Case Studies

Francis Pipe and Jennifer Herrera, founders of Pica Rico Deli in Cornwall. The couple have fused Mexican flavours with Cornish produce to create a street food inspired venue in the heart of a Cornish town.

Working full time as a veterinarian in Castlewellan, Dr Olivia Clark is well aware of the amount of harmful information even the best-intentioned dog owners can consume on the internet.

A new boat powered by transparent solar glass technology is taking to the waves this summer thanks to funding from the British Business Bank Start Up Loans programme.

Frazer’s Coffee Roasters, based in Sheffield, secured a £20,000 Start Up Loan via Business Support Partner Virgin StartUp.

Surfing collective House of Glass launch café in Newquay as a community space for surfers, thanks to the Start Up Loans programme.

Minnie Me’s, a salon specialising in neurodivergent clients has opened in Somerset, thanks to the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme.

Tavistock Brewery in the village of Peter Tavy, Devon is the brainchild of father-and-son team Richard and Matthew Goslin who felt there was a gap in the market for beer produced in their area.

Jamie Parker, founder of Bang Bang Boxing, a community boxing gym in Devon. With the enthusiastic support of the local community, the army veteran transformed a derelict building, to create the first dedicated boxing gym in the heart of Crediton.

Dorset-based sustainable plastics manufacturer, Circular11, has received a £21k Start Up Loan boost via SWIG Finance.

A family-run raw milk micro dairy in Cornwall has received a boost thanks to the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, via Business Support Partner Business Enterprise Fund.

A group of four friends have joined forces to launch BKW CrossFit, a new community-based gym in East Bristol, with the help of a Start Up Loan from the British Business Bank.

Construction manager Tom Weston has hit the nail on the head with a new business that specialises in green building techniques. He set up Energy Build Southwest, based in Ivybridge, Devon, after securing a £25,000 Start Up Loan the programme’s partner in the South West, SWIG Finance.

Learn how Simon Baker started their business Lyme bay Seafood Company with help from a loan from Start Up Loans.

Learn how Jilly Russell started their business Vessel Ceramics with help from a loan from Start Up Loans.

Hannah Ballinger from Gloucestershire used a £5,000 Start Up Loan, provided through BizBritain, to found Dreams Come True Parties. Hannah dresses up as one of seven well known princesses to bring a touch of magic and sparkle to any children’s event across Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

Joel Jones, 24, from Cornwall applied for a £20,000 Start Up Loan, provided through SWIG Finance, to convert a classic VW campervan into a mobile cocktail bar and launch his business, The Mixer, aimed at weddings and parties.

Former RAF Senior Aircraftman Emma Swiggs opened the Dandelion Coffee House thanks to a £6000 Start Up Loan from X-Forces Enterprise.

Starting with an online business during the pandemic, Bex opened her first store in Nansledan near Newquay in 2021, selling hand-picked vintage items alongside sustainably produced new brands. She relocated to a brand new shop in Nansledan over the summer and has just opened a sister store, Love of Vintage, in the same complex.