0rCA®
“I worked with Absolute based on its willingness to work on a project basis rather than a time-based retained basis, its prior experience in working on Crowdfunding campaigns, and its strategic approach to the campaign." Getting broad coverage and an article into The Times online brought a step change in visibility outside our existing audience, which was a major goal of the campaign, alongside hitting and exceeding the fundraising target.”
0rCA®
Ian Falconer, Founder of 0rCA®
The Process
What
Promote Fishy Filaments (now 0rCA®) and their mission through a dedicated campaign to generate £100,000 in funding
How
Media relations and social media content creation
Where
International, National, Regional, and Trade
When
June - August 2024
The Challenge
Our challenge was to raise the profile of Fishy Filaments (now 0rCA®) and to launch its 2024 Crowdcube campaign to raise £100,000. To do this, we needed to appeal to private investors interested in backing the world’s first recycler to transform end-of-life fishing nets into high value materials for 3D printing and injection moulding.
Our Solution
We knew we needed to appeal to both the heart and the mind. So, we created a targeted campaign which focused on the roots of the business: set up in 2016 to recycle old Cornish gillnets into virtually carbon free marine nylon for use in advanced engineering and manufacturing.
We emphasised the second life that Fishy Filaments gives to end-of-life net, addressing the 200,000 tonnes of net that is either burnt (generating huge amounts of CO2), buried or discarded at sea each year, resulting in ghost net. We also focused on how Fishy Filaments plans to turn this problem waste into an economic asset for fishing communities around the world through locally located Fishy Filaments plants that fit inside a 40ft container.
Combined with its ability to provide near carbon neutral nylon and its track record of trials with L’Oreal, Pradra, Ford, Daimler Benz and BWM, we were able to generate a series of news stories that appealed not only to the general public, but to the specialist media. This included 3D printer, automotive, beauty, cosmetics, environment, fashion, injection moulding, lighting, men’s grooming, ports and harbours, and business publications. We also ran an active social media campaign designed to maintain momentum throughout the fundraise.
What We Achieved
Working closely with Ian Falconer, founder of Fishy Filaments, we helped guide the business through the Crowdfunding campaign, exceeding its target by 75%+, raising in excess of £175,000 from investors in over 18 different countries. This was aided in no small part by over 50 pieces of domestic and international coverage ranging from significant pieces in the South West media, to articles across all target trade media, plus pieces on the BBC, including the BBC World Service, and in The Times.