. It is hoping to diversify its revenue streams by developing curated gigs and tours on behalf of record companies and artists, experimenting with paid tiers of membership, featured venues and artists and selling its own merchandise.

Tigmus is appealing for £300,000 worth of funding to get these new payment models off the ground and spread the word in venue and artist communities. It is offering a whopping 23 per cent of equity for investors on Crowdcube and there’s 21 days left in the campaign.

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ING and Seedrs unite for small business funding initiative http://crowdfundchampion.com/ing-and-seedrs-crowdfunding-options/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/ing-and-seedrs-crowdfunding-options/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2015 07:39:44 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1940 ING and Seedrs have announced a partnership that will combine traditional business loans and crowdfunding opportunities for new and growing businesses. ING will become Seedrs’ ...

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Seedrs/ING

ING and Seedrs have announced a partnership that will combine traditional business loans and crowdfunding opportunities for new and growing businesses.

ING will become Seedrs’ equity partner in two European territories, meaning it will be able to fast track its small buiness and startups’ plans using the model. Seedrs also said the tie-up will help spread the word about equity corwdfunding thoughout Europe.

Although launching only in Belgium and Luxembourg at the moment, the idea is one that could be replicated in the UK too.

“For entrepreneurs who are driven by innovative ideas, a classic bank loan is not always the best or only solution,” Seedrs said in a blog post. “Both entrepreneurs and banks can benefit from a diversified funding combination. That’s why ING will now offer businesses that it believes can benefit from full or partial funding through Seedrs access to a fast track campaign review process.”

When companies apply for crowdfunding on Seedrs, they will be consulted by ING representatives who will be help them decide which is the best funding option for them. Then, they are able to use INGs fast-track system to submit their campaign and it will be assessed within two days by Seedrs.

Seedrs is planning to grow its business exponentially in Europe over the next few months and partnerships like this will enable it to become a powerful competitor in the equity crowdfunding space.

“We are very excited to be working together with ING in making equity crowdfunding more easily available to the Belgian business community,”Jeff Lynn, CEO of Seedrs said. “To our knowledge this is the first time that a well-respected, global financial institution like ING has partnered with a leading international equity crowdfunding platform like Seedrs, and we think this relationship is very encouraging for the future of business finance.”

He added the company is proud to have been chosen as ING’s partner for this venture and it’s proof that Seedrs’ model of equity crowdfunding doen right is succeeding throughout Europe.

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Nurturey makes parenting a little easier to organise http://crowdfundchampion.com/nurturey-seedrs/ http://crowdfundchampion.com/nurturey-seedrs/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:35:31 +0000 http://crowdfundchampion.com/?p=1933 Nurturey has raised £172,467 on Seedrs, almost doubling its target of £100,000 and offering up an equity of 12.52 per cent to investors. The company ...

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Nurtery

Nurturey has raised £172,467 on Seedrs, almost doubling its target of £100,000 and offering up an equity of 12.52 per cent to investors.

The company has developed an app to make it easier to manage everything parenting throws at you, on your mobile or tablet.

Nurturey supports parents at every step of the way, from when they conceive to help them prepare for the addition of a little one in their life, right up to when they fly the nest and become parents themselves.

“On one hand, parents have to manage an onslaught of routine information, documents, activities, etc; on the other, it is difficult for parents to follow, let alone implement, overwhelming amount of information/resources available today on parenting,” the company said on its Seedrs fundraising page.

For example, parents can access important information, such as a child’s vaccination history, appointments such as parent’s evening or other information that is seamlessly synched between mobile and other applications on your computer, such as your calendar.

Documents can also be stored in Nurturey – even things like birth certificates, a particular piece of work you or they are really proud of and will analyse the data so you can track your child’s wellbeing.

Not only in Nurturey a useful tool for keeping your child’s routine in check, but it also serves as a great way to remember all stages of their life, creating memories for the future.

Any information can be shared with the Nurturey community, so if there’s a group of mums or dads you want to share information with, you can do so with a few quick clicks.

Nurturey will be coming to Android and iOS devices soon, including the iPad and iPhone. The app can be set up on desktop already, so if you’re interested in tracking every aspect of your child’s life, sign up and prepare for the launch of the apps!

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