LOVESPACE

LOVESPACE offers by-the-box storage with collection and delivery in the United Kingdom. The company also provides operational and logistical support to small businesses by transporting equipment, storing archival documents and storing surplus stock.[1][2] [3]

LOVESPACE
Websitehttp://lovespace.co.uk
TypeStartup
FounderBrett Akker
Managing DirectorSteve Folwell

History

LOVESPACE was established in 2011 by Brett Akker and Carl August Ameln. Brett Akker had previously founded the carsharing company Streetcar. Carl August Ameln was the founder of City Self-Storage, a multi-national chain of self-storage centres. Ameln had previously been an investor in Streetcar.[2][4]

A pilot service launched in 2012 and in 2013 LOVESPACE hired Steve Folwell as managing director. He was previously the director of business development and group director of strategy at the Guardian Media Group. With a focus on students, house movers and space-constrained and small businesses, the company launched a full service later that year. Steve Folwell was promoted to CEO in 2014. In 2015 LOVESPACE moved to a new warehouse in order to accommodate growth.[2][5][6]

In 2018 LOVESPACE launched operations in Lisbon and Dublin.

Investment

Smedvig Capital[7] and First Risk Capital were initial investors.[8] Both companies have had experience in the storage industry. A 2014 fundraising campaign on the crowdfunding platform CrowdCube raised £1.55m, surpassing its £600k target to be overfunded by 167%.[9][10]

In 2015, the company raised £1.1m in a round which was led by commercial property provider Workspace Group bringing the total funding to £4m.[11]

Since 2015, LOVESPACE has raised an additional £4m of funding including an investment of £1m in 2017 from Intespace, a South African storage company.

Recognition
  • High Growth Team of the Year 2015 UKBAA Angel Investment Awards[12]
  • Best Equity Crowdfunded-Angel Investing Deal at the 2014 UKBAA Angel Investment Awards[13]
  • UK's Most Innovative Business - O2 Smarta100[14]
  • Crowdfunded Business of the Year 2014 - Startups Awards[15]
  • Listed in Everline Future 50[16]
  • Crowdfunded Business of the Year 2016 - Startups Awards[17]
  • Listed in Deloitte's UK Technology Fast 50[18]
gollark: What would be neat is a modernized and usable but *non-systemd* service manager.
gollark: The trouble is that systemd is a giant monolith which random things now tie deeply into.
gollark: The basics of service manager-ing aren't massively complex, so I suppose it'd be doable to implement your own.
gollark: It's a shame there wasn't some sort of middle ground where we got a reasonable service manager which didn't take over the entire system.
gollark: systemd does have problems, but at least unit files aren't init scripts...

References
  1. "LOVESPACE". LOVESPACE. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  2. "Streetcar founder joins space race". FINANCIAL TIMES. Jonathan Moules, Enterprise Correspondent. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. "Lovespace hits £1m in sales moving boxes for start-ups". The Telegraph. Rebecca Burn-Callander. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. "'I put more money into Lovespace than anything else in my life' - Brett Akker, founder of Lovespace and Streetcar". ManagementToday. Rachel Savage. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. "LOVESPACE Makes Room: UK's Box Storage Start-Up Overfunds on Crowdcube". Crowdfund Insider. Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. "LOVESPACE FILLS SPACE AT THE TOP". LOVESPACE. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  7. "Smedvig Capital - LOVESPACE". Smedvig Capital. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. "First Risk Capital Holdings". First Risk Capital Holdings. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  9. "The top 15 most oversubscribed equity crowdfunding projects". RealBusiness. RealBusiness. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  10. Wallis, Ian (June 3, 2014). "LOVESPACE closes £1.6m crowdfunding round". Startups. Startups. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  11. "LOVESPACE takes total funding to £4m with latest investment". Startups.co.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  12. "http://www.ukbusinessangelsassociation.org.uk/news/high-growth-team-year-2015-lovespace". The UK Business Angels Association. The UK Business Angels Association. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015. External link in |title= (help)
  13. "LOVESPACE announced as Winner of the Best Equity Crowdfunded-Angel Investing Deal". The UK Business Angels Association. The UK Business Angels Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  14. "Lovespace wins Most Innovative Company". Smarta100. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  15. "Crowdfunded Business of the Year 2014". Startups.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  16. "LOVESPACE NAMED AS ONE OF UK'S MOST EXCITING NEW COMPANIES". lovespace.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. "Crowdfunded Business of the Year 2016 - Startups.co.uk". Startups Awards by Startups.co.uk: Start up a successful business. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  18. "2018 winners". UK Technology Fast 50. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
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