Case Studies

Matt Everett borrowed £10,000 in July 2023 to grow into Dragonfly films. Dragonfly films is a London-based video production company using state-of-the-art equipment and modern techniques to deliver high-end video content for businesses nationwide.

Robin Valley, co-founded by husband and wife entrepreneurs Wanchong Chen and Liang Zhang, is a wooden jewellery brand that combines innovation, sustainability, and unique design.

Pets and Picasso received a £25,000 loan in June this year. The community interest company (CIC), set up by Anna Corwood and her partner Luke Gash, aims to provide animal and art assisted therapy to local people living with a wide range of health conditions.

An artist from Llandudno Junction is opening a contemporary gallery in Colwyn Bay aimed at breaking down barriers in the art world and reinvigorating North Wales’s cultural scene by incorporating the world of NFTs and the Metaverse.

Learn more about Bar Buoy a cocktail manufacturer in Exmouth that received £50k from Start Up Loan funding to scale up their business.

Learn more about how James Fraser, owner and chef of Ramen Electra turn his newfound skill into a business opportunity.

Learn more about Kindhaus Family Club, a “home away from home” for modern families that combines indoor play for the kids with coworking space for busy parents.

Learn more about Alchemist, a specialty coffee shop in Northern Ireland.

A landscape architect turned liqueur maker from Skewen has established an artisanal liqueur business inspired by the slow food movement, linking the pleasure of using traditional methods, sustainable ingredients and slow consumption for maximum taste.

Glasgow-based DamGoodDrams, an ecommerce platform specialising in independent spirits, is gearing up to launch its own line of whisky and take its business overseas, following a successful first year.

Emma Hamlett took out a £25,000 loan to open Collected, an independent bookshop specialising in work written by women.

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.

In April 2022, Emma and Sebastian took out a loan of £20,000 each to set up Pastéis Lisboa, Scotland’s first specialist Pastel de Nata bakery, in the heart of Glasgow’s buzzing West End.

Alice Wu, founder of Peace and Pure, took out her loan of £19,000 in 2020 to start the business.

Hannah Saunders took out a £14,700 loan in 2020 to launch Toddle Born Wild, a natural vegan children skincare brand.

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.

Chantal Charles-Smith took out a £25,000 loan in April 2021 to launch Laughing Llama Coffee and Bistro, a family-friendly destination in York.

Alan Lock and business partner John Mercer took out a loan of £15,000 in February 2020 to support the growth of Icarus Originals, a company founded on the premise of giving decommissioned aircraft a new life by turning them into bespoke, handmade jewellery and accessories – making memories out of icons.