Advanced robotics, healthy ready to eat meals and three distinct and different digital platforms are on the menu at the next pitch evening for Dorset Business Angels (DBA).

The face to face event takes place at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel on Monday October 3 from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

DBA helps entrepreneurs raise equity capital from their investor members.

The five companies confirmed to pitch are:

• A specialist in robotics technology for agricultural settings. A robust vehicle utilises robotic arms with artificial intelligence (AI) and a state-of-the-art navigation system. Labour shortages during the crop-picking season mean that many farmers are having to leave their crops to rot in the fields. To solve these labour challenges, the pitching business is manufacturing a range of robotic equipment that can be safely employed in agriculture alongside human pickers to harvest a variety of crops.
• A company delivering personalised, healthy and affordable ready-to-eat meals to businesses and their customers. Over 15 per cent of commercial kitchens have operational issues including staffing problems, food quality, health and safety issues and, above all, 99 per cent have food waste. The company’s solution is ‘fast meals’. Meals can be reheated in just five minutes and have zero food waste. Fresh meals are cooked and delivered to kitchens. In turn, they just have to re-heat and serve them.
• A platform that, by combining the functions of several apps dedicated to group bookings, aims to simplify organising nights out with friends. The company’s mission is to create memorable nights out for users. It has developed a pre-booking platform that makes group bookings simpler, less risky, and cheaper for the organiser. The net result is that users are relieved of the stress, and expense, when bookings made through the normal channels go wrong, making the whole process less time-consuming and more rewarding.
• A digital platform bringing together elements of fan fiction, gaming, multimedia streaming and classic storytelling providing a single area to experience total story immersion. The company’s mission statement is to create a new digital portal where consumers of crime fiction can experience a new immersive online story. Through the curation of creative and innovative content, delivered in a technologically enabled format, the aim is to enrich the customer’s experience of crime fiction.
• A company offering a digital identity platform, providing a unique opportunity for businesses to share verified company identity data quickly and securely. One of the industry’s largest problems is still the manual gathering, updating, and sharing of corporate information for enterprise due diligence. The company provides a system that allows corporates to create a digital identity by facilitating the permission/authorised sharing of due diligence credentials that are verified and risk assessed by regulated institutions.

Robert Jones, pictured right, Senior Investment Director, from sponsors Investec Wealth and Investment, will also give a brief presentation.

Don McQueen, DBA’s Chairman, said: “The only way to take part in next month’s event will be to attend in person.

“DBA feel strongly that this is by far the best and most effective way to experience and be involved in angel investing.

“The video option we have previously provided was useful when it was difficult for us to get together, but now we are focusing our attention on delivering a face to face event only.

“We encourage those who are new to angel investing to come along and see what it’s all about.

“We promise that you won’t be expected to get your cheque book out on the night!”

DBA was formed in 2013 and provides quality, private equity investment opportunities to local high net worth and sophisticated investors.

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

Investments are made across all sectors.

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

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

To book for the pitch event visit dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk/events