The inventor of a jet-powered bodyboard is close to hitting his latest £150,000 crowdfund target.
Ross Kemp launched Asap Water Crafts back in 2011 with backing from Loughborough University, where he studied product design.
The early plan was to design and build an electric jet board that rescue teams could use to get to people in distress.
He became interested in rescue equipment while doing lifesaver training, and saw that small boats and jet skis could be slow and cumbersome to launch.
He made the first prototype by hand in a tent in his back garden and developed the business at the Studio, Loughborough University’s graduate business hub.
The board allows the user to lie down and steer it with their body.
Sales began in earnest two years ago and around half the boards sold have gone to emergency organisations, while the rest are sold for leisure use.
So far he has sold around 60 boards, retailing from around £4,200.
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The boards are designed and marketed from the company’s base in Sneinton, Notts, with manufacturing outsourced to a factory in Weston-super-Mare
A previous Crowdcube campaign raised £280,000 and Ross also raised £150,000 in Seed funding.
He launched the latest crowdfunding campaign to make the production process cheaper and to build sales.
The campaign, which values the business at £1.9 million, has attracted 132 investors, who have taken the running total to £145,000.
Investors get a stake in the business – the combined amount of equity on offer is 7.2 per cent – get invitations to events and receive rewards such as the chance to borrow units for a weekend on the water.
The campaign runs until the start of April.
Ross said: “Our last investment opportunity overfunded by 198 per cent when we raised almost £300,000 back in 2018.
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“Last time the investment was needed to make some improvements to the product, which we have done.
“We are now selling through dealers around the world, from the South of France to the Netherlands, to Dubai and Australia.
“We can see the sales coming in and want to do more of that and reach more countries and work with more dealers.”
He said in the Netherlands, for instance, a fire department ordered five to put on the back of rescue trucks.
He said: “In the 海角视频 we have sold them to kite-surfing schools, to drag kite-surfers back in.
“Boat and yacht owners have also bought them, and we’ve also sold them to the Qatari royal family.
“This summer we are planning to set up with Center Parcs to use as a new activity in the Lake District – being electrical they are almost silent, with no emissions, so they don’t disturb the chalets.”
Ross said the existing jetboards had been “over-engineered” so he also wants to use the investment to take some of the costs out and make them more profitable.
He said: “It’s been a tough ride, because especially with a product like ours everything has been very expensive to do.
“We tried to find a compact, lightweight, battery powered motor off the shelf, which wasn’t possible, so ended up doing it ourselves.
“It’s been hard work, but very rewarding and I love visiting customers and doing demonstrations for them.”