LCR Angel Network is to invest £160,000 into two start-up businesses following a pitch event at Sci-Tech Daresbury. Tony McDonough reports

Two start-up businesses are to receive a combined £160,000 investment from the LCR Angel network following a pitching event.

Jardin Living, a sustainable lifestyle brand founded by Kavita Basi, and AI-Sight, an AI system for diabetic retinal screening led by CEO Steven Powell, impressed the judges at the Sci-Tech Daresbury which was supported by the British Business Bank.

With more than 20 years in sourcing and sustainable product development for global sourcing giant Li & Fung, Kavita Basi established Jardin Living in Chester. This is a group of lifestyle brands for the “conscious and curious”.

She launched the venture following a life-threatening brain haemorrhage aged just 38 that left her with a survival chance of just 50%. Following her recovery, Kavita reassessed her lifestyle.

Now she has launched a range of activewear made from certified recycled plastic bottles and ocean plastics and a range of vegan trainers. Her products are all either recycled, vegan or organic and delivered to its customers in biodegradable packaging.

Kavita said: “The LCR Angel Network has helped us get one step closer to our vision of building purpose-driven brands through their fantastic pitch event connecting us with the right investors.”

AI-Sight is a University of Liverpool spin-out led by Dr Steven Powell. He has developed an AI system for diabetic retinal screening and boasts a team with significant medical and research experience.

They impressed investors with their product that delivers precise grading of retinal damage caused by diabetes getting sufferers of the condition to sight saving interventions without delay.

AI-Sight’s design has never been available on the market and has the potential to provide reassurance for the predicted 643m people living with diabetes by 2030. They will find themselves at heightened risk due to high blood sugar levels damaging their vision. 

Dr Powell said: “We are delighted that the LCR Angels Network event brought our team and investors together. Now we move forward with the combined goal of preventing vision loss in the population with diabetes.”

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Katie Nicholson, director at the LCR Angel Network. Added: ‘This is great news which highlights that there is continued momentum for businesses receiving investment through our network of angels.

“This year we are focusing on adapting our offering to enable us to further support an increased number of businesses, across a broader investor base, hopefully leading to an increased amount of capital deployed by angels across the region.”