3 new clients for Scottish Fintech Exizent

Exizent is developing rapidly following the announcement that Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation, Thursfields Solicitors and Thorntons are all digitising their probate with Exizent’s new platform.

After raising £3.6 million last year, the company continues on its mission to transform the way the legal and financial services industry deals with bereavement.

Nick Cousins, founder, and CEO of Exizent says

“We know from our own research that most law firms are frustrated with the amount of time it takes to process probate cases and wish the process could be more efficient, and in an era of digitised services, with more transparent and open access to information, there is no reason it shouldn’t be. Our platform brings together all the information and data needed to apply for probate in one place, making it quicker and easier for professionals to manage and less stressful for those who have lost a loved one.”

Ian Bond, Head of Wills & Estates at Thursfields, says:

“Due to the numerous parties implicated and the time required to manually gather all relevant information, probate can be very emotional and stressful for those involved. Exizent is the first piece of technology to connect data, services and the network of people involved when someone passes away, and therefore has the ability to completely transform the way professional services manage and executors experience probate.”

Murray Etherington, Head of Private Client at Thorntons, says:

“It’s vitally important for those dealing with estate administration that they do everything in their power to alleviate as much distress as possible for both families and executors. Every client requirement needs to be dealt with individually, but having an effective and efficient process in place helps enormously and this is where Exizent has the power to be a real game-changer.”

Clive Ponder founder and Director at Countrywide Tax and Trust Corporation, says:

“The loss of a loved one can be made all the more stressful by having to tend to complex and time-consuming documentation and admin work. This has never been clearer than in 2020, a year marked by extraordinary grief. Using the Exizent platform will enable our Specialist Probate Team to better support the bereaved, by eliminating uncertainty and ensuring a seamless and integrated experience for all involved.”

Glasgow-based Commodities Marketplace Closes €125k Round

Tech start-up BLK Global, that undertakes to help SMEs slash their procurement costs by connecting them directly with raw material producers, successfully raised its pre-seed round shortly after delivering proof of concept and entering the post-revenue stage.

“Today we’re thrilled to announce BLK Global’s partnership with Enry’s Island Srl”

Gabriele Dadò, Founder and CEO of the UK’s first raw materials marketplace.

Enry’s Island Srl (EI) is one of the most prominent Italian accelerators. As part of the deal, EI will be providing an ad hoc acceleration programme for BLK Global, with a dedicated team across four key business units, together with Enry’s Model™ Organisational framework. This means no runway issues, best business practices derived by over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience and the ability to scale up very rapidly thanks to EI’s remote team.

BLK and EI entered into discussions late in November 2020, and the terms of the deal were finalised and agreed just before the year was out.

The raise was made possible by HUI, an ERP platform for start-ups and investors.

Gabriele Dado explained:

“We chose HUI because it guarantees extreme transparency for investors which was key for us. The platform also displays detailed, real-time KPIs that enable them to make informed investment decisions whilst reducing risk. It only took 3 weeks for Enry’s Island to find us on HUI and make an investment decision

“The partnership with Enry’s Island allows us to achieve the right corporate structure, review our medium and long-term strategy so as to position ourselves as true enablers, especially during a very challenging time for business in the UK and Scotland.”

According to the Scottish Annual Business Statistics, Scotland imports over £25 bn of goods yearly. If just 1% of these were to be sourced locally, not only would it add £250 m to the Scottish Economy, supporting over 1,300 jobs; it would also remove 500,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, in a decisive step towards the net-zero objective pursued by the Scottish Government in the fight against climate change.

“Our vision is enabling small and large businesses alike to be seen, connect and compete.”

“Just like e-commerce has revolutionised retail, it will revolutionise the trading of raw materials. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”

Says Gabriele

“And together, the answer is now.”