The evidence-first ethical ratings platform
£250,000 SEIS round • first £50,000 tranche open now • SEIS & EIS Advance assurance secured.
The law just changed the market
Ethical claims have been unregulated marketing.
From 27 September 2026 that stops being true in law: the EU’s Empowering Consumers Directive (2024/825) bans generic green claims and outlaws self-created sustainability labels. Only independently verified schemes remain legal, with penalties up to 4% of turnover. The UK’s DMCC Act already lets the CMA enforce against green claims directly, fining on global turnover.
The regulation doesn’t just create demand for what etheco does: it outlaws the alternative.
what etheco is
An auditable rating of real companies on real evidence. Four pillars, People, Planet, Pocket, Performance (4Ps), scored across nineteen criteria, every point derived from an identified public register (Companies House, FCA, Modern Slavery registry, Living Wage Foundation, B Lab, SBTi, Ofgem and more). Ratings are reproducible, human- signed-off in code, and defensible in front of a regulator, because from September they have to be.
built, not promised
335
companies rated, all 19 criteria complete.
20
public registers ingested with provenance.
~2000
automated tests including methodology drift-guards
4
framework versions shipped; v2.0 specified.
23
formal methodology rulings, reasoning recorded.
100%
of ratings human-reviewed, enforced in code.
what you are buying into
The etheco 4Ps brain: the IP that turns twenty+ public registers into a single defensible rating. Every point is completely referenced and verifiable back to source. Nothing rests on opinion or self- reported claims.
Revenue model: affiliate switching revenue + licensed data/API + consumer subscription. Affiliate scaffolding is already built into the schema.
the ask – £50,000 now to launch
The first tranche of a £250,000 SEIS round. SEIS and EIS Advance Assurance are already secured from HMRC: relief is not a hope, it’s confirmed eligibility.
Terms: £250k round at £1.25m post-money (20% at completion, £1.00 per share). £50k first tranche = 4.76% at issue, 4.0% at full-round completion. Subject to final subscription documents.
what £50k delivers
| 1 | Cohort proof Sept–Oct 26 10–20 companies driven end-to-end through the live pipeline. Every score traceable to a live source, clickable by any investor. |
| 2 | Automated refresh Oct–Nov 26 Ratings re-check themselves on schedule: the step from directory to live rating service. |
| 3 | Full coverage Nov 26–Jan 27 Pipeline pointed at the remaining ~330 rated companies; QA backlog worked down. |
| 4 | Methodology v2.0 Q1 27 Finalised on the strength of full-coverage data; already specified. |
| 5 | Public launch Q1 27 Into a market where EmpCo enforcement is live and self-made badges are unlawful. |
what £1 actually risks (SEIS)
| £10,000 invested | 45% taxpayer | 40% taxpayer |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax relief (50%) | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| Net cost of investment | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| Loss relief if total failure | £2,250 | £2,000 |
| Maximum capital at risk | £2,750 (27.5%) | £3,000 (30%) |
| 3 x exit after 3 yrs: CGT payable | £0 | £0 |
|
3 x exit: return on net cost |
6.0x | 6.0x |
Personal SEIS calculator in development: every investor sees their own numbers.