Lightning Reach

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Lightning Reach team photo

Lightning Reach is a financial support portal which makes it easy for people to find and apply for a wide range of personalised support (including grants, benefits, help with bills and other resources) in one place. The platform can be used by organisations to streamline or enhance the support they offer to vulnerable customers, using innovative technology like open banking and ID verification, or by individuals seeking to improve their financial wellbeing. Lightning Reach has registered >100,000 users and enabled >£10m in funding to individuals. Partners include The Royal British Legion, Lambeth Council, British Gas Energy Trust, TSB and more.

Duration
NA
Cost of capital
NA Equity (2% of business)
Turnover
£330,000
Investor Details
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Amount invested
£100,000 (part of £1m package)
Year of Investment
2023
Product type
Equity investment

Empower Community Foundation

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Empower Community Foundation

Empower Community is a social enterprise that balances the interests of all stakeholders by developing projects that benefit all participants while providing high-quality, risk-mitigated investment opportunities.

Duration
16 years
Cost of capital
4.25% (2022) and 6.5% (2023)
Turnover
£4.4m
Investor Details
Triodos Bank - Corporate Finance team
Amount invested
£2.35m (2022) and £2m (2023)
Year of Investment
2023
Product type
Crowd-funded investment