With interest rates at their lowest level in years and the future of the British economy looking uncertain, putting money away in an ISA looks increasingly unappetising. Crowdfunding has really taken off in the last couple of years as a viable alternative to both traditional saving and investing in the markets – putting money into the ‘next big thing’ has a certain allure for many investors.
Within the crowdfunding sector, certain types of businesses have had more success raising cash than others. Apps have recently been storming ahead on sites such as Seedrs and CrowdCube, with investment in new apps becoming a growing trend.
:DRNK?
:DRNK? was started after its founder Alexandra Newman flew out to Spain to meet a boy – who didn’t show – and ended up spending the weekend in Madrid alone. From that moment, she released there was a gap in the market for an app connecting people who wanted to meet others instantaneously.
Using mutual matching and location-based technology, the app is designed to help users meet fun new individuals and groups immediately. According to them, “it should mean more great nights out, more friendship, more romance, more adventure – whenever, wherever, however.”
The :DRNK? team are currently fundraising on Seedrs for a £75,000 investment, and are already 35 percent funded. More more information, visit their Seedrs page here.
Nattr
Born in the era of app-based dating, Nattr is designed to help those who might need a little help coming up with chat-up lines. In their own words, Nattr is designed “to eliminate anxieties related to texting and decision making.”
“We’ve all been there. Where you receive a text and you have no idea what to say back, so you ask a friend. But what’s better than a second opinion? A dozen.”
The Nattr app allows users to ask the advice of hundreds of contributors to come up with the right pick-up line – or response. The app has team of experts on-board, including comedians, copywriters,screenwriters and dating coaches, ready to respond to the user’s messages.
The app has a monetisation strategy that gives users the option to pay between £0.99 and £2.99 for a response from a professional writer within minutes. Its success is obvious – sales have grown 160% month-on-month since December 2015.
For more information in investing in Nattr, visit their campaign page here.
Vibe Tickets
Vibe Tickets, a second-hand ticket marketplace that made it to the finals of the Virgin Media Business “VOOM 2016” competition, has just launched an app.
Vibe say they are “a transparent and social network that helps directly connect buyers and sellers of tickets to popular events across the world. You can use Vibe Tickets to sell tickets that you no longer need, or you can use Vibe to find tickets that have sold out.”
Hoping to disrupt the crowded second-hand ticket market by connecting genuine fans with genuine prices, they are 64% of the way to their hefty £600,000 target on CrowdCube.
Azoomee
Azoomee was created by parent team Estelle and Lloyd to protect their daughter Chloe when using the internet. According to their campaign page, over 87% of children aged 5-8 years old use the internet regularly, with little parental supervision.
Shocked at these statistics, the Lloyd’s launched Azoomee: a safe app that lets children watch 100s of videos, play games, listen to audiobooks, get creative and send parent-approved messages, all in one secure place.
The app has secured prominent partnerships with the NSPCC and 02, whose kids tablets will include a 2 year subscription to Azoomee. The business is looking for a £450,000 investment on CrowdCube, in return for 6.29 percent equity.
DatePlay
The brainchild of apprentice runner-up Vana Koutsomitis, DatePlay combines two of today’s biggest mobile trends: dating and gaming.
The app’s crowdfunding page on Seedrs says: “We use easy, fun to play games to learn more about you and increase the quality of the matches we can make.”
The app is still in the final stages of building and is hoping to launch this autumn. Through crowdfunding, DatePlay is aiming to raise funds to cover costs throughout the launch phase and market the idea to as many users as possible.
Read more about DatePlay on the app’s Seedrs campaign page.