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British Business Bank's Start Up Loans Programme Reveals Its 2025 Ambassadors

Press release 15 October 2025

  • From bubble tea to beer shops, and golf simulators to sustainable shoes, this year’s Start Up Loans Ambassadors embody the innovation and determination driving the UK’s start-up scene
  • The Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than £1.25bn funding to over 125,000 businesses since 2012

The owners of a craft beer shop born in a Norwich phone box, a London bubble-tea brand now stocked in Selfridges, and a former soldier who launched a virtual golf simulator business are just some of the inspiring entrepreneurs named as Start Up Loans’ 2025 Ambassadors.

The owners of these three businesses join 11 other entrepreneurs from across the UK, including a south coast company that makes sustainable footwear from ocean waste, a Welsh fermentation business producing sauerkraut and kimchi, and a Yorkshire-based multi-site outdoor nursery group.

The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its 10th year, celebrates inspiring UK business owners who have launched their company using funding from the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme. The Ambassadors have been selected for demonstrating the determination, motivation, forward-thinking and resilience needed to make entrepreneurship a success, providing inspiration for aspiring business owners across the UK.

Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Businesses and Economic Transformation, said:

Entrepreneurs have the bright ideas, the commitment, and the nose for opportunities. But too often they lack the finance to make the most of this and to contribute to growing our economy. That’s why it’s so important that we make sure that those with the ambition to start up, have access to the finance they need.

As part of our Plan for Small Businesses, we are funding up to 69,000 additional Start Up Loans to support the next generation of small business owners so they can achieve the success of those being celebrated here today.

2025 marks the second year that specialist Ambassadors have been selected from the armed forces veteran community and the Gen Z age group - two important groups supported by the Start Up Loans programme who may face challenges in accessing finance elsewhere.

The 2025 Start Up Loans Ambassadors will be introduced at a dedicated event in central London that marks the start of a year-long programme which will see them take part in a series of local and national engagements, helping inspire and encourage aspiring start-up founders to take the leap into business ownership.

This year’s Start Up Loans Ambassadors represent the strength and diversity of the UK’s small business landscape. There are so many different things that have been pursued with Start Up Loans financing, from fermentation to childcare to sustainable footwear, and it’s wonderful to see so many sectors represented.

The diversity reflected in our founders is something which is very important to Start Up Loans. Four in 10 loans go to female entrepreneurs, much higher than the market average, and 20% go to people from a minority ethnic background. All 14 of our Ambassadors have immensely impressive stories and truly represent the breadth and diversity of the UK’s smaller business community. Entrepreneurs are vital for our economy, and their success fuels our nation's growth and prosperity.

- Louise McCoy Managing Director, Start Up Loans Products, British Business Bank

Previous Start Up Loans Ambassadors have gone on to secure considerable growth, such as Dash Water, NICE Drinks and UK Connect. One of the most successful scale-up businesses, in terms of valuation, that has been supported by a Start Up Loan so far is sportswear brand Castore, which has a valuation of approximately £1bn.

Since its inception in 2012, the Start Up Loan programme has delivered more than 125,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £1.2bn funding.

Regional breakdown of loans since 2012

UK RegionLoans MadeAmount Lent (£)
East Midlands7,400£74.7
East of England9,656£102.4
London25,048£248.6
North East6,507£63.0
North West16,039£158.3
Northern Ireland2,385£21.4
Scotland8,345£82.7
South East13,914£151.7
South West11,175£113.1
Wales5,305£54.9
West Midlands10,558£106.0
Yorkshire and The Humber11,391£115.1
Region not obtained76£0.76
Grand Total127,799Approx £1.29bn

Source: Start Up Loans, 30 September 2025

Through a network of business support partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides:

  • Access to pre-and-post loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan
  • Fixed-interest first and second loans of up to £25,000 to help recipients to start or grow their business
  • Mentoring support to help loan recipients with everything from cash flow to marketing.

Further Information

If you are a journalist and have a media enquiry, please contact mediaenquiries@british-business-bank.co.uk.

Notes to editors

The Start Up Loans programme provides personal loans for business purposes of up to £25,000 at a fixed interest rate per annum and offers free dedicated mentoring and support to each business.

The primary aim of the Start Up Loans programme is to ensure that viable start-ups and early-stage businesses have access to the finance and support they need in order to thrive. A network of Business Support Partner organisations supports applicants in all regions and industries throughout the UK. The Start Up Loans programme is not designed to generate a commercial profit. Capital payments together with the interest are recycled to help meet increasing demands for finance.

Free guides on a range of subjects related to starting a business are available on the Start Up Loans website. You can find recent media press releases here.

The funding for the Start Up Loans programme is provided by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The Start Up Loans programme is operated by The Start-Up Loans Company, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, registration number 08117656, registered office at Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ. The Start-Up Loans Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of British Business Bank plc which is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government. British Business Bank plc and its subsidiaries are not banking institutions and do not operate as such. With the exception of BBB Investment Services Limited they are not authorised or regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority. BBB Investment Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A complete legal structure chart for the group can be found at british-business-bank.co.uk.

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