Dorset Business Angels Pitch Presentation Event – February 2025

Dorset Business Angels Network Limited provide quality, private equity investment opportunities to local self-certified High Net Worth and Sophisticated Investors.

We help early-stage businesses, especially in southern England our local area, to find equity capital. We do this by bringing our investors and entrepreneurs together to accelerate the growth of early-stage businesses.

Join us for networking from 17.15 in The Orangery at The Carlton Hotel, enjoy refreshments whilst meeting and catching up with fellow investors, DBA sponsors and the DBA team.

**New for 2025 – Meet the Founders- Investors will be able to meet the entrepreneurs and view their products or services before the pitch presentations at the networking session.

Presentations will start in The Causerie Suite at 18.00 with an introduction from our Chairman, Don McQueen and MD Peter Eales. Rob Jones from our Sponsor Rathbones, formerly Investec Wealth and Investment UK will give his annual market review of 2024 and an overview of expectations for 2025.

Five carefully selected companies seeking investment will then make a 10-minute pitch each, after which there is time for Q&A. Then, expressions of interest from Angel Investors are registered for further action.

Once the pitch presentations are finished, those staying for dinner will enjoy a hot buffet-style meal with wine and a chance to start new conversations and continue those started earlier in the evening. There will be no table seating plan.

All dietary requirements can be catered for, please let us know what we need to be aware of in the booking form.

Companies invited to pitch are as follows:

Market Sector: Pre-loved Clothing

Creating a circular economy for pre-loved school uniforms and children’s activity clothing through school-run online shops.

The cost of school uniforms in the UK is increasing – averaging £282.60 per child annually – and the environmental impact of fast fashion highlights the need for affordable and sustainable alternatives.

The Company’s platform addresses these issues by providing a marketplace for preloved uniforms, offering savings of up to 70% in addition to reducing waste.

Their market research shows that the competition lacks the comprehensive ESG metrics they have integrated into the platform which allow it to track environmental impacts like CO2 savings and water conservation. The inclusion of these metrics aligns the platform with modern sustainability trends.

Schools are also able to generate revenue through the platform.

The Directors are seeking £50K to enable planned expansion.

Market Sector: Opthalmology

Software that allows eye care professionals to share patient data and make treatment decisions remotely, helping reduce wait times and unnecessary hospital visits by connecting local optometrists with hospital eye specialists.

This Company provides a software platform designed to connect patients, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, thus enabling secure data sharing and remote triaging. This greatly reduces surgical wait times and unnecessary hospital visits.

Its platform focuses on the inefficiencies in communication between community optometry and hospital ophthalmology. With over 10% of NHS outpatient visits related to ophthalmology and an ageing population driving increased demand, the Company believes that the market clearly needs a better collaboration system.

A successful pilot study has shown a 91% reduction in outpatient visits and 56% shorter wait times.

Currently, 50 optometry practices are signed up, and over 1,000 patients are being processed.

The founders now seek £750K to scale up the business.

Market Sector: High Tech Wearables

A smart ring provides hands-free, intuitive control of other devices such as phones, wireless speakers and sports cameras on the move – even when wearing gloves.

The problem of controlling music or connected devices during sports activities, especially when wearing gloves is a common occurrence and user frustrations are well documented.

This Company’s product is an innovative solution to the above in the form of a ‘ring’, within which is encapsulated a joystick device. This provides multi-device compatibility with smartphones, wireless speakers, sports cameras etc, and is particularly useful when the user is on the move. The product has received multiple awards, (CES, ISPO & Red Dot), and widespread media coverage.

It was launched in January 2023 and sales to date are circa £250K. A partnership agreement with a major supplier of sporting products has been signed and is expected to increase revenue significantly this year.

Management now seeks £250K to scale up production.

Market Sector: Recycled Plastic Products

Turning hard-to-recycle plastic waste into sustainable building materials that replace wood and concrete in construction projects.

This Company addresses two significant issues: the oversupply of non-recyclable plastic waste – 70% of plastics sent to recycling in Europe are incinerated – and the under-supply of sustainable timber, which is forecast to be in deficit by 2050. Their solution transforms low-grade plastic waste into carbon-negative materials for outdoor infrastructure, thus replacing timber and reducing carbon emissions.

A machine-learning manufacturing process produces standardised composites from mixed plastic waste, creating durable, low-cost alternatives to timber and other construction materials and in doing so addresses a pressing global need. It also allows them to use material that recycling companies currently have to pay to dispose of, thereby dramatically reducing the cost of goods, and making durable carbon-negative materials affordable enough for the mass market.

The Company is scaling up its own manufacturing operations, producing lumber, fencing, furniture, and light shelters for national infrastructure providers in the road, rail, and construction sectors. They aim to expand their manufacturing operations across Europe before joint-venturing with recyclers in emerging markets, to expand access to both waste management and sustainable construction materials.

Management seeks to raise £2.5M to scale up the business to meet future demand.

Market Sector: Digital Fundraising

A digital fundraising platform helping donors easily find and support local charities at lower fees than existing platforms.

This Company addresses inefficiencies in the UK digital fundraising sector, particularly the lack of access for smaller charities and non-profits, which constitute 85% of registered charities that do not currently use a platform. This gap results in a huge number of missed donations and puts smaller, high-impact charities at financial risk

The market is currently dominated by two major players, but this Company’s platform differentiates itself by targeting underserved organizations and offering features like a directory for all charities, an AI-powered search engine, and lower fees for personal crowdfunding.

This innovative approach addresses significant market gaps and offers a scalable, high-margin business model. Additional features to be added this year are designed to significantly disrupt the UK digital fundraising market, particularly for underserved non-profits.

Management is now seeking to raise £200K to fund this development.

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This event is suitable for:

• Angel Investors
• Those considering becoming an Angel Investor
• Support services involved in or interested in becoming involved with Angel investment

This event is not suitable for:

• New business networking
• Finding new clients
• Entrepreneurs considering a future pitch to investors*

*This event is for Investors, it is only fair to presenting companies to ensure all attendees are genuine or potential investors.

Professionals who want to personally invest or, who have a portfolio of clients to whom Angel investing may be of interest are very welcome to attend. If you have a specific requirement to attend or if you are unsure whether this event is right for you, please email contact@dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk and we will be pleased to assist.

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Non-Member Investor Self-Certification is Required for the Event

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended 2005) investors must “self-certify” by meeting simple criteria as “High Net Worth” or “Sophisticated” Investors.

Therefore, any investor should read and sign the documentation via our About page on our website, either a High Net Worth Investor Certificate or a Sophisticated Investor Certificate, as is appropriate.

Members of Dorset Business Angels will have already submitted this information and need not do it again.

Visitors, who are neither members nor investors are welcome to attend for information-only purposes and must understand that they can only invest in a non-regulated investment on becoming a paid-up member of Dorset Business Angels.

Pitchers – We also wish to point out that companies or individuals seeking investment through the Dorset Business Angels must ensure that the information presented to potential investors is neither inaccurate nor misleading. They are, accordingly, similarly advised to seek guidance from someone authorised under the Act.

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DISCLAIMER

Any information provided on the website or other communication is for information purposes only. The website and other communications and their content are not, and should not be deemed to be an offer of, or invitation to engage in any investment activity. The website and other communications should not be construed as advice, or a personal recommendation by Dorset Business Angels Network Limited. Dorset Business Angels Network Limited is not authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The content of this promotion is not authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). Reliance on the promotion for the purpose of engaging in any investment activity may expose an individual to a significant risk of losing all of the investment. UK residents wishing to participate in this promotion must fall into the category of sophisticated investors or high-net-worth individuals as outlined by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

If you have any issues booking your ticket. Email our Events Manager: Debbie Frith debbie.frith@dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk