Pavegen kickstart crowdfunding round with flagship installation

Pavegen celebrate the launch of their first crowdfunding round on Crowdcube, the leading equity crowdfunding platform, spearheaded by an installation in the heart of the Canary Wharf District 

The clean-tech start-up, known for developing flooring technology that generates electricity from footfall, will enable members of the public to experience the 10-tile installation, powering two streetlights in the heart of the financial district. Commuters will be able to finance the future of renewable energy through Crowdcube’s 6-week campaign, for as little as £10.

Utilising Crowdcube, Pavegen will harness the power of the crowd in driving the next stage of development. This investment will bring Pavegen a step closer towards commercialisation of the technology, enabling mass production and reducing the cost of the tiles to equate to standard flooring. Pavegen’s potential has already been recognised by clients worldwide, now including the Canary Wharf Group. Initially introduced through the Cognicity Challenge Accelerator Programme, an installation was soon confirmed within the district.

CEO and Founder Laurence Kemball-Cook said: “With the support of Canary Wharf Group, we hope to become the ‘intel inside’ for energy harvesting, with Pavegen technology on scale across all high-footfall locations around the world.”

CEO and Chairman of Canary Wharf Group, Sir George Iacobescu, said: “Pavegen is one of the greatest ideas, which needs to be implemented by more companies within the public space. I think it could shape the future of renewable energy generation, with an enormous scope on helping the Canary Wharf district achieve sustainability, through lighting, HVAC, and endless applications.”

Since inception, the company has generated sales across the world, with over 100 projects delivered in 30 countries on every continent. Through the support of friends and family, as well as seed funding rounds and clever utilisation of investment, Laurence has managed to grow the company to a 30-stong team of engineers, designers, and innovators.

“In my opinion, Pavegen is one of the most exciting companies within the clean-technology sector today.” Craig Webster, CTO Pavegen and former Co-Founder at Aveillant Ltd.

Stephen Hawking, Theoretical Physicist said, “This technology has the potential to radically change the way we source power in the future”.

Luke Lang, Co-Founder of Crowdcube, said: “We’re pleased the crowd has the opportunity to invest in Pavegen. it’s an exciting prospect for Crowdcube and our investor community. We’re seeing a growing trend towards investors looking for socially responsible investment opportunities and Pavegen’s new way to harness energy from footsteps certainly fits the bill.

Pavegen’s innovation has been recognised internationally, with a client list including: WWF, Schneider Electric, UNIQLO, Kia Motors, Samsung, Adidas, Coca-Cola, and London 2012 Olympics. The largest installation in Pavegen’s history took place in September 2014 with a 200 tile football pitch in Rio, capturing players’ footsteps to power the pitch floodlights.

To invest in Pavegen, please visit crowdcube.com/pavegen. The campaign runs from Thursday 21st May until Sunday 5th July 2015, or until the investment target has been reached. Please note that only registered users may invest.

Two million Danes join the next wave in mobile payments as Danske Bank's MobilePay teams up with PowaTag

Denmark is leading the way to a cashless society by planning to scrap obligatory cash payments - and now two out of three smartphone users will be able to enjoy an entirely new way to shop as Danske Bank's market leading MobilePay app introduces the transformative "buy anywhere" capabilities of acclaimed mobile commerce platform PowaTag.

Over two million Danes use MobilePay, the free application from Danske Bank that enables peer to peer (P2P) money transfers and mobile purchases in-store and online. The app is the market leader in the Nordics, with over 12 billion kroner in transactions processed since launch.

The PowaTag platform adds a powerful new level of engagement to MobilePay, creating a compelling way for Danske Bank to enable instant purchases through a wide variety of different triggers. More than 1,200 companies have so far partnered with Powa, including L'Oreal USA, The Big Issue Foundation, Best Western and Miinto, and some of the world's biggest names will be rolling out this year.

Due to Powa's global reach, MobilePay users from New York to Jakarta will be able to make instant PowaTag purchases with participating brands in locations around the world - ideal for the Danes, who are the world's fourth most well-travelled people.[1] The international mind-set extends to online shopping, with 39 per cent of Danes buying from overseas websites in the last year, and the UK as a favourite location[2]. PowaTag enables shoppers to buy from their favourite brands online in just two taps, skipping long-winded order forms.

Mark Wraa-Hansen, Head of the MobilePay division in Danske Bank, says: "The Danish people are incredibly switched on to the huge potential of mobile payments, as demonstrated by the fact that two out of three smart phone users now use our solution. With PowaTag we can over time take MobilePay to the next level with a new set of services. The speed and convenience of PowaTag make it an ideal fit with the services that have made MobilePay so popular."

Dan Wagner, founder and CEO of Powa Technologies, says: "Integrating PowaTag's singular ability to turn any form of media into an instant point of sale will further cement Danske Bank's position at the forefront of mobile payments without compromising its decision not to charge customers."

"Instantly engaging with over two million users through one of the world's most well known retail banks is an important step as we continue to establish PowaTag as a new global standard in commerce. This partnership is a perfect example of the value PowaTag brings to banks, merchants and consumers alike."

Danske Bank is the first of many leading retail banks to integrate PowaTag into its services through Powa's software development kit (SDK), enabling MobilePay users to instantly utilise Powa's powerful transaction capabilities using details already saved to the app. The SDK enables companies to easily integrate the full PowaTag platform with their own in-house offerings to create an enhanced, scalable solution that enables banks and merchants to bring its benefits directly to their existing installed user base.

Online credit platform Spotcap launches in Australia

Spotcap, the Rocket Internet backed online credit platform, launches in Australia today, providing funding solutions to SMEs across the country.

Spotcap is now present in three countries and Rocket Internet's first financial technology company launching in Australia. With its launch in Australia Spotcap continues its global rollout and enters a market with a strong demand for alternative financing solutions.

Australia's two million SMEs employ almost 70% of the total Australian workforce and deliver over half of the output of the country's private sector. However, they still have difficulty obtaining capital to grow. Small business loan applications are rejected at roughly twice the rate of medium-sized businesses according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Toby Triebel, co-founder and CEO of Spotcap adds, "Australia's small businesses are the backbone of the nation's economy, yet they face tremendous challenges in accessing capital. Our goal is to fill this gap in the market by providing online business loans to these enterprises that are underserved by traditional banks. Spotcap's rapid expansion reflects the high demand for fast and flexible financing solutions and the significant growth potential for the alternative lending landscape."

 Banks have complex infrastructure and systems in place, often it's not profitable for them to lend to small businesses. Spotcap leverages cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of small businesses more efficiently than traditional lenders. The company uses an innovative credit scoring technology that directly evaluates real-life business data to provide fast and flexible financing.

With today's launch, Spotcap continues its global roll out plan and its year of expansion. The financial technology startup arrived in Spain in September 2014, and the Netherlands in March 2015. The company aims to become the leading global online platform for short-term business loans.