News #MaddyCrowd
10 October 2020
Unsplash © Lance Anderson

Crowdfunding now: a crypto challenger, ethical e-commerce and next-gen walkie talkies

Every week, Maddyness brings you MaddyCrowd, revealing our selection of projects available on crowdfunding platforms. Here's this week's selection.

Founded by Starling Bank cofounder Mark Hipperson, Ziglu allows users to manage traditional and digital currency all in one place, and to ‘spend like a local’ anywhere in the world. 

The cryptocurrency element is what sets Ziglu apart from other challenger banks – and this originality has seen it raise £5.25M in seed funding. The crowdfunding campaign it’s currently running on Seedrs is part of a larger fundraising round, which will enable the business to ramp up its marketing and introduce new products. These new items include peer-to-peer payments, business accounts and a credit feature. 

Ziglu is looking to expand to continental Europe and North America after what it terms a ‘phenomenal year’. Growth so far has included building the secure banking platform, increasing valuation, launching the Ziglu app, gaining the all-important FCA licence, and launching a glow-in-the-dark debit card. 

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MILO provides a way for adrenaline junkies to communicate with each other, whether they’re catching waves or powering down ski slopes. The Milo is hands-free, and doesn’t require wifi, yet still guarantees a clear voice in all conditions across slopes, trails and water. 

The Milo team tout their product as a level-up from the traditional walkie-talkie. It conquers such limitations as having to push to talk, poor audio quality and lack of privacy. The sleek, modern style of the Milo is certainly more appealing than a walkie-talkie – as too is the fact that plenty of people are able to talk at one time. 

It took a team of engineers, industrial designers and user interface specialists more than three years to perfect the technology behind Milo, but using it is incredibly straightforward. All you have to do is clip on your Milo and get going. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/okmilo/milo-the-action-communicator?ref=section-homepage-featured-project
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Sustainability is now a key concern for consumers – but finding the most ethical product out there can be very time-consuming if you don’t have loads of money to spend. Finding second-hand gems entails a lot of sifting through tat, and finding high street chains’ single ‘sustainable’ collection sometimes feels like a bit of a wild goose chase. 

Wouldn’t it be great to have everything in one place? That’s what BAZAR, who are currently crowdfunding on Crowdcube, think. BAZAR is the first dedicated ethical marketplace and lifestyle app to come out of the UK; it offers a wide selection of ethical and eco brands, small artisan-made products and preloved items. 

BAZAR is hoping to disrupt a circa £33B UK market and facilitate a new way of shopping. Its community is growing quickly; the 35 sellers and 650 products it launched with have now doubled. With nearly a month to go, its £150,000 campaign is already overfunding. 

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