📈 Tilt's Raises $18M Series A

Fashion, Fun, and Fast Growth in the UK’s Shopping Charts

This is Cliff Equity, the UK’s business newsletter that keeps you informed on what’s important in tech, business and finance in less than 5 minutes

In today’s stories:

  • Tilt's $18M Triumph: Fashion, Fun, and Fast Growth in the UK’s Shopping Charts

  • Work-Life Balance or Tribunal Tango? UK’s 'Right to Switch Off' Shakes Things Up!

  • TranscribeGlass: Finally, An AR Gadget That Makes 'Huh?' a Thing of the Past and Translation a Possibility!

The summary: Tilt is shaking up the UK’s shopping scene by mixing live-streamed fashion sales, Gen Z flair, and rapid innovation to outpace the competition and turn live-shopping into the next big retail craze.

The details:

  • Tilt, a live-shopping startup founded by ex-Revolut employees Neil Shah and Abhi Thanendran, just secured $18 million in Series A funding from Balderton Capital after attracting over 500,000 users in its first year.

  • While live-shopping thrives in Asia, it's struggled to crack Western markets. Tilt is bucking that trend by targeting fashion-hungry Gen Z with interactive, real-time sales that bring a lively, in-store shopping feel.

  • Tilt’s unique features like live auctions, giveaways, and interactive events keep users glued to the app, and it’s now ranked above Depop and eBay in the UK’s Shopping app charts.

  • With competitors lagging behind, Tilt's founders are confident they've “cracked the code,” leveraging fast product rollouts and a community-driven approach to fashion e-commerce.

Why it matters: Tilt is proving that live-shopping doesn’t have to remain an Asian export, but can thrive in the West—particularly when you sprinkle in Gen Z’s love for fashion and live entertainment. While others are faffing about, Tilt's rapid growth and innovative features are setting it apart, showing that Brits might just be warming to the idea of live-streamed shopping. If they keep this up, Depop and eBay could soon find themselves watching from the sidelines, teacups in hand.

The summary: The "right to switch off" could give UK workers the freedom to ignore after-hours work while boosting productivity, but businesses may need to juggle flexibility and the risk of a tribunal frenzy with a dash of creativity!

The details:

  • The Labour government’s proposed “right to switch off” would allow UK employees to blissfully ignore work calls and emails outside of office hours, with potential compensation for overzealous bosses who disturb their downtime.

  • While the plan aims to boost productivity by helping workers recharge, some fear it could transform Britain from a “work hard” nation to a “sorry, we’re closed” one, with businesses potentially upping sticks for more flexible shores.

  • With hybrid work blurring home and office lines, this initiative supports employee wellbeing, but may lead to a surge in tribunals if employers get too fond of after-hours chats.

  • Ultimately, businesses will be nervously awaiting more details, hoping the plan balances worker wellbeing with the realities of a service-driven economy.

Why it matters: The UK's "right to switch off" is a game-changer, potentially giving workers the ultimate "do not disturb" button after hours, while bosses might need a new hobby. If businesses aren’t careful, they’ll find themselves grappling with both tribunals and a productivity crisis. And as for those eyeing cheaper pastures abroad—good luck outsourcing that quintessential British charm!

The summary: TranscribeGlass is transforming conversations for the deaf and hard-of-hearing with real-time subtitles, promising a day of clear chat and perhaps even a future where language barriers are as outdated as dial-up internet!

The details:

  • TranscribeGlass, an AR wonder-attachment for eyeglasses, provides real-time subtitles, hailed as a "life-changing" device for the deaf and hard-of-hearing—cue a collective sigh of relief for awkward lip-readers everywhere.

  • Stanford’s finest, co-founder Tom Pritsky, demonstrates the device, showing subtitles elegantly floating before your eyes, promising a world where conversations aren't just guesswork and strained smiles.

  • While still in beta, it boasts affordability (unlike Google's doomed $999 Glass) and a full day's battery life, with the potential for translating languages—ideal for travellers and multilingual mishaps alike.

  • Lightweight and customisable, it clips onto your existing specs, saving the day for the hard-of-hearing in bars, meetings, and, yes, even subtitles for real life—because why should movies have all the fun?

Why it matters: TranscribeGlass is set to rescue millions from the eternal struggle of pretending they heard someone in a crowded room, ensuring nodding along becomes a thing of the past. By merging sleek technology with affordability, it finally gives the deaf and hard-of-hearing a chance to enjoy real-life subtitles, not just on Netflix. Plus, with language translation on the horizon, it could make travelling less about hand gestures and more about meaningful conversations – or at least fewer awkward ones!

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