A personal safety solutions business thrust into the limelight by a number of recent tragic events is to pitch to Dorset’s version of Dragon’s Den.

The business is one of the companies taking part in the second pitch event of the year staged by Dorset Business Angels (DBA).

Set for Monday April 26, the virtual event continues to attract an ever-growing number of attendees with would-be investors joining from across the UK and abroad.

The business receiving national attention offers people a means to control their own personal safety.

It recently received more than 300,000 downloads in a matter of days.

At a time when knife crime, assaults, mugging and sexual harassment are increasing, its platform provides a map showing all the recent crime spots, allowing users to plan routes, away from streets with regular crime histories.

The app can also scan the road ahead while users are walking or exercising and will alert them if they are walking towards a danger zone.

It is the company’s belief that the development and commercialisation of its platform will change the world of personal security, as currently, there are no safety apps that automatically alert people to this sort of danger.

Other pitches include:

• An education solutions business whose ambition is to be the number one destination for school education technology. It has created a platform that is ready to support the opportunities presented by new technologies such as mixed realities, robotics and artificial intelligence. With many choices now available in a given space, knowing where to start can be a real challenge for school leaders, especially with the backdrop of school funding issues and other priorities.
• A company which is a trusted provider of value-added manufacturing services to the growing and increasingly fragmented beverage industry. Its business model is to ‘bring the factory to the raw materials’ and then package them to the highest standards, thereby eliminating transport costs and quality deterioration for drink brands.
• A digital fundraising business that ensures that charities and funders are able to replace collecting cash donations with a digital solution. With UK charities receiving more than 50 per cent of their £10bn revenue in cash every year, the business is planning contactless donation terminals for later this year, with the ambition of making the total package a ‘one-stop shop’ for any community organisation’s digital fundraising needs.
• A company whose platform offers a revolutionary solution to the ever-increasing problem of lost property experienced by organisations, companies, clubs and associations. It uses its platform to enable organisations to be able to quickly repatriate lost items to their rightful owners. It claims that, in turn, this reduces the landfill environmental problem that unclaimed lost property currently causes.

Don McQueen, DBA Chairman, pictured left, said: “We encourage would-be investors to get in touch with us and be involved.

“We are enjoying growing levels of interest at all our events and it’s a great opportunity to come along to learn more about the angel investor network and how we operate.

“There is absolutely no obligation or expectation for an individual to invest.”

DBA was formed in 2013 with the aim to bring investors and entrepreneurs together to accelerate the growth of early stage businesses.

DBA provides quality, private equity investment opportunities to local high net worth and sophisticated investors.

Four times a year companies are invited to attend an event to pitch their business to the savvy angels in a Dragon’s Den type scenario.

Angel investment might come from a single investor or it could be two or three angels pooling funds together to support a company.

Any investments are in the form of an equity investment and not a debtor’s loan.

Investments are made across all sectors.

DBA is sponsored by Saffery Champness Accountants, Ellis Jones Solicitors and Investec Wealth and Investment.

To find out more about Dorset Business Angels or to book on to the pitch event visit dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk.