Success stories

Sam Elsdon took out a Start Up Loan to open The Cheese Collective, selling artisinal small-batch cheeses that you won’t find in supermarkets.

The local community is at the heart of Joanie's Music, with the retro-inspired guitar shop in Stirling encouraging people to get back into music during the recent Covid-19 lockdown.

Formerly a police officer of six and a half years, Alex Habachi founded his e-commerce business Vinkind in 2016 with a £6,000 Start Up Loan via delivery partner X-Emergency Services (X-ES).

Vie’s Jamaican Rum Cakes is a recipient of the Start Up Loans programme. Founded by Elaine Remy and based in Kendal, it received a loan of £5,000 in January 2020.

Joel Clayton from Cambridge received a loan through delivery partner Transmit Start-Ups in 2019, which he used to establish a record label, Trapped Animal Records, with two other musicians.

Love & Love is a recipient of the Start Up Loans programme. Founded by Manuela Montenegro Moreira Baraad and based in Leeds, it received a loan of £15,000 in January 2020. The company manufactures and sells unique, high-quality, vegan handbags. Its products are aimed at females looking for style, sustainability and empowerment when shopping for cruelty-free fashion.

Olivia Rosenthal, 28, from Maldon in Essex took out a loan of £25,000 in December 2019 to launch Maldon Books – an independent bookshop for adults and children. She now offers a delivery service so people outside of Maldon can order books, and she’s launched a pop-up hut in the local park.

The recipient of the 600 millionth pound from the Start Up Loans programme was Will Smith, from County Down, who took out loans of £6,000.

Glasgow-based Victoria Nicol was 28 when she received a Start Up Loan to help grow her language translation business, My Language Connection. With loan funding supporting investment in new technology, the organisation has since gone on to triple its headcount and expand its reach to serve international clients.

Ryan Palmer took out a loan of £25,000 in 2014 to launch the London Sock Company, a premium sock brand founded with the mission “to inspire everyone to Walk Brighter, embracing that uplifting moment when you pull your socks up each and every morning”.

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.

Previously working in marketing technology in London, but always having had a side-interest in naturally sourced products, when Joe left his London job in 2019 he decided it was the perfect time to pursue his dream of being his own boss.

Julie Di Toro and her partner, Sam Barker, took out a Start Up Loan in two parts in August and September 2020 to launch Mistral, an independent wine shop.

Aoife Doherty set up her business in November 2020 after graduating from the University of Reading with a BA Hons in Graphic Design.

Sara Roberts used a £20,000 Start Up Loan to launch Healthy Nibbles, the UK’s first healthy vending machine company that offers healthy products and locally sourced snacks.

Matthew Martin and his wife, Corina Martin, launched Cod of Duty, a mobile Fish and Chips food truck, in December 2020 using two £17,000 Start Up Loans.

Jane Palmer, 53, took out a £25,000 Start Up Loan in 2015 to launch Celebrating Curves, a bridal wear business for plus-size brides based in Sheffield.

Double act, Jamal Ramsay and Jamal Ayton-Brown, took out two loans of £24,988 each in June 2020 to launch BOXD Health, a business selling sustainable protein and wellness shakes specifically designed for women.