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Success Stories

Learn how other UK businesses have used external finance to reach their ambition

Here’s just some of the tens of thousands of smaller businesses funded through our partners, with the support of British Business Bank’s programmes.

Have you received finance from one of our partners using one of our programmes? Do you want to have a chance of being featured as a success story on our website? Please email our Communications team to register your interest.

Enterprise Capital Funds

NQ64

NQ64 are a chain of unique bars across the country offering a range of specialist beers and cocktails which can be enjoyed by customers while playing a range of retro arcade games and consoles.

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Enterprise Capital Funds

OrganOx

OrganOx is at the forefront of changing the way donor organs are preserved in the critical time between donation and transplantation. OrganOx accessed venture capital via the Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF) programme, which it used to fund the clinical studies to secure market approval for its product, a complex class III medical device.

Enterprise Capital Funds

Tractable

Having experienced two years of huge growth and with a current valuation of $1 billion, artificial intelligence company Tractable is the UK’s 100th unicorn business and the world’s first AI unicorn for financial services.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS)

The Holt Limited

Training and corporate events company The Holt Limited saw its customer base disappear overnight when COVID-19 struck. Unable to apply for grants or take advantage of the furlough scheme, the business applied to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) to help it weather the storm ahead.

British Business Investments

Unily

Unily is an award-winning employee experience platform that empowers modern businesses with the best tools to communicate, collaborate and innovate.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Ashurst Homes

Facing difficulties with raising finance, and caution from investors, this property developer decided to seek support via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) to continue with its house-building projects and protect the jobs of its employees.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Fleur Homes

Early government restrictions around the operation of construction sites and the pause on house moves created severe cashflow issues for this speculative property developer.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Meon Valley Travel

As soon as governments across the world enforced their bans on international travel to tackle COVID-19, agents such as Meon Valley Travel saw their income promptly disappear. Consequently, it applied to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for funding that would allow it to continue trading during the pandemic.

Future Fund

Lambda Energy

As a start-up that produces advanced materials for solar panels, being locked out of its laboratories because of the global coronavirus pandemic wasn’t part of the plan, and cast severe doubt over the company’s ability to reach its next technology milestone. With jobs potentially at risk, the business navigated these challenging issues with financial support via the Future Fund.

Future Fund

OxMet

Maintaining funding and consolidating its position in a key UK industry of alloys development was going to be difficult for OxMet, particularly once the aerospace sector began to feel the impact of COVID-19.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Acorn Early Years Foundation

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Acorn Early Years Foundation had to close a number of its nurseries, with attendance falling to around 10% of its usual level.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Marwell Wildlife

Marwell Wildlife was forced to close its zoo when the Government implemented the shutdown to fight COVID-19. With no visitors paying to enter the zoo, but ongoing costs to meet for the animals’ upkeep, the company sought financial support via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) before its cashflow dried up.

Future Fund

Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies

Before COVID-19 struck, this Oxford University spin-out was aiming to secure seed funding so it could further its work to provide the world’s cheapest on-demand solar power.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

GK Coffee Group Limited

Uncertain what trading would look like once its stores reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown, and having invested heavily in a new point of sale system, Starbucks franchise GK Coffee Group Limited applied to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for a loan that would provide vital financial security.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

Stone Marketing

With bricks-and-mortar stores making up a large percentage of Stone Marketing’s sales, the closure of such outlets due to COVID-19 caused significant disruption to this Kent-based stationery company’s income. Receiving funding via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) enabled the business to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on its cashflow and balance sheet.

Start Up Loans

hiSbe

Brighton sisters, Amy and Ruth Anslow, founded their independent supermarket, hiSbe, with the help of Start Up Loans.

Start Up Loans

Bird & Blend Tea Co.

Mike Turner and his partner Krisi started their Brighton-based tea mixology company, Bird & Blend Tea Co., with the help of a Start Up Loan.

Start Up Loans

Baked In

Baked In was started by Joe who was later joined in the business by his brother Patrick. Their mission is to bring baking to the masses with an innovative range of Home Baking Kits and Mug Brownies.

Start Up Loans

Bow Wows at No. 7

Learn how Bow Wows at No. 7 used funding from a British Business Bank programme. Read more about how the funding helped them.