Pre-seed, UK fintech infrastructure

The upgrade moment for independent retail.
Nobody owns it. We will.

We are giving independent retailers a fighting chance against Amazon and the big chains, starting with the device upgrade.

ChipIn is building device upgrade infrastructure for independent UK electronics retailers, a channel Raylo vacated in March 2025 and no funded competitor has entered. We are raising a pre-seed round and speaking selectively with investors who understand this opportunity.

We respond within 48 hours. Deck shared under NDA on request.

Thanks — we'll be in touch within 48 hours.
£23B UK trade-in gap. Unrealised value locked in aging devices every year.
3.82M iPhones sold through third-party retail in 2024. No retention infrastructure exists.
Mar 2025 Raylo terminated its last independent retailer partner to focus on OEM brands.

The market case

64%

of UK smartphones reach end-of-life without being traded in

Source: Retail Times
78%

of retail returns result in a full refund. The retailer loses the customer entirely.

Source: UK retail returns data
86%

of consumers would return to the same retailer if offered a competitive trade-in

Source: Consumer intent surveys
2x

loss aversion weighting. Accumulated credit feels worth twice its face value.

Source: Kahneman and Tversky
Why the timing is now

The lane is open.

Raylo is building for Apple, Sony and Dyson. Grover is in restructuring. Subbyx is Italian with no UK plans. The independent UK electronics retailer channel — 1,000 to 2,000 businesses generating £1.5 to 2.5B annually — has no device upgrade infrastructure and no funded competitor building for it. The mission is clear: give independent retailers a fighting chance, starting with the upgrade moment.

What we are looking for

Pre-seed investors with experience in fintech infrastructure, retail technology, or the circular economy. We are not doing a wide broadcast round. We are speaking with a small number of investors who understand the independent retail channel and the device lifecycle opportunity. If that is you, request the deck.