Founders Factory logo
Factory News

Founders Factory Investor Showcase 2021: In summary

Factory News

Founders Factory Investor Showcase 2021: In summary

November 5th 2021 / 2 min read

After 20 months of virtual events, there was undoubtedly widespread excitement in the Founders Factory office when it was announced that the November Investor Showcase would be held in person.

On November 4th, over 150 investors came to the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho, London (along with many more attending virtually through our livestream) to hear from fourteen exciting startups that Founders Factory has built and grown in recent years.

After some opening words from CEO Henry Lane Fox and head of venture fundraising Darren Mulvihill, it was over to the startup pitches. Startups pitched in the following order:

Founder: Lukas Zirker

What do they do: Midnightdeal offers a unique gamified approach to hotel booking. Through a reverse auction method, travellers bid on empty hotel rooms through the marketplace at their chosen price. The scope is enormous, looking to exploit an untapped liquidity gap of $20 billion.

Founders: Tania Kefs (pictured above) & Damien Duhamel.

What do they do: Self-described as "the CultureOS of any organisation", Jurnee is transforming hybrid working through helping companies book exciting team experiences (both virtual and in-person). They’re already trusted partners with Vodafone and Spendesk.

Founder Matt Kennedy

What do they do: What if reusable packaging could be cheaper and more efficient than single-use packaging? Again is building a decentralised network of hyper-efficient cleaning cells for reusable packaging.

Founders: Nicholas Fechtner (pictured above) & Colin Kippenberg.

What do they do: They’ve created a range of vitamins for beauty routines like hair and skin care, as well as products for boosting your immunity. They’ve already sold over half a million products, and are now moving into their next phase of growth.

Founders: Andries Smit, Steve Fourie & Paul Russell

What do they do: They’re offering an open banking API which helps businesses provides customers with zero-click cashback. It’s an innovative way to help businesses engage with customers and for consumers to monetise their data.

Founders: Farrah Hamid & Erin Booth

What do they do: Expertly is the first social selling platform for beauty experts. The data-driven platform helps creators and brands to connect and engage more effectively with their customers.

Founders: Lee Butz (pictured above) & Pete Hallett

What do they do: Buzz is the Airbnb for flexible working. Through offering on-demand access to flexible workspaces, Buzz is helping companies with the transition towards hybrid working.

Founders: Natan Lempert, Fizoz Noordeen & Jeffrey Ng (pictured above)

What do they do: Their AI-powered platform and data-inferencing software aims to create the richest digital twin of the world’s commercial real estate, enhancing data insights and fuelling better property decisions.

Founders: Janine Salame & Chanti Grews

What do they do: Sitting at the crossroads of the vast travel industry and the ever-growing creator economy, they’re connecting travellers to authentic travel experiences run by local creators. “Etsy meets Airbnb for multi-day travel”, in their own words.

Founders: Rebekah Brown

What do they do: MPowder is at the forefront of menotech startups, creating supplements, programmes, and services to target each stage of the menopause. As a challenge that every founder faces,

Founder: Gavin Sheppard

What do they do: Due to launch the same week at COP26 in Glasgow, they’re aiming to create the world’s biggest network of planet-conscious consumers and connect them with the brands to help them make a difference.

Founders: Vincent Heilbron, Rob Whalley & Henry Lo

What do they do: Their mission is all around removing the friction to electric car ownership. zeVie’s marketplace helps consumers navigate the process of researching, leasing and maintaining their electric vehicles as they move to control their energy output.

Founders: Sophie Frères & Philippe Frères

What do they do: Aka your ‘Live Shopping Assistant’, LiSA allows brands and retailers to engage with their audiences in the most joyful, seamless and highly scalable way while owning the customer experience and data.

Founders: Louise Weiss & Samantha Valentine (pictured above)

What do they do: Dotte is a peer-to-peer marketplace for reselling second hand kidswear. Her and co-founder Louise Weiss draw on their own experience as parents and the quantity of clothes you get through with children of a young age. They’re hoping to create fully circular (and more economic) solutions for one of the least sustainable areas of fashion.

Interested in getting in touch?

If you’re interested in investing in any of these companies, feel free to email Darren Mulvihill, head of venture fundraising, at darren.mulvihill@foundersfactory.co

We also hold our Investor Showcase every six months, with the next event taking place in late Spring/early Summer 2022—please email to register your interest in attending.

Share article

News from the Factory Floor

trends

What is impact venture building?

Founders Factory venture designer Alexandra Simmons explains how you can build profit and purpose at the heart of a new venture

factory news

Backing HealthKey—transforming how healthcare is paid for

Find out more about HealthKey, who are making healthcare benefits more accessible and personalised

factory news

Launching Gridshare—democratising clean energy access through fractional ownership

Learn more about our new Fastweb Venture Studio business, and their innovative platform allowing consumers to crowdinvest in solar farms

See more of our news