2021 #FounderStories Round-Up

In 2021, we launched our #FounderStories series, where we collect and share the voices of company founders from different sectors.

In this Ask Me Anything-style series, founders tell us how it all began and offer budding entrepreneurs sound advice based on experience.

You might be wondering, what’s the reason behind it? 

“We wanted to publish inspiring stories that demonstrate the tenacity and creativity that forms the backbone of the British economy”, Ifty Nasir, founder and CEO of Vestd.

And if there’s one thing British business owners have, it’s tenacity.

Despite almost two years of turbulence, more than 770,000 new businesses formed in 2020. Data from Companies House revealed that in the first quarter of 2021, the number of incorporations increased by 41,546.

That’s the largest quarter one year on year increase in the number of incorporations since 2012. 

Unperturbed, plucky Brits are seizing opportunities to succeed. And that entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t look like it will fade anytime soon.

According to research by Natwest, one in seven adults now plans to become an entrepreneur; that’s an increase of 50% compared to the previous year.

It all sounds pretty positive. But there’s no doubt that it’s been tough for countless companies across the country.  The Great Resignation and the Recruitment Crisis has been the subject of a media frenzy, but it is a reality and a real problem for many.

But as Christmas draws closer and we come to the end of 2021, we want to remind you of all the inspiring stories we shared of tenacious and creative entrepreneurs and their startups. Some of which launched during the pandemic!

Just in case you missed any, here’s a list of the #FounderStories we’ve shared so far, all in one place.

1. Kyle C Grant, founder of Oxwash
2. Jahirul Amin, founder of CAVE Academy
3. Chris McDonnell, founder of Black Label Creations
4. Ben Scott-Robinson, founder of The Small Robot Company
5. Catherine McArthur, founder of Thirdshift
6. Dino Myers-Lamptey, founder of The Barber Shop
7. Christine Mackay, founder of Salamandra animation studios
8. Deri Llewellyn-Davies, founder of BGI
9. Euan Cameron, founder & CEO at Willo
10. Lucy Flinter, founder of Zero Procure
11. Chris Sykes, founder & CEO of Volume.ai
12. Ben Austin, founder of Absolute Digital Media
13. Faye Tomson, founder of Tomson Consulting
14. Craig de Souza, founder of Creative Industry Association
15. Laura Thomson, founder of Need
16. Patrick Wells, founder of Booth
17. Finlay Kerr, founder of Frejz
18. Mhairi Cochrane, founder of Lilypads
19. Teddy Lee, founder of Maki & Ramen
20. Christina MacLeod, founder of Edinburgh Women in Space
21. Joshua Dean, founder of Ember
22. Hugo Morrissey, founder of Nuisance Drinks
23. Rebecca Donaldson, founder of MUSE Activewear
24. Douglas MacLennan, founder of VoucherCart
25. Graeme Dixon, founder of Octopus
26. Tim Boote, founder of Protein Rebel
27. Sikander Hauser, founder of Droplet
28. Gavriella Abekassis, founder of Out of the Cube
29. James Saward-Anderson, founder of Social Tree Global
30. Will Stewart, founder of The Point.1888
31. Nisheeth Pathak, founder of WeSoar.ai
32. Rebecca Taylor, founder of Aquarate
33. Nick Aldrich, founder of Only The Brave
34. Nirali & Jag Mankodi, founders of Superfoodio
35. Ruari Fairbairns, founder of One Year No Beer
36. John Quinton-Barber, founder of Social
37. Joe Sillett, founder of The Funky Appliance Company
38. Michael Groves, founder of Topolytics
39. Richard Oborne, founder of LuxuryTrainTickets.com
40. Stefan Manku, founder of Talk to Stefan
41. Denise Saber, founder of Percuro
42. Dan Meade & Laura Westmore, founders of Speccy Media
43. Hayley Brightmore, founder of Knight Transaction Services
44. Simon Middleton, serial entrepreneur
45. Danny Nevill, founder of Universal Web Design
46. Axel Thomson, founder of Ribbon App
47. Sophie Labat, founder of Shmood
48. Claire Nield, founder of The Flower Power Company
49. Ben Harper, founder of Meet Hugo
50. Tanguy Dewavrin, founder of Atom Universe
51. Susannah Davda, founder of The Shoe Consultant
52. Chris Watts, co-founder of NumberEight
53. Julia Nesterets, founder of JetOctopus
54. Christian Duncan, founder of Dropless
55. Ella Rauen-Prestes, founder of Fitbakes
56. Terry Langton, founder of Turncoat Distillery
57. Toby Cannon, founder of Myles Challenges
58. Maddie Booth, founder of Scrubbee
59. Jan Dolezal, founder of SmartGuide
60. Jim Law, founder of Find a Player
61. Hugo Empson, founder of Generous APE
62. Frazer Thompson, founder of Chapel Down
63. Albert Azis-Clauson, co-founder of UnderPinned
64. Alex Tomchenko, founder of Glambook
65. Alina Anghel, founder of Ecoeri
66. Hana Sutch, co-founder of Go Jauntly
67. Dr Will Breakey, co-founder of Dr Will's
68. Biro Florin, co-founder of Jexo
69. Simon Schnieders, founder of Blue Array
70. Sanjay Aggarwal, founder of Spice Kitchen

Once again, we want to say a huge thanks to all those who contributed to (and read) our #FounderStories.

The series is ongoing. So stay tuned for more startup stories and sound advice from successful entrepreneurs themselves. And if you’d fancy featuring in this round-up same time next year, get in touch. We'd love to hear your story. 

Happy Christmas, everyone!