British Business Bank Midlands

After being diagnosed with ADHD at 43, Rosie Elvin turned insight into impact. She founded ADHD Focus in Lincolnshire to help adults, especially women, understand and thrive with their neurodivergence 💡 With a £5,000 Start Up Loan and support from First Enterprise, Rosie launched a CPD-accredited coaching and training business that’s already supported over 20 individuals and multiple organisations. Her journey from academic to entrepreneur is a powerful reminder that lived experience can spark lasting change. ⭐ Rosie is our Start Up Loans Ambassador for the East Midlands ⭐

A Midlands milestone 🍾👏 The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF II) has now driven over £80m of investment into new and growing businesses across the region. Since its launch in February 2024, MEIF II has invested more than £50m of direct investment and leveraged an additional £30m of private sector investment, with 180 smaller businesses receiving funding. 🤝 A big thank you to the fund managers who have made this possible: Maven Capital Partners, Mercia Ventures, BCRS Business Loans, First Enterprise and Frontier Development Capital.

Christian Heath founded Sunnyside Drinks Co to bring something fresh to the UK drinks scene—literally. Inspired by his time in Australia, he launched the UK’s first all-natural alcoholic ginger beer brand using organic ginger and lemons 🫚 🍋 With £25,000 from Start Up Loans and support from Virgin StartUp, Christian built a manufacturing line and developed two bold flavours. Now, Sunnyside Drinks is setting a new standard for gluten-free, on-tap refreshment in pubs and bars across the country and LNER trains 🚅 ⭐ Christian is our Start Up Loans Ambassador for the West Midlands ⭐

West Midlands smaller businesses were among most open to external finance in UK in 2024. Our #NationsAndRegions25 Tracker found that while use of external finance remained steady, the value of overdrafts and bank loans in the region saw the highest growth (36%) as businesses looked to immediate growth opportunities. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/42vLlTr

🚧 Lincolnshire based contractor secures £750,000 investment from our Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, delivered by Maven Capital Partners. ➡️Sleaford Building Services Limited, a mechanical, electrical and construction contractor, was first backed by the Fund in 2019, which supported the firm’s growth plans, enabled it to deliver a number of contracts, and resulted in the creation of new jobs. 💪 This follow on investment will support the company’s growing pipeline of contracts across key sectors, including healthcare, leisure, and education, helping the firm scale its delivery capabilities and take on larger, more complex projects.

⬆️ East Midlands saw growth in equity deals and values despite national decline in 2024 📈 Equity deal volumes up 7.8% 💰 Investment values up 26.1% to £91m Out today, our #NationsAndRegions25 Tracker provides in-depth analysis of smaller business finance trends across the UK. Downlod the report here: https://lnkd.in/e3bZWHgG

AxonPoint, based in Nottingham, secured £30,000 from our Midlands Engine Investment Fund II via First Enterprise to scale up their operations. ➡️Launche in 2021, Axon Point is a digital marketing agency that has worked with over 100 independent businesses across sectors like automotive, health & beauty, fashion and finance. This funding will be help boost: 📧Lead generation tools 🏢IT infrastructure 👥Staff training 🗣Marketing campaigns 🤝Contractor support We love to see local businesses grow and thrive. If you’re in the Midlands and looking to scale your business or explore funding opportunities, visit our website to see finance options available.

👉 Over 1.6m people are currently unemployed in the UK, with particularly high rates among young people aged 16 - 24 💻 A new Leicestershire based jobs platform No Nonsense Jobs has secured £25,000 in funding from First Enterprise through our Start Up Loans programme. Kirsten-Reece Tarpey, the founder, was alarmed at how little information is available in job adverts while searching for a new role, so she set out to try to improve the job market dynamics. Now they aim to work with recruiters and direct employers to write more succinct, relevant, and informative job adverts to help garner more suitable responses from the best candidates.

📣 Business Finance Week is back today! 🤝Join us for a week of expert led events helping UK businesses better understand and access the right type of finance. From understanding different types of business finance to drafting a compelling business plan, each day is packed with practical insights, tools, and opportunities to connect with experts. 📅 30 September – 9 October 👉🏻 See what's happening near you: https://bit.ly/4lTuGRt

🍋Lemon & Lime have secured six figure funding from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II 🍋🟩 ➡️Derbyshire based Lemon and Lime Interiors, a leading home staging business, has secured funding from the Fund, delivered by Maven Capital Partners. 🏠Founded in 2015 by industry expert and bestselling author Elaine Penhaul, Lemon & Lime has staged over 1,500 high end homes, helping properties sell faster while setting new standards for the UK property staging sector. 👉This latest funding will drive recruitment, support the launch of a new franchise model, and enable the business to scale more efficiently across the UK. 💪🏻Lemon & Lime was previously the 100th company supported by Maven under the first iteration of the Fund – and it’s brilliant to continue backing their journey as they celebrate over a decade in business.