This ‘insurtech’ start-up uses technology to deliver online insurance and detect fraud. It offers insurance policies to renters and people in house shares, as well as homeowners, and has amassed more than 100,000 customers since it was founded in 2016 by Jimmy Williams and Greg Smyth. This May, the London-based company secured £16.5m in a funding round led by North American investor Intact Ventures and the Ingka Group (the world’s largest IKEA franchise), bringing total funds raised to £32m.
Being an entrepreneur is probably the worst way to make money…you have to be in it for the adventure!
Jimmy Williams
Co-founder
Urban Jungle
More Founder Stories
HOW A SHOP IN BOLTON GREW INTO A £30M GLOBAL FINTECH
Many people begin their lives with uncertainty, unsure of the paths they will take or the heights they will reach. This is the story of Aftab, whose story is one of extraordinary achievement and perseverance in the face of uncertainty and daunting challenges. Ace Money Transfer started out as the most unprepossessing of fledglings but […]
RASHID ASHRAF
Co-Founder, ACE MONEY TRANSFER
EIGHT REASONS WHY HUEL HIT £100M IN SIX YEARS
There are Hueligans everywhere – on your road, in the gym, down the pub, in your local restaurant. Hueligans aren’t people who hate spelling(!), but people with one thing in common: they all eat Huel. And their proliferation has propelled the company’s revenue to £100m in just six years. For context, there are four entries in this year’s FEBE Growth 100 to hit £100m+ in six years, but Huel is the only centurion in the consumer goods category. What’s more, it’s on a steeper growth trajectory than some of the huge names…
Julian Hearn
FOUNDER - HUEL
Why you need a not-to-do list
When Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler talks business, you listen. The founder of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts has built a company that turns over £220m. He owns 95% of it. So, it’s fair to say Nick has picked up a few valuable lessons since launching his business in 1986. So, when we met Nick, we walked away with seven golden nuggets that we’d like to share with you…
Nick Wheeler OBE
Founder - Charles Tyrwhitt
I crave experiences and being a founder is the ultimate adventure
UpSkill Digital is a digital skills training agency catering for both businesses and individuals. Founded by Gori Yahaya in 2015, the company provides a wide range of training modules, such as digital marketing, Google Analytics, and social strategy. UpSkill Digital is also an alumnus of the Mayor’s International Business Programme, which aims to help businesses […]
Gori Yahaya
Founder - UpSkill Digital
‘How we turned the challenge of COVID-19 into the opportunity of a lifetime’
The story you are about to read contains a particularly pure and intoxicating brand of entrepreneurial spirit. High-proof and triple-distilled, it warms the soul, inducing feelings of optimism and inspiration. If you were to ask – Siri, what is entrepreneurial spirit? – Apple’s virtual assistant could do worse than read you this…
Hugo Tilmouth
Co-Founder - Charged Up & Cleaned Up
‘How we made tofu sexy’
Tofoo produces organic, gluten-, dairy- and yeast-free products from soybeans. Husband-and-wife team Dave Knibbs and Lydia Smith have built the business to sales of £18.6m in 2021. The North Yorkshire firm says it is the fourth-largest brand in the chilled meat-free market, with more than one million households buying its products regularly. Its recent growth is partly due to winning listings in major retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
LYDIA SMITH & DAVE KNIBBS
CO-FOUNDER - TOFOO