How One Entrepreneur Went From Building the Earliest QR Code Paying System to Pioneering the Elevation of Brain Health

Morning Innovators 👋 This week (in less than 5 minutes!) we’ll explore…

🎥 How one Entrepreneur went from building the a QR code card playing platform to pioneering the elevation of brain health
📰 All the biggest news stories in the start-up world
👀 Our 3 favourite start-ups to keep an eye on this week
🥣 How everyone’s favourite Pizza company caused carnage by mocking one of the World’s biggest football clubs
🥳 All the best job opportunities and events in the start-up world
📱A tool that enables you to create great titled video content in seconds

👆 The most clicked link in the last week’s newsletter was this article about Lounge, a social media start-up who have raised £3.2m to capitalise on Facebook’s Gen Z ‘decline’

❄️⚠️ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ⚠️❄️
🎄With Christmas rapidly approaching we’ve just released our start-up Christmas gift guide - your ultimate source for unique and thoughtful presents from start-up businesses this festive season. 🎄

Happy hustling,
Rich & Gary

Where were they before? Dan Murray Serter's entrepreneurial spirit was kindled long before he co-founded Heights, a company dedicated to elevating brain health through nutrition. His quest began with Deal 52, a QR Code card playing platform where advertisers could promote their services with a QR code that could be scanned to drive users back to their promotion. His journey through the entrepreneurial ecosystem includes founding Foundrs, a network assisting entrepreneurs to thrive without burnout, and contributing to Forbes on UK entrepreneurship. He also co-founded Secret Leaders, a non-profit platform showcasing interviews with prominent business figures, which has become one of Europe's top business podcasts. As an angel investor and advisor, Dan has also supported various ventures, from Beam.org to the food tech start-up Allplants.

As you can see from the above, before Heights, Dan's ventures were diverse. As well as those already listed he co-founded Mobula, an e-commerce platform for luxury brands, and wrote for Retail Week, discussing mobile technology's impact on retail. He also sat on the advisory board for Retail Week Live, bringing his insight into the latest trends in commerce. His experience with Grabble Ltd, an award-winning fashion app, provided retailers with novel ways to connect with mobile consumers. With Campus Communications, he negotiated significant partnerships and led marketing strategies for tech giants.

Despite these successes, Dan was grappling with his mental health and the success he’d experienced was shadowed by unspoken challenges. An unexpected wake-up call at 2am began a relentless search for answers, leading to a dietitian's simple suggestion that changed everything.

The introduction of specific supplements marked a turning point, not only bringing restful nights but also igniting a passion for cognitive nutrition. This passion, coupled with an untapped market of consumers seeking health through science-backed nutrition, led to the creation of Heights. Together with his best friend and business partner, Joel, Dan embarked on a mission to demystify brain care, sharing their insights through a popular newsletter.

With a growing community and clear evidence of demand, they launched Heights, simplifying supplementation by focusing on efficacy, convenience, and holistic well-being. As Heights flourished, Dan and Joel navigated the start-up world with tenacity, growing their vision into a beacon for those seeking to nourish their minds with more than just food, but with knowledge and science-backed resources.

💷 Wise triples profits due to historic interest rates
UKTN
Money transfer firm Wise has more than tripled its profits in its latest financial results thanks to an interest rate boost.

🤖 Microsoft launches a deepfakes creator at Ignite 2023 event
TechCrunch
One of the more unexpected products to launch out of the Microsoft Ignite 2023 event is a tool that can create a photorealistic avatar of a person and animate that avatar saying things that the person didn’t necessarily say.

📦 Grocery delivery is back as Crisp raises €35m to scale next-day delivery
Sifted
Food delivery start-up Crisp has today raised €35m in equity financing to scale its operations in the Netherlands, its home market, and in Belgium.

🧑‍💻 What Microsoft’s M12 Investment Fund Looks For In Its AI Investments
Crunchbase
Microsoft is the biggest investor in the biggest generative AI company in the world. But the tech giant’s interest in generative artificial intelligence precedes the public fervour for AI ushered in by OpenAI and its ChatGPT model by several years.

Each week we’ll be spotlighting some of the most exciting start-ups you haven't heard of yet. This week we decided to look at some exciting businesses in the travel sector.

First up, Byway - your gateway to discovering the roads less travelled with tailored travel packages that embrace sustainability and eschew the beaten path. Born from family holidays rich in exploration but complex in planning, Byway makes flight-free, slow travel effortless and enchanting. Whether through the scenic byways of the UK or the hidden corners of Europe, Byway's personal journey plans, handpicked accommodations, and expert advice on local gems offer a seamless, personalised travel experience. Their WhatsApp support ensures adaptable itineraries, even mid-journey, highlighting their commitment to environmental responsibility and the celebration of local culture.

Tourhub is a one-stop platform connecting travellers with over 15,000 handpicked, fascinating tours, ensuring a seamless booking experience of adventures curated by top tour operators and enriched by insights from travel gurus, bloggers, and influencers. They guarantee not only the best value with industry-leading discounts and travel rewards but also offer safe, secure multi-currency payments, with the assurance of 100% refunds on cancellations and free amendments. Travellers benefit from their team's expert knowledge and direct operator contact, providing reliable, unbiased advice for an adventure touring experience that is both protected financially and bound to exceed expectations.

Lovetovisit.com offers an expansive array of bookable experiences, from iconic attractions like Alton Towers to cultural experiences and family fun activities. Conceived by tourism veterans during COVID-19’s impact on travel, this platform combines inspiration with convenience, featuring everything from free outdoor adventures to exclusive live events. It provides real-time ticket availability and articles to guide your plans, all backed by a dedicated support team. Emphasising industry support with top deals and a commitment to user experience, Lovetovisit.com thrives as a hub for uncovering both popular and hidden gems without any membership fees.

Look away Chelsea fans, this one could hurt! Dominos Pizza whipped up an absolute social media frenzy by taking advantage of Chelsea football club’s poor form. They decided to hire a van with a screen that highlighted the amount of Pizzas Dominos had sold since Chelsea last scored a goal in the league. Pictures of this stunt spread throughout social media like wildfire and ended up gaining Dominos ridiculous amounts of publicity.

Originally, it was picked up by football fans who were having a bit of football banter with it, but all the engagement with football fans meant that the picture got pushed further, ending up in front of audiences that have absolutely nothing to do with football.

Although Dominos were targeting football fans, with their Pizza at half time campaign, their content reached much further afield. This shows that although your content may seem niche, that doesn’t mean that it can’t go viral. Make something that is absolutely loved by your niche audience, and watch the magic happen!

Could you target a specific audience with a marketing stunt that’ll ruffle some feathers?

As start-up founders ourselves, one of the areas we’re really passionate about is raising awareness of opportunities. If you’re not mixing in the right circles, it can be really easy to miss a pitch event, or job opportunity that could be game-changing for you. We’ve included a few upcoming events and opportunities below, but this is where we really want to leverage our community of innovators. Please reply to this email with any tips and opportunities you think we should be featuring.

💼 Job opportunities

🚗 Product Owner, YourParkingSpace
🧾 Product Engineer, Alguna
🏃‍♂️ Growth Product Manager, Fabulous

🎤 Events

AI in Sustainability: Start-up Pitch & VC Panel by London Venture Capital Network & UCL Innovation & Enterprise Department, offers an exciting evening of start-up pitches, discussions, insights, networking, and drinks at LVCN's Start-up Pitch and VC Panel event. Connect with the best people in the ecosystem, expand your network, and have a great time!

Find out how finding a lead investor accelerates your funding round with this webinar co-hosted by SeedLegals and Focused For Business. This webinar will explore;
- how the right lead investor creates FOMO and accelerates your funding round
- where to find a lead investor and how to make the most of them
- how to use a Term Sheet to clinch your lead investor
- the key terms a lead investor will expect when backing your business
- practical tools for finding a lead investor

🤑 Other opportunities

If you’re interested in applying for the Techstars London Accelerator (March 2024 batch) then applications close on the 29th November. Their London programs catalyse emerging start-ups from all over the world, across all verticals, leveraging the city's strengths in diversity, global outlook and talent

Hotbed have just launched Hotbed Expand, their FREE programme for early-stage founders (who’ve raised at least £75k and begun preparing for their next round). Apply to learn from a killer line-up of speakers, including Anthony Rose (SeedLegals), Michelangelo Valtancoli (Stride.VC), Joe Perkins (Landscape), Anthony Danon (Cocoa), Sagar Gupta (Stripe), Chai Shetty (Deliveroo) + more to be announced. From Mon 20 Nov to Wed 20 Dec

Each week we’ll be highlighting our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our innovator community have recommended.

This week we wanted to share Typeframes - A platform revolutionising video creation for brands, transforming plain text into polished product videos in minutes. This tool is designed to make video editing effortless with automatic syncing of text to music beats and built-in animations for infinite customisation. With Typeframes, you don't need to be a pro to produce eye-catching promos; choose your content, apply personalised effects, and export in various formats and qualities. It's perfect for boosting user engagement and SEO, with no complex skills required. Real-time previews and unlimited video creation make it a go-to for vibrant, conversion-boosting product introductions, ensuring that every promo is an attention-grabber.

Next week we’ll be looking at how the world’s moat famous ride-sharing platform got their first users, how one drinks brand used a costume to catch the eye of everyone out and about in London, along with highlighting more great tools and start-up news.

P.S. Connect with us on LinkedIn…