Start Up Loans

Smaller businesses backed by the Start Up Loans programme have higher survival rates than other businesses, according to an independent evaluation, conducted by SQW working in partnership with Professor Mark Hart, Qa Research and The Data City. The programme, which has provided over £1.1 billi

Since 2012, the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme has provided over 320 entrepreneurs in Scotland with £3 million in funding to launch their own businesses. The loans have gone to founders who were previously considered economically inactive or unemployed, supporting them to tur

Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank, has launched a new, free, interactive resource for aspiring business owners, called the ‘Essential Guide to Starting a Business’. The guide has been developed to provide useful and jargon-free guidance to help small business owners navig

A family who previously lived a nomadic lifestyle in South Africa have moved to Dumfries and Galloway to establish new roots and are getting ready to launch Galloway Glamping – a new glamping business in the area’s protected Dark Sky Park. Lottie Reeves – alongside her partner Kevi

Project Harmless, an Edinburgh-based eco start-up, is among 14 new businesses announced today as ambassadors for the Start Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank. Founder George Greer received a loan from the Start Up Loans programme via its Business Support Partner, Virgin StartUp, i

The owner of Great Western Road’s newest café aims to offer up something a little different, with his take on the traditional Gothic coffeehouses from the Victorian era. Memento Mori Coffee – named after the Latin phrase meaning “remember you will die” – has open

Entrepreneurship in Scotland is gaining traction among both young and older generations, writes Susan Nightingale, highlighting the support available and the diverse success stories within the start-up ecosystem. The Scottish school curriculum currently sees children as young as five years old takin

A husband-and-wife team from Aberdeen, Campbell and Luci Carey, have launched Inglaze, a business which helps owners of older homes and buildings keep out draughts and prevent heat loss from single-glazed windows. With support from the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme, they secu

The Wine Hall, a Perth-based e-commerce platform specialising in rare wines, has broadened its product range and begun targeting new markets following funding from the Start Up Loans programme. Founded in 2022 by 51-year-old Vanessa Tortella, a sommelier from Italy, The Wine Hall sells a range of ra

Edinburgh-based fashion designer Eilidh Gibson, a Glasgow School of Art graduate, has successfully launched her first collection, Party Pants, following a significant financial boost from the Start Up Loans programme.

Massimo Panarella, the entrepreneur behind Kirkcaldy-based Don Basilico, has successfully garnered a £25,000 loan to purchase a new food truck, enhancing his authentic Italian pizza offering in Fife.

Advanced space camera technology firm Metahelios has been named as one of the 12 new ambassadors for the Start Up Loans programme, an initiative of the British Business Bank. The programme has delivered more than £63 million of loans to 6,900 Scottish start-ups, at an average value of £9

Delivering over 105,000 loans, the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme has passed a significant milestone having disbursed more than £1 billion in loans. Scotland has seen a substantial slice of this pie, with more than £62 million funded across almost 7,000 loans since 2012

International whisky enthusiasts will soon be able to have a taste of some of the world’s rarest and most sought-after spirits, after the entrepreneur behind Dramtubes – a Milngavie-based whisky tasting business – secured funding for growth. Dramtubes aims to make highly desirable

Start Up Loans, a scheme delivering funding and support for small businesses in the UK, has announced Glasgow-based DSL Business Finance as the Scottish business support partner (BSP) for the next two years. Part of the British Business Bank, the programme provides loans at a fixed interest rate of