Case Studies

Omer Mustafa is a 23-year-old from London with big entrepreneurial ambitions. He is the founder of Hinlura, a skincare brand he founded after he was left with acne marks.

Founder Varun Bhanot explains how Magic AI used a Start Up Loan to build a prototype, validate demand and grow a UK health tech startup

Yandis Ying, founder of Dot Dot Tea, launched the UK’s first ever ready-to-drink bubble tea in glass bottles and cans.

Dan Levene is co-founder of Two Blues Solar, a solar panel installation business which addresses the growing demand for sustainable solutions to help drive the nation's net-zero agenda.

Eco-friendly household cleaning brand, Clevelli Bay, has been launched by a neurodivergent entrepreneur, inspired by Richard Branson’s stories about dyslexia and success, with the help of a £25,000 Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank.

Learn how Jane Henderson Forrest started their business Zig and Zag Handmade with help from a loan from Start Up Loans.

Francis Harwood, founder of Limitless is a Start Up Loans recipient. Francis took out his first loan of £10,000 via Let’s Do Business group when he was 23 years old. He took out a second loan of £5,000 in October 2023, when he was 24 years old.

In 2023, with the help of a £10,000 loan from Start Up Loans, my manifestations came into fruition and Filmmaking Planner was born.

Best friends of 22 years Fabian Clark and Rohan Radhakrishnan co-founded the business in 2021 after seeing a gap in the existing all-or-nothing booze market. The low-alcohol, low-calorie gin product gives customers a great tasting alternative, without the possible side effects of the higher-alcohol options.

Chloe Bruce took out a loan of £12,500 to launch the Chloe Bruce Academy in 2020, a business offering virtual martial arts classes and tutorials.

Cherisse Brown took out a £10,000 loan to launch Urbee, an e-shop aiming to raise awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinating insects and the need for their conservation.

Ben Caspary launched Booheads in November 2020. His company makes sustainably made and biodegradable bamboo toothbrush heads for consumers seeking an alternative to the disposable plastic versions that end up in landfills.

Melissa Sinclair took out a Start Up Loan to open Big Hair + Beauty, a natural haircare brand for afro and curly hair.

Arabella Hill and Flavia Paterson took out two loans of £25,000 in January 2020 and £10,000 in June 2020 to set up Paterson and Hill, a clothing brand for women working in manual jobs.

Jeremy May secured Start Up Loans funding through Virgin StartUp in February 2020. He had worked in the food and drink industry and came up with the idea for NICE after discovering an American brand of canned wine on Instagram and became immediately obsessed with the concept.

Dhruvin Patel took out a Start Up Loan of £500 through business support partner Virgin StartUp in 2015 to start his business Ocushield, an innovative line of products designed to protect eyes from the harmful blue light emitted by screens.

Stewart Hilton and his partner Rob White set up Zeal Creative, a promotional marketing company, after becoming frustrated with opportunities while working as part of a larger marketing agency.

Almudena and Claudia, two childhood friends from Southern Spain, set up Bilingual Beats in October 2013. Bilingual Beats provides music language classes to children in London schools and nurseries, as well as hosting parties and family classes.