Company
A 01/10
Company A is a supplier and installer of
renewable energy products to domestic and commercial properties
for both new and existing buildings. The products include
solar thermal, wind turbines, solar PV, rainwater harvesting,
heat pumps and biomass boilers.
In 2008 £340,000 was raised in order
to develop a franchisee selling network. This has now been
set up with 9 franchisees appointed and 30 expected by end
of 2010. Franchisees earn commission and Company A sources
and installs. Also a head office sales team dealing with business
sales.
Selling is supported by technical team. Installations
are carried out by established sub-contarctors. Recently Company
A employed an electrician to start the build-up an in-house
installation capability.
The renewable energy market will expand significantly over
the next few years driven by increasing energy costs, new
build houses have to incorporate renewable energy, and tariffs
that will be paid on energy generation. Feed in tariffs for
electricity come in April 2010.
Funding £250,000 in equity and loans
is sought for expansion to acquire premises for the storage,
product display, office and training. Also to increase technical
and sales to cope with the increasing level of demand it is
now experiencing.
Exit will be by way of trade sale or floatation.
Company
B 01/10
Company B is a news website delivering ‘fresh
perspectives on things that matter’ to the large &
growing group of Cultural Creatives (80m in US, 80m in Europe).
Cultural Creatives are in the vanguard of a worldwide movement
to change the way we think about, and act on, 21st century
challenges (eg. environment & sustainability).
Company B is the only news portal dedicated
to the needs/aspirations of Cultural Creatives – offering
news & views on the topics that matter to them and a unique
“news into action” concept – enabling users
to take action on issues they care about. The business has
several different revenue streams eg. from advertisers &
e-commerce partners wishing to reach this educated and affluent
target market. The business has a low cost structure.
Founders’ funding (£185,000 pre-launch)
has been invested in researching the proposition, branding/trademarking,
website development, building a strong management team and
a partner network. The website, beta-launched in June 2009,
is already attracting over 20,000 monthly unique visitors.
Investment is sought to finance marketing, editorial content,
website development & staffing.
The business has international potential
and is scalable beyond news, which will make it attractive
to a trade buyer within 5 years.
Company
C 01/10
Company C are an Oxford developer of socially-positive
entertainment video games; we work with Oxford University
Consulting for the science behind our games. Awards won include
a Smart Innovation Award, Best European Green IT award and
a Climate Challenge award. Company C are recognised global
leaders in our field. Our games adhere to these values
1. Socially-positive, 2. Fun to play entertainment
games for all the family, 3. Focussed on real-world and non-violent
themes, 4. Scientifically accurate, 5. Rewarding: you make
discoveries while you play
Company C have a distinguished Advisory Board
including Professor Diana Liverman and Dr Cameron Hepburn
both world-leading academics from Oxford University, and Suzanne
Seggerman US President of Games For Change.
Company C is developing an entertainment
video game . The game follows the success of our 2007 game
which reached around 900,000 players. The game is targeted
for online distribution in Q3 2010, followed by retail distribution
later in the year. Our sales forecasts indicate a low-mid
case of 300,000-500,000 units. We expect to net £4-5
per unit, although this has the potential to be considerably
greater due to the commercial advantages we enjoy through
self-funding to distribution. We will exploit the success
of the games with sequels, and versions for other formats
(e.g. Wii) and territories (e.g. Korea).
We have to date raised £572,000 through
sale of equity, and £76,000 from R&D tax credits.
This money has been utilised in developing the game. We are
seeking £300,000 in this round, and have so far raised
£110,000 of that amount. New money will complete the
product to distribution. Company C is valued today at £1.84m.
Estimated 2012 value is £7.2 (low case) to £13.6m
(mid case).
Company D 01/10
Existing digital consultants fail to provide
an effective digital marketing solution for lawyers, and legal
training solutions provide an unsatisfactory compromise between
convenience, cost and quality.
Company D is a specialist end-to-end digital
production and distribution company for the legal profession
offering a unique online and on-demand legal knowledge portal
that delivers compulsory continuing professional development
training to lawyers and legal knowledge for a broader professional
audience. Company D’s ambitions include replicating
the business internationally and, rebranded, to other professions.
Company D is the first legal training channel
to deliver bespoke live and on-demand content, via both PC
and mobile, and to create a compelling “destination”
for both users and suppliers. Think BBC iPlayer for professional
legal knowledge!
Company D simultaneously provides an improved
training experience, reduced costs, increased efficiency &
flexibility, whilst also improving lead conversion for content
suppliers.
Company D earns production fees from content
suppliers and subscription revenues from content consumers,
as well as driving revenues from online advertising and sponsorship,
and bespoke production and presentation authoring services.
Company D is founded by Warren Smith, a qualified
UK solicitor & US attorney with significant media experience
(formerly director of international new media for Universal
Studios and senior business affairs executive for FremantleMedia).
Company E 01/10
Company E will design, develop and market
a range of portable and semi permanent acoustic sound stages
to the Global music Live event market. Their product will
provide a quantum jump in the delivery and enjoyment of live
musical events. There is a strong order book from ESG, countries,
Municipalities and broadcast entities such as BBC.
The global live entertainment market is measured
in billions and is growing rapidly. The product is unique,
has global patents registered, and can move straight into
production with ESG. The product has no known competitors
in a big gap in the market, and will be a high margin cash
generative business.
Company E has a very experienced Management
team. Prototype model developed ,by its supporting companies
- top in their fields- ARUP Acoustics, Hamiltons, Architects,
Event Staging and Construction ( ESGroup) and music marketing
( IMG Artists).
£750,000 needed for launch at Somerset
House in July 2010 - £1.4m in total will enable the
company to complete the first year of operations and start
commercial production in 2011.
Exit likely to be via trade sale to major Music Entertainment
Business - Estimated 5 year exit value - £25m.
Company
A 11/09
Company A capitalizes on the growing interest
in gastronomy as well as in consumer's quest for individuality
and authenticity. Our concept is based on the social experience
around the discovery of quality foods and wines. Company A
is an online social guide that combines a social platform
with a map-based tagging system that allows users to visualize
and access different layers of product information.
We are targeting "foodies", amateurs that love to
experiment with food. With Company A's website they can build
an experience around food and wine: discover new products,
learn everything about them, track their origins, build a
personal food and wine diary and share it with friends.
Our business model is based on premium producer
listings (producers pay £99/year to have their own customized
page on the site and enhanced visibility), participation in
affiliate programmes (sell products and services that revolve
around quality foods), advertising and sale of products.
Company A's website is unique in that, unlike
other food sites, focuses on the link between product and
geography. We would like to be the site of the foodie traveler.
Based on traffic estimates (the leading British regional food
websites currently get around 160,000 visitors/month) we expect
to become profitable in our second year of operations, generating
£120,000 of profit, 60% coming from sales of products
and services, 35% from listings and the rest from advertising.
The site is very scalable and we aim to achieve an annual
profit of £750,000 in five years.
Company A's website is already usable and
we are now looking for £90,000 that would make it possible
to complete the next development stages and serve as working
capital until break even.
Company B 11/09
Overview: Company B is the first 2nd Generation Social Network,
founded in 2008 by Anthony Cohen and Nicholas Wittenburg.
Following £120,000 investment by the management team,
Company B launched into limited Beta at the end of July 2009
and has already accumulated over 1000 users in 33 countries,
with no marketing or advertising of any nature. Company B
not only captures the current market needs, but also delivers
an offering that enables higher advertising revenues then
those seen with existing platforms. Currently, no existing
offering can match Company B in terms of information relevancy,
targeted advertising and user privacy. Together, these factors
make Company B the most advanced platform on the market.
Problem: The Internet is full of content, some relevant,
some not, some credible, some not. Its greatest strength –
openness – is also the greatest weakness, as it has
resulted in a magnification of content – often there
for the benefit of the content provider and not the consumer,
but also often simply relevant for others, not yourself. This
has led to the consumer being oversaturated with content or
mindless social trivia that exists on other Social Networks
where traditional advertising has lost its effectiveness,
as there is simply too much noise.
Solution & Product: Company B gathers and delivers permission
based relevant content to users from their most trusted sources
and so enriches the quality of a social networking and Internet
experience. Content is aligned to users interest along with
targeted advertising displayed by interest category and filtered
by either location or intimacy level. The result is relevant,
credible and highly valued content alongside specifically
targeted advertising. Company B cuts through all the noise
that exists on the Internet by utilizing the Social Networking
paradigm to create relevant content. Herein lies the significant
opportunity to a problem where no current solution exists
besides Company B
Company C 11/09
Company C has been granted the exclusive
global eCommerce selling rights and exclusive retail rights
for the UK, by the French manufacturer Laboratoires Carilène
for its unique and scientifically tested 100% natural hair
loss remedy called Product X. The product is in lotion and
shampoo form and is for both men and women and has a European
and USA Patent.
Since 1993, Laboratoires Carilène
has sold 2,272 million units of the lotion and 750,000 units
of shampoo in Europe, total value €19.2 million.
Above the line advertising was only implemented for the first
four years from its introduction. In the UK, Boots Pharmacy
was the sole retailer until February 2009 when it launched
its own branded hair loss range.
After Boots ceased ordering Product X, Laboratoires Carilène
appointed Curtis MacLean, the founder of Company C, to research
the market for the future sale and distribution. Curtis demonstrated
there was a substantial market opportunity for Product X from
eCommerce global sales and to the UK retail market, and his
company was incorporated and granted the marketing rights.
Company C is seeking equity investment of
£70,000. Net profits projected: £58,000 2010,
£268,000 2011: and £513,000 in 2012.
Company D 11/09
Company D's website makes it easier to find
the right person when looking for help, ideas and inspiration
online. Inspired by how people behave in their everyday lives
we aim to make finding experts and sharing ideas an integral
part of how people achieve what they’re looking for
on the web.
Operating in a UK digital adverting market
predicted to reach £3.4 billion in 2009, the principle
revenue streams are contextual advertising, premium and B2B
services. The strategy is to grow through word of mouth, partner
site integrations, marketing and PR.
The website is now online and we have just
implemented our first partnership with a national website
for local communities. Both these sites are test beds for
further development based on user feedback in order to improve
messaging, design and usability.
In preparation for a full launch we are looking
for an initial investment of £70,000, followed by a
second investment of £180,000 in June 2010 to enable
the company to consolidate. Break-even is predicted for September
2011.
The exit strategy is to be bought out in
Year 4, achieving value through profitability and strategic
positioning in what is set to be an exciting new area of online
growth: social and real-time search.
Company E 11/09
Overview. Company E combines local search
with personally relevant results. We make the web local and
personal by providing comprehensive local information on any
device, made relevant by a patentable “social warmth”
search engine. Company R also helps local communities to re-connect,
by enabling visitors to contribute to their local community.
The founders have first-hand experience of developing local
web applications, start-ups and media; they have conducted
extensive research and prepared detailed plans for the development
and launch of the website . £350,000 funding is required
initially to build and launch the site; to develop the “social
warmth” algorithm and to apply for the patent.
Business Opportunity: Company E solves 2 big problems; 1)
web searches returning millions of links to pages containing
a given search phrase are of limited use - most people only
see the first 10 results. 2) Most businesses are small and
their customers are local, yet the web doesn’t make
it easy for a local business to accurately target those customers.
Company E helps people and businesses do what they are already
trying to do ... but better, faster and cheaper. It is designed
to work with the big search engines such as Google, who are
iGeolise’s biggest allies.
Likely exit via trade sale by year 4; prospective purchasers
include search engines, and media & research groups.
Company F 11/09
Company F's website k is a members-only, subscription website
for those working in the Film and TV industry. We are a start
up looking for £500k of funding.
• 1 Website
• 5 Essential Services
• 3 Revenue Streams
• 85% cheaper than the competition
• 170,000 people & companies in the UK market
Our services and innovations include Chase List, Online Diary
Service, News, Jobs & Directory Services. All together,
for the first time, for a fraction of the cost. Producing
opportunities in Film and TV.
The Management team has a collective 50 years experience
in Film, TV and Online Subscription Services.
£500k would allow the site to be built, launched, cover
salaries and offer customers first 3 months free. This is
a fragmented, niche market in which thecallsheet.co.uk can
dominate. Franchising or exit strategies in place after 3
years.
Company A 10/09 Company A's product is a software for the
millions of small businesses that dislike or fear formal bookkeeping,
but want effective cash collection, accurate business information
and good customer relationships.
For them, current systems seem too complex
and expensive; often their record keeping method is to ‘throw
it in a shoe box and sling it at the accountant once a year’.
This approach costs them hundreds of pounds in accountancy
fees, while the accountant often loses money sorting out the
mess. Isaacc is a new breed of bookkeeping software that truly
addresses this market for the first time.
Company A's product is ‘Software as
a Service’, where the vendor hosts the application in
an environment optimised for performance and security. This
model drastically reduces costs, and also supports compelling
new social & collaboration features.
The four founders have huge experience in
software development and media production. They have designed
and developed an easy-to-use consumer style product with a
rich and satisfying user experience. Their aim is to build
Isaacc into Britain’s leader of this burgeoning new
sector.
Target customers are small businesses, sole
traders and the self-employed, a UK market between 2 and 4
million strong. For the most part, they do not use any specialist
accounting software.
Company A are rolling out a marketing launch plan, targeting
small businesses through trade organisations and memberships
groups serving the needs of small business communities.
Funds will be used for (a) salaries for 4-5
employees, (b) overheads (c) marketing. The shares qualify
for EIS relief.
Company A 10/09 Company A's product is a software for the
millions of small businesses that dislike or fear formal bookkeeping,
but want effective cash collection, accurate business information
and good customer relationships.
For them, current systems seem too complex
and expensive; often their record keeping method is to ‘throw
it in a shoe box and sling it at the accountant once a year’.
This approach costs them hundreds of pounds in accountancy
fees, while the accountant often loses money sorting out the
mess. Isaacc is a new breed of bookkeeping software that truly
addresses this market for the first time.
Company A's product is ‘Software as
a Service’, where the vendor hosts the application in
an environment optimised for performance and security. This
model drastically reduces costs, and also supports compelling
new social & collaboration features.
The four founders have huge experience in
software development and media production. They have designed
and developed an easy-to-use consumer style product with a
rich and satisfying user experience. Their aim is to build
Isaacc into Britain’s leader of this burgeoning new
sector.
Target customers are small businesses, sole
traders and the self-employed, a UK market between 2 and 4
million strong. For the most part, they do not use any specialist
accounting software.
Company A are rolling out a marketing launch plan, targeting
small businesses through trade organisations and memberships
groups serving the needs of small business communities.
Funds will be used for (a) salaries for 4-5
employees, (b) overheads (c) marketing. The shares qualify
for EIS relief.
Company B 10/09
Overview: Company B's product enables people
to learn how to relax themselves quickly and naturally. Company
B created a range of “safe, simple and effective”
products suitable for the global self-help/wellbeing/corporate
stress management sectors. Research (1999 – 00) showed
93% of participants wanting the product. Low-cost, high profit,
top quality products self-published (2002) providing growing
interest and pilots in technique with Professionals in healthcare
/education sectors. 2 day certified training programme developed
(2002–04) endorsed by BCMA (2004) backed by Alumni,
Medics, Consultants. Since 2004, 180+ Practitioners trained;
evidence-based measurable outcome case studies, assessment
papers. Products copied in US (2002) - successfully stopped
by legal action.
Business Opportunity: Sales to date £270k.
Following successful pilot franchise operation with leading
mental health charity 2006/07 focus is i) drive promotion/brand
awareness selling products online; ii)selling individual training
licences; iii) group packages into corporate sector and NHS
through regional “PCT’s.” (Current UK Govt
mental health “talking therapies” programme budget
£179M**; annual UK mental health spend c.£900M.
All products UK & US markets ready. Trademarks. Occupational
Therapists (29,000UK, 99,000 US) key target group to deliver
relaxation classes. Ideal “early intervention”
tool. Accreditation of Training Programme provides low cost
“solution” for “ongoing professional development”
required by all therapists.
Funds invested to date £350k. Company
B has £960k funding round and seeking £360k Angel
funding. Future interest includes “Boots Alliance.”
Worldwide Interest. BFIIN Award June 2009.
Company
C 10/09
Company C identifies licences and distributes
healthcare related products in the UK and Republic of Ireland
that have already demonstrated success in other European markets.
Company C exploits products that are substantiated by scientific,
evidence-based claims with a primary focus on protection from
infection. It currently holds 7-year exclusive distribution
rights for three products.
Company C has established independent pharmacy
and National Health Service channels for sales and distribution
as well as direct-to-consumer Internet-based sales. Following
test marketing of our first product we are ready to expand
our activities and to launch the next 2 products. We anticipate
achieving breakeven in 2011 with sales over £5 million
in 2013.
The Company is looking to raise up to £1
million, which will be used for the following:-
• Promote and launch the products with an appropriate
level of marketing spend.
• Buy the global product rights and associated supply
contracts.
• Strengthen the operational team to execute the business
plan.
The Directors envisage that subject to market
conditions prevalent at the time they will seek a PLUS listing
for the Company in 3 to 5 years time which will allow existing
investors an option to exit.
Company
D 10/09
Company D provides specialised panels which
form a mould into which concrete is poured to create buildings
e.g. sewage works. It has the opportunity to capture exclusive
rights to the system in the UK, where it is currently the
sole supplier.
The system is technically superior than existing
systems, producing a “smooth” finish much desired
within the civil engineering, water and sewage treatment sectors.
Construction here is delivered under the AMP (Asset Management
Plan) framework and each plan lasts five years. There are
nine water boards and they have been allocated £21 billion
for AMP 5 [2010 to 2015] where the formwork share is circa
1%: £28 million.
The product is also highly competitive in
terms of pricing compared to its nearest competitors.
The owner/proprietor has industry experience
with particular emphasis on sales and business management
and has ongoing contacts with Water Board contractors where
referrals are the main source of business.
Key Strengths:
• Sole supplier in the UK and opportunity
to capture an exclusive contract for the UK
• Technically better , cost and quality, than existing
systems and produces a smooth finish
• Supported by full technical plan and assembly instructions
• Very profitable and simple business model within a
well defined niche market
The preferred exit route is a management
buy back or trade sale to a major construction company after
four/five years.
The company is looking for £250k to
increase equipment levels and to meet customer demand.
Company A 09/09
In the UK alone, online consumer spending
exceeds £120m per day.
None of today’s online sites are engineered
to facilitate a multi-buyer transaction; they are simply replacing
the traditional “one to one” physical shopping
experience with an online substitute, and as such, the market
is conducted exclusively on a one-to-one basis which neither
delivers best-pricing for consumers, nor maximum volumes for
sellers.
Buying decisions are increasingly formed
through online research from sources that are considered trusted
and impartial. Hobbyist communities are a primary source of
trustworthy information, and by providing a private shopping-mall
to the owners of such sites, the consumption cycle can be
fulfilled along with the research.
Company A places ecommerce within a community
environment, enabling multi-unit trading opportunities for
retailers, one-stop shopping for consumers, and controlled
revenues for community-owners.
Through the introduction of Company A’s
services, community-owners are able to monetise their user-base,
establish themselves as gateways to valuable consumer blocks,
and offer unique multi-unit trading opportunities unseen before.
Company A has a launch customer, solid interest
from a large UK national charity, and has a letter of intent
from a 600k-user outdoor pursuit community wanting to capitalise
on its position.
It seeks £200k to fund the remaining
development and post-launch staff, predicts a turnover of
£7.5m in year 1, and a £100m+ exit within 3-5
years.
Company
B 09/09
Company B has been established to address
valuable security and care markets. Company B's first market
will be vulnerable households - about 8m people in the UK.
For this market, Company B's services have been defined in
discussions with key statutory agencies, who actively support
Company B and will act as sales channels. Company B is in
late-stage negotiation for the use of a police logo.
The first Company B system will safeguard
against three major threats - distraction burglaries, rogue
traders and the consequences of accidents or falls in the
home:
• distraction burglaries occur when
access to the house is gained under false pretences
• rogue traders call uninvited to offer the householder
work that is not needed or is grossly over-priced and/or of
poor quality
• accidents or falls that leave a householder unable
to summon help
Company B's system is entirely automatic
- no action is required of the householder.
Company B will shortly be starting a trial
of a prototype system in conjunction with a leading police
force.
A patent application on Company B's system has been filed.
Company B has a highly-experienced management
team. The company seeks £400k to take it through to
profitability. Likely exit is via a trade sale.
Company C 09/09
Company C owns and develops a computer management
software for organisations providing managed IT services.
Founded in August 2006, Company C is an IT support technology
that makes the support of PCs and servers faster, simpler
and cheaper. Over the Internet the service provider has visibility
and control of the entire IT environment that they support
- device audit & monitoring, remote support, software deployment
and device management, and reporting. By coupling an innovative,
highly scalable architecture and user-friendly interface to
an aggressive pricing model Company C addresses the three
major inhibitors of effective IT support - cost, effort and
usability.
An EIS-approved business, Company C has attended
TVIN to complete a £250,000 funding round. With over £200,000
already raised through 5 private investors, Company C is looking
for additional investors to finalise the funding round and
execute the next phase of the business plan. With revenues
of over £350,000 to date, Company C sell the software into
Local Government and the private sector, offering the software
both on a 'software as a service' and traditional 'on premise'
model. The funding will be used to accelerate revenue growth
and market penetration. Likely exit will be a trade sale within
3-5 years to a major IT support and outsourcing organisation.
Company D 09/09
Company D helps high-value job seekers (40
million graduates of the top 500 universities worldwide) define
their career priorities and identify the right job. The site
consists of three integrated tools:
• Visualize career paths. Using data
derived from millions of online CVs, Company D shows users
the intermediate steps (jobs, degrees) required to reach a
career goal, and helps users understand the implications of
a career decision.
• Interactions. Users with questions
about their careers are matched to users with relevant experience,
and can browse reviews of employers and salaries.
• Career test. Built with scientific
rigor by experts in positive psychology, the Career Test matches
users to the types of jobs that fit their strengths and aspirations.
Revenue comes from lead generation for job
listings (cost-per-click); premium services for end users;
recruiter advertising and access to passive job seekers (£2
billion market); and subscriptions from university career
services and alumni affairs offices (£300 million market).
Company D raised over £100k in seed
funds and is launching autumn 2009 with its first paid client,
a large university in London. Company D is seeking investors
to contribute to a total business angel round of £300,000
to accelerate growth in the UK.
Company E 09/09
Company E is a technology company which enables
businesses to connect to and transact with their customers
more easily - for a spontaneous purchase, a customer service
question, an on-demand phone-based interpreting service, a
donation phone line or just a change of doctor’s appointment.
Several of these applications are already in commercial production.
CRM giant Salesforce.com has already rolled out its first
application and sees Company E as a key part of its “Service
Cloud” offering to its customers.
Customers increasingly demand such transactions
– anytime and on the device of their choice. Unlike
conventional systems Company E handles this transparently
while making transactions easier to use for consumers and
easier to design for businesses. And Company E is delivered
as “Software-as-a-Service”, so its low cost and
effort of deployment makes it attractive to customers.
The revenue model is monthly subscription
plus transaction fees or revenue share. Company E sells through
partners in each market, relying on their domain knowledge,
contacts and integration skills to develop standard or bespoke
PM3-based systems for their customers.
Company E is seeking an investment of £250k
– to consolidate its partnership with Salesforce.com
and sell to its vast customer base. Projections are for £12m
revenues £5m profit in 3 years. Exit via trade sale
in year 3 or 4.
Company
A 06/09
Company A is an online entertainment platform
and an independent record label. It enables unsigned artists
to upload their music videos and compete for a record deal.
The winner is chosen by internet users grouped in a dedicated
social network. The platform promotes new artists, signs the
best of them, provides free source of music entertainment
and encourages creation of online community.
The commercial model includes a number of
revenue sources from e-commerce, m-commerce to digital music
downloads, album sales and music event organisation. It is
planned to launch initially in the UK and Germany, and gradually
expand in stages to another 3 EU countries and the USA within
the first 12 months.
The business has reached the investment-ready
stage with a complete business plan, financial forecasts and
core management team formed. The business has received support
and mentoring through Connect London, a member, with TVIN,
of the British Business Angels Association.
The company is now seeking up to £500k
to fully launch its operations, sign up brand ambassadors
and develop its contacts with key industry players. This level
of investment will enable the launch of the competition within
3 months. Investment may be received in staged payments, based
on the achievement of milestones agreed with investors.
The development of the brand will significantly
enhance the value of the business, with a projected exit strategy
offering investors a significant return on their equity stake
after 3 years.
Company B 06/09
Two complementary offerings:
1. Establishing UK clinics where medical
travellers (consumers who travel overseas for treatment) can
undergo consultations with visiting dentists. Revenues are
derived from charging both rent on the facilities and 50%
of X-ray and consultation fees. There is no UK dental surgery
dedicated to serving international dentists and medical travellers.
International dentists currently face several issues when
arranging consultations for UK patients at existing practices
run by UK dentists.
2. Providing medical travel packages to UK
(and global) consumers at 15% commission on total treatment
costs. The global medical tourism market is nascent, but is
estimated to be worth ~GBP60b, growing at ~15% pa. The market
is unregulated; competition is not well developed; imminent
EU legislation should buoy the industry.
Financials
£140k is sought to establish the dental
clinic and agency businesses respectively. The dental clinic
will break even in month 12 at 50% occupancy; PBT will be
£350k in year 3. The agency business could generate
year 1 PBT of £100k at a 1.5% share of the UK dental
traveler market. A 10% share of the UK medical traveler market
in year 5 could generate PBT of £3.5m. Exit via trade
sale.
Company C 06/09
Company C developed an off-road satnav software
application for mobile phones for the outdoors activity market.
The product makes it easy for users to explore the countryside:
they can map, navigate, track and share their outdoor experiences.
GPS mobile phones are becoming a widespread
reality. The outdoor GPS market is forecast to grow to annual
revenues of $1.7Bn in 2013, and Company C has been identified
as an innovation leader in this market.
The product is in use by cyclists, walkers,
horseriders, boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts who use
topographic maps. Professional users including search &
rescue team members and field surveyors are also benefiting
from the product..
The product’s innovation has been recognized
with awards from Ordnance Survey, Nokia, and Symbian.
Partnering with national mapping agencies
Company C earns revenue from the premium content delivered.
All map data can be downloaded over-the-air direct to the
mobile handset along with multimedia leisure guides. Detailed
maps and data for eleven European countries are available,
with further countries in the works.
Company C is an early stage business ready
to grow. We are now seeking investment to increase commercial
activity and to port the application to additional mobile
platforms.
Company C is the smart revolution in outdoor GPS.
Company D 06/09
Company D is an online/offline regional holiday
home provider for the mid to high value end of the travel
market.
It concentrates on the South West France
area and, by being a niche provider offering a high quality
customer service, aims to grow into a highly attractive operator
which can successfully compete with the large tour operators.
These are disadvantaged by their lack of focus on providing
a personal service to those seeking a distinctive offering
in a particular location, which requires local knowledge and
an understanding of local factors.
Providing the holiday opportunities as online
and offline also differentiates the business from the smaller
operators who manage a small number of properties in the region.
By choosing a carefully researched and attractive niche region,
the potential to appear high on the list of internet searches
is greater and requires less direct marketing. The online
offering will have features that will add to the personal
attention given to holidaymakers and provide a further differentiator.
Whilst the full plan anticipates growth into
further niche regions, EBITDA in year 4 on the initial region
is expected to be £1m. Other regions will be taken on
organically or through the acquisition of existing smaller
operators. The longer term vision is for a strong brand with
multi-region coverage and significant revenue potential. The
business model has been endorsed by sector specialists who
confirm the current market opportunity.
The management team has experience of building
teams and in growing and selling successful companies.
Total investment of £300,000 is sought
and outline commitment for £100,000 of this has been
received. Exit is anticipated by way of trade sale in 5 years
and the investment is expected to yield the potential for
strong dividends from positive cashflow.
Company E 05/09
Company E operates a recurring per person
subscription business model, often with upfront payments to
create a branded look for each customer. The product has a
zero marginal cost of delivery for each incremental user and
is independent of training subject, for example, Moody uses
the system to certify employees in the oil/gas industry in
60 countries and 80 languages.
After founding in 2004 as a sales training
and consultancy company, customer demand morphed this service
into a web-based training academy platform, launched in 2008.
Since then, the subscription base has been growing and includes
Moody (600 users) – who recently signed to increase
to 1,000 users and Wish (100 users).
The pipeline is strong - customers appear
to be trading down to eLearning/training academies. In the
first 6 weeks of this financial year the company invoiced
£51k and is on target to achieve £421k with a
net profit of £114k. Year 5 forecasts the company will
be turning over in excess of £2 million with a net margin
of over 50%.
The market is large and the product offers
a lower cost and measurable way to train staff. The recurring
subscription revenues snowball in relation to the cost of
delivery. The company has a lean overhead ethos that provides
a greater degree of ‘storm resistance’.
This fund raising is to finance working capital
and was intended to be from an SFLG. The funds will be used
to develop the platform. The company raised £40,000
during Summer 2008 from friends/angels.
Company F 06/09
Company F is establishing itself as the leader
of behaviour-based customer insight for Mobile Telecoms and
Banks in Africa and Asia.
The company's core technology is a series
of proprietary algorithms that run analysis over large mobile
and banking transactional databases to produce ‘Responsive
Customer Profiling.’
For Mobile Telecoms, Company F halves marketing
costs by enabling acquisition, retention and growth of the
right customers in their base. For Banks, Company F quarters
the cost of customer acquisition and risk management by enabling
targeted offers to be made into the Mobile customer base.
Company F aims to build Credit Bureau 2.0
for emerging markets by becoming the industry data aggregator
of the only scalable and reliable sources. Company F will
hold the clearest aggregate view available of the customers’
value and risk profiles for products and services including
mobile upgrades, mobile bank accounts, loans, savings and
insurance.
Seed Investment was made from the SBS Venture
Fund (£60k for 15% equity, January 2009) judged by Sir
Philip Green (Arcadia) and David Bonderman (TPG). ARK has
used the seed cap to encapsulate its IP into operational software
and run a Proof of Concept Pilot in Tanzania with its first
Channel Sales Partner and early adopter Telecom and Bank.
Company F is raising £500k through
July 2009 to cover cost of serving early adopter client with
technology which can be sold scalable sideways to other Telecoms
and Banks. Conservative financial projections achieve Y3 revenues
of £6.1m and EBIT of £3.4m. Company F anticipates
exit by trade sale in 2-5 years to an incumbent credit scoring
firm such as Experian looking to expand into new markets.
Company
A 05/09
Company A have built a software solution
enabling home-owners to understand the potential to add space
and value to their property, whether loft conversions, side
returns or rear extensions, without the need for planning
permission. This development is possible through the exploitation
of Permitted Development Rights (PDRs), rights available to
over 15.5m freehold homeowners in England and Wales. Use of
PDRs allows homeowners to add an average of 401sq ft/80m2
of space and £70k of gross value to their property.
Homeowners are able to affordably assess
the development potential of their home. Starting with Company
A's free Online Diagnostic Tool, homeowners can qualify this
information by purchasing a bespoke report. This Space Maximiser
Report provides a set of builders' drawings, the cost and
value the development would add to the property -independently
assessed by a local estate agent- whilst bypassing the enormous
time and cost burdens of the complicated planning process
and/or engaging with architects.
The customer acquisition strategy is to utilise
existing relevant, aggregated audiences and forge strategic
partnerships to distribute the products through relationships
with online property aggregators and technology providers,
financial institutions and home improvement businesses accessing
a value chain estimated at over £15 billion per annum. The
forecast three-year NPV is £1.8m, with net profit reaching
£1.2m and £2.3m in Years 2 and 3, respectively.
Company A currently generates revenues through
Report sales and additional architectural services and thus
has minimal debt. The company is seeking funding of £500k
to complete the development of the Diagnostic Tool, process
automation and to support marketing activity developing effective
partnerships and distribution channels.
Company B 05/09
Company B have launched a WebTV platform,
providing a powerful new way of delivering strategic business
content and training (from recognized business leaders like
Stelios Haji-Ioannou) to executives at their desk.
The company produces its own high quality
business content and has already secured contributions from
many business gurus including; Stelios Haji-Ioannou -Allan
Leighton, Chairman, Royal Mail Group - Philip Rosedale, Chairman
& Founder, Second Life - Mike Harris, Founding CEO, EGG
and First Direct.
This content replaces the need to go to expensive
conferences with all the costs and travel associated. It also
gives the user immediate access wherever they are (at their
desk or on a mobile device). Plus the company has an innovative
plan for facilitating both online and offline networking opportunities
to cater for this important part of business life.
With £240k investment, the company
will execute a strategy of further securing more business
gurus on the site, expanding the website functionality, whilst
also moving into the more niche sector specific areas (such
as the Marketing and Hedge Fund Channel) and producing select
offline events. Company B will secure revenues through the
more traditional offline events, but also through sponsorship
on their niche business to business communities and affiliate
partners.
With the 12 years experience the Founder
has in the B2B sector, the company is in a very good position
to take advantage of the significant opportunities available
in this area, and to lead the way in both business education
and networking within this global market.
Company C 05/09
Company C uses the power of the internet
to bring bands and fans together to solve the problems of
labels and artists alike - funding the promotion of their
work. It has the potential to have the same impact on music
that Ebay has had on classified advertising, by becoming a
music ecosystem where the promotion of music is funded and
fans can own a part of the success of their favorite artists.
It is a simple, clear and transparent online investment exchange
for music. If the artist, chosen by a Company C user, achieves
a chart position then they get a return on their money. Fans
can invest in as many artists as they would like, creating
their own virtual record label.
Company C achieves this through a new and
unique crowd-funding model. Artists or labels sell record
contracts to consumers who can put as little as £5 into
an album’s promotion. This takes the form of a fixed-odds
wager on an album’s chart success. A moderate success
will see a stake returned with a small profit, while a good
chart position will mean a sizeable return. The advantage
of this method is that it is entirely transparent and returns
come quickly unlike competitor sites. This means that the
service is fun and actually adds to the excitement of the
music rather than being just a bet or investment. Put simply,
users of Compnay C stop following the charts and begin to
lead them. At the same time, artists or labels get to raise
money through their fan base, quickly and efficiently.
Market testing has yielded highly encouraging
results: two mail shots have been sent out in industry publications
that have yielded expressions of interest from 25 independent
record labels and 88 artists with a combined myspace fan base
of more than 750,000.
Company D 05/09
Overview: Company D provides an e-commerce
service to enable the distribution of application software
on a subscription basis. Users can only use the software if
they continue to pay. The revenue share model entitles the
publisher, Company D and if applicable, a third-party to recurring
revenue for as long as each user continues to pay. All software
can be disabled if the end user ceases payment. Unlike other
interpretations of Software as a Service (SaaS), the rented
application can be resident on the end user’s PC.
Business Opportunity: Company D have established
sales partnerships with a number of high profile software
publishers (ISVs) and routes to market organisations (Channel
Partners) in the SME market. The sales pipeline is very strong
and economic conditions favour rental as a method of improving
cash flow.
Funds invested to date total £556,289,
including £291,820 as equity investment from the management
team and Angels. Loans by shareholders Angels and Finance
South-East provide the balance. The company is near to break-even
and is seeking investment to finance the implementation of
its signed contracts and new deals. The management aim to
exit within 4 years with a 6 to 10 times increase in equity
value.
Company E 05/09
Company E have developed an automated draft
beer dispenser which operates as a standalone vending machine,
has a capacity of 1,936 pints and serves up to four products.
The Company operates in the events market,
including arena concerts, music festivals and one-off sporting
events and is planning to enter the fixed installation market,
including football, rugby and cricket stadia and exhibition
centres.
Company E have an experienced management
team and a healthy order book and has generated average revenues
of £6,111 per event at first outings to the Heineken
Cup semi-final at the Ricoh Arena, Royal Ascot, South Africa
Cricket International at Edgbaston, St Ledger at Doncaster
and the Autumn Rugby Internationals at the Millennium Stadium.
£280,000 has been invested by friends
and family to prototype and subsequently develop the system
and both European and US patents have been filed and are now
published.
Projected operating profit is £2.6
m over five years and the business model is highly cash generative.
Company E are seeking £150,000 of private
equity investment to boost and upscale their business development
in UK and throughout Europe and a further round is anticipated
in 2010/2011, to fund international development, particularly
into the North American market.
Company F 05/09
Company F is the UK’s largest company
offering Segway hire, corporate entertainment, events, gift
voucher experiences and Segway rides for theme parks.
Corporate entertainment clients include companies
such as Microsoft, Virgin, Lloyds and Mercedes. The service
is also sold through a reseller scheme.
The Company has supplied its event services
at Live Earth Wembley, The Olympic Torch Run and at the UEFA
Cup Final and the FA Community Shield.
Company F have also launched the world’s
1st Segway theme park ride in 2008, and operates a further
five locations in the UK for a Segway ride experience. This
service is sold by voucher under contract with major UK retailers
and gift experience vendors including ASDA, Virgin, WH Smith,
Lastminute.com and Red Letter Days.
The team includes management with decades of experience in
the leisure industry at board level and spheres of influence
in key areas of the business.
To date over £150k has been invested
by founders and via bank debt.
Company F have built a strong foundation for exponential growth
and is now seeking capital of £210K to implement expansion.
This is an opportunity to invest in a unique company with
robust multiple revenue streams with a forecast GP to £925k
by 2010.
Company
A 03/09
Company A is a website providing employers
(businesses and private individuals) with instant access to
talented students at lower overhead costs. Students earn more
than traditional student wages and are able to demonstrate
their skills to the marketplace before graduating. To date
11,700 students and 2,800 employers have registered. Over
2,250 jobs have been posted and more than 45,000 messages
have been sent via the onsite messaging facility.
Company A offers students freelance jobs
and one-off projects by matching their skills with the requirements
of employers through the relational database. There are over
1,600 academic, vocational and creative skills available and
over 62,000 skills are offered by the students.
Market: Students 6m (aged
18+), Businesses 4.5m, Private individuals 11m
Opportunity: Whilst potential
for this service is high in a standard business environment,
Company A has greater growth potential during a recession
period as employers can use it as a cost management tool.
At the same time they have the chance to examine the quality
of future employees without commitment. The site will be cash
generative by October 2010, turning over £2.34 million with
a PBT of £0.9 million by March 2012.
The company is seeking to raise matched funding
for the £75,000 which has already been committed by two TVIN
investors.
Company
B 03/09 Company B is a next
generation sports media company that utilises the latest communication
technologies to enhance the user experience for sports fans
all over the world. The company is 100% privately owned with
zero debt. Company B's website is the first user-generated
sports community to market in Europe. We are aiming to become
the premier fan based sports website in Europe and Asia.
A comprehensive sports video, blogging and
news aggregator site has never been combined with web 2.0
in a seamless and fluid manner before. It is a disruptive
portal that breaks down traditional sports media in the UK
and Europe. The site is surpassing all expectations and we
are seeing an average increase in unique users each month
of 82%.
The site has received 65,000 unique users
in the first 15 days of March, which on current projections
will give us over 120,000 uniques for the month. The growth
has been 100% viral with no marketing spend. The site is already
revenue generating through an online store and advertising.
The site has multiple revenue streams via advertising and
sponsorship, sports betting, ticketing and sports merchandise.
On current projections, 1.7 million pounds of profit will
be generated in 2011.
Company
C 03/09 Company C helps students
find their ideal graduate job, and recruiters to attract great
candidates.
For students: we offer a great website with
extensive, easy-to-navigate job listings. We cover permanent
positions, internships, and placements across all sectors.
We provide useful tools and offer expert career advice. We
don't send spam, we just help students find - and secure -
that perfect job.
For recruiters: we work with recruiters to
understand what they are looking for and deliver suitable,
high quality candidates. Our innovative pricing model is based
on success: recruiters pay when we deliver.
Company C aims to transform graduate recruitment
by introducing innovative results-based marketing and pricing.
Raised £325k in seed capital in April 2008, launched website
on budget/on time in September 2008, and succeeded in acquiring
significant users and visitors to website. Assembled experienced
team with demonstrable track record in web business model
innovation. Funding to be used for customer/user acquisition
and website enhancements to take Company to breakeven by end
2010 and establish platform for exit at end 2012.
£350k investment is being sought. The Company
has qualified for EIS tax relief with original investors intending
to follow-on in this round.
Company
D 03/09 Company D is a unique,
Daily Telegraph 'Top Six'-rated dating site that matches time-strapped
city singles to others who work close by. Already successful
in London - and recently launched in Dublin, Hong Kong and
Singapore - thousands are literally finding love in their
lunch hour, coffee break or straight after work. This form
of one-hour dating saves and optimises time, is cheaper and
arguably safer.
As you'd expect of a burgeoning, lucrative
market (£700m in 2008, projected £1.4bn in 2012*), competition
is intense. With more than 1,400 matchmaking sites globally,
what's so special about us? Our USP that singles can search
for others who work nearby translates to:
Proximity: With city-specific
sites, potential dates are very close by - making the whole
online dating experience feel less 'virtual'. (It also positions
us perfectly for mobile dating.)
Immediacy: Members can click
a button on their profile to flash that they're 'FreeForLunch'
or 'FreeTonight'. Quality: 20%+ of profiles are rejected -
no unemployed, no bored housewives, no nefarious types - a
priceless filter that busy professionals will pay money for.
The story so far…
- 40,000 unique visitors per month
- 2 million page impressions per month
- 8,600 payments (£150,000 revenue inc advertising)
- 3 marriages, numerous engagements, countless relationships
Funding of £250,000 is required to continue
to build the business. Company D will build into a highly
attractive acquisition proposition over the next 48-60 months,
(Meetic bought Dating Direct for £28m in 2007 and Allegran
bought Loopylove and Dating for Parents for £46m in 2006).
Company A 02/09
Company A is a website and premium specialist
magazine focusing on cocktails and spirits, created in response
to market trends and increasing consumer interest. Consumer-facing,
but with strong appeal to the bar and spirit industry, Company
A will be the first UK magazine and website dedicated to this
topic.
The web and magazine strategy ensures that
Company A appeals to clearly defined, yet different target
audiences by catering to their preferred methods of media
consumption. Key to the success will be to engage and retain
these audiences from launch, selecting communication channels
and partners appropriately.
In addition, Company A responds to a need
from the spirit trade for a premium, highly targeted yet responsive
voice to consumers. Through our industry contacts we have
established the opportunity to secure realistic and significant
advertising revenue, based on current industry brand expenditure.
An investment of £30,000 has initiated brand development
and commenced build of Company A’s substantial website.
A further £120,000 is sought to cover pre launch costs,
the retention of key employees and post-launch period.
Turnover in year 1 is expected to top £250,000
with a projected profit in year two of approximately £200,000
Likely exit is through a trade sale to a
larger publishing house in year 5 or 6 of operation.
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