Investors at the event on June 19th held at The Carlton Hotel in Bournemouth, were presented with a diverse range of pitches from entrepreneurs.
‘Disrupting retail’
The event kicked off with an enthusiastic presentation from a company providing businesses with a solution to their excess stock problems. With big companies such as TK Maxx and B&M stores no longer buying excess stock, this entrepreneur has developed an online ‘flash sale’ model, currently in BETA mode.
The founder showed examples of stock purchased at a fraction of the original sale price which was then offered for sale on a one-time-only basis, using Amazon data to research popularity and sales potential. The business is seeking £250,000 (SEIS eligible) to gain access to more liquidated stock deals.
‘The world is on fire; the planet has a problem, and we have a problem’.
The UK government has pledged to be ‘net zero’ by 2050; many local authorities have done the same. “Pledging is one thing, but doing and achieving it is a totally different matter” according to this Bournemouth-based Clean Tech business.
This company showcased their offer. A data-driven, climate intelligence platform, (not just a carbon management platform) for stakeholders to manage, report and accelerate decarbonisation.
They have been commercially trading for a little over 18 months, and now have more than 900 companies on the platform, and 17 regional business programmes, one being with BCP whose Economic Development Officer also attended to offer her support.
Seeking £125K (SEIS) on a ‘bridging round’ to continue work on developing the platform and establishing a marketing team, the founder, accompanied by one of her team, told the audience how they were regionally engaged and have achieved this successful traction on relatively conservative funding so far.
With banks starting to demand carbon credentials and lending on the back of them, the requirement for green credentials is now filtering through the supply chain.
Human sentiment is changing, albeit slowly. Businesses are also starting to realise that there are significant cost savings to be had, through the first phase of looking at the business through a green environmental perspective.
There were several expressions of interest in this business and investors will move through to the due diligence stage of the angel investing process.
The third pitch was from a company based in Cornwall in the Fintech sector offering an app which challenged the stated limitations of the current credit scoring system, particularly with young people in mind. They also offered a holistic financial education system, helping young people to become better with their money and providing banks and lenders with valuable data insights into their money management behaviour. The female founders were looking to the angels for £420K, with matched funding from Innovate UK.
The remaining two pitches from a local brewing company and local property tech business both failed to garner interest from investors at the event.
Peter Eales, Co-Founder and Director of DBA, emphasised the importance for entrepreneurs to clearly articulate the functionality and problem-solving aspects of their product or service to pique investor interest. He said, “By the end of the pitch, investors should have a crystal-clear understanding of the offering, allowing them to focus on the financials and the opportunity at hand, rather than grappling with the product’s essence.”
Debbie Frith, Director and Event Manager of DBA, expressed her delight at the event by sharing, “We were thrilled to have three new female members join us, reflecting our commitment to the Investing in Women Code. Seeing positive change is truly rewarding. Additionally, we had the pleasure of welcoming three female founders, which made the occasion even more worthwhile!”
Established in 2013, DBA specialises in offering private equity investment opportunities to local high-net-worth (HNW) and sophisticated investors (SI). The investments provided are in the form of equity investments rather than debtors’ loans, and they span across diverse sectors.
Angel investment within DBA can originate from a single investor or a syndicate of two or three angels combining their funds to support a company.
Sponsored by Saffery Champness Accountants, Ellis Jones Solicitors, and Investec, DBA invites investors to book their spot for the upcoming pitch event on October 9th at www.dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk/events.