Members of equity crowdfunding platform SyndicateRoom now have the opportunity to make a socially-led investment in Beulah London – a luxury fashion brand dedicated to empowering women trapped by human trafficking.
Belulah London plans to raise GBP250k through SyndicateRoom with Mustard Seed – an early stage social enterprise investment fund having already committed the same amount to the fundraising round.
The fashion business is now aiming to raise another BP250k via the crowd. The business – which counts members of the royal family as advocates – will use the proceeds to continue to scale the development of its product range. It will also support the company’s growth plan for the next three years, including key hires and marketing.
Founded in 2010 by Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs and Lavinia Brennan, Beulah London was born out of a desire to design and produce beautiful clothes that empower and inspire the women who wear them, whilst being committed to raising awareness of the plight of women trapped by human trafficking.
Aside from injecting greater demand towards ethical, socially led finance, Beulah London also presents an interesting investment case. It offers both a disruptive and scalable business in a highly lucrative industry and is centred on creating meaningful positive social outcomes. Beulah London equips women, many of whom have very little support to rely on, with the much needed access to training and skills opening up access to employment and the opportunity to take ownership of their own success.
Beulah has been quick to build a comprehensive and growing product line, spanning tops, skirts, dresses, jackets, trousers, scarves and bags, with prices ranging from GBP30 to GBP765. The entrepreneurial pair has already gained attention from notable personalities – their clothes have been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, Donna Air, Darcey Bussell, Jessica Alba and Princess Eugenie, amongst others.
Over the past four years Beulah London has generated GBP1.4m in revenue, with GBP340k generated in 2015. Following the repositioning of the business, an increased focus on India based production and enhancing the brand identity; Beulah London can achieve greater scalability of their products, create more opportunities for victims of human trafficking and continue to build on the success of their strong brand identity.
Goncalo de Vasconcelos, CEO and Co-Founder of SyndicateRoom, says: “Welcoming Beulah London onto our platform marks another vital step in SyndicateRoom’s journey towards creating opportunities to invest in truly disruptive businesses that make the world a better place. At our core, we’re about opening up equal opportunities, something which is epitomised by the tremendous work Beulah London is doing to empower young women to escape hardship and enjoy personal and professional success. We’re very excited about the potential the business has both for our investors, in delivering sustainable growth, and even more so, for society at large.”
Belah London co-founder Natasha Rufus Isaacs, says: “Thinking of ways in which we could generate the funds needed to grow our business wasn’t an easy process. Initially we were sceptical about fundraising through a crowdfunding platform because of the luxury brand image. After learning about SyndicateRoom’s investor-led approach and its offering to investors we thought the platform was ideally suited as it offers a professional, safe and grown up way of accessing money from quality investors. We are all very excited to be able to open our business up to the crowd as we move on to the next stage of our journey. Growth has been entirely organic to date and we feel that now is the right time to capitalise the success we have achieved through further investment in our business.”
Beulah London investor and Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham, says: “The work Beulah London is doing is genuinely inspiring. The clothes are beautiful and more than that the company aims to empower women who have been victims of abuse by providing them with jobs and training, and I am proud to support a company that has a strong social and ethical grounding.”
SyndicateRoom’s pioneering investor-led equity crowdfunding model has brought to the crowd the opportunity to invest in scalable, British businesses alongside professional angels on the same economic terms, whilst also doing their bit for social good. At the same time, the platform has enabled genuinely impactful businesses like Beulah London to gain access to much needed growth capital more easily and more efficiently than is offered currently by the banks.
