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Heidi
Founded by brothers Marcus and Alexander Blunt, Heidi is a tour operator that offers flexible ski holiday packages. The brothers, both with backgrounds in the travel industry, managed the business part-time before committing full-time in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary pause in operations, but the company came back strongly with sales rising from £8.2m in 2022 to £37.2m in 2024. Customers can choose from over 300 resorts and book flights, accommodation, transfers, lift passes, ski hire and lessons all in one package. In 2024, Heidi secured £5.6m in funding led by Mercia Ventures, with participation from Active Partners and private investors.
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47 Skin
47 Skin was founded by Nic Taylor in 2018 after discovering a silver-based formula that cleared his skin in just four days. Born from a personal mission to help others suffering with their skin, the entirely bootstrapped brand achieved £8.3M in revenue in 2024. With over 500,000 customers to date, 47 Skin champions ‘real skin’, and uses unedited customer imagery, no makeup, and no models. Now stocked in Boots and Harrods, the brand is also scaling in the US, with local fulfilment and operations. Award wins for the company include Cosmopolitan and Women & Home’s Best Skincare Product, and Nic was a British Business Awards ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ finalist
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D.LOUISE
D.LOUISE was founded in 2021 by Olivia Jenkins, who named the brand in tribute to her late mother, Deborah Louise. Co-founded with serial entrepreneur Jack Zambakides and former professional cricketer Oliver Smithson, the South London-based company has quickly become known for its waterproof pieces crafted from stainless steel, that are designed to withstand daily wear without tarnishing. The brand has attracted a loyal following, amassing over 200k Instagram followers, and has received investment from Steve Hewitt, former chief executive of Gymshark, to help facilitate the brand’s international expansion. Olivia has also created ‘Walk and Talk’ – an annual 313km charity walk from Cardiff to London in memory of her mother.
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Sweet Bee Organics
Sweet Bee Organics was founded in 2018 by Hollie King, who wanted to create a safe, eco-friendly sunscreen for her children. Her personal health journey, including a 2019 cervical cancer diagnosis, deepened her commitment to natural healing. Opting for holistic remedies over conventional treatments, she expanded Sweet Bee into a wellness brand offering organic balms, elixirs, and creams. Handcrafted in small batches, their products include their popular magnesium butter, an organic elderberry elixir and a face cream infused with functional mushrooms. With nearly 300k followers on Instagram, the brands popularity has helped propelled sales to £11.7m in 2024, up from £2.3m in June 2023.
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Truestart Coffee
TrueStart Coffee is a family-run coffee brand. Founded by husband-and-wife team Helena and Simon Hills in 2015. TrueStart prioritises producing energising and ethical barista-grade coffee including instant, cold brew, beans and coffee bags, with an aim of making caffeine-controlled craft coffee more accessible. The company focusses on its ‘quality, values and personality’, is B Corp certified and is stocked in Co-op, Morrisons, Asda and Costco.
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Lovey
Lovey is a business lender and broker, founded in 2016 by Jack Smith to provide SME loans. To date, the Birmingham-based company has funded over £200m in loans for more than 5,000 SMEs. Revenue has grown from £1.9m in 2022 to £9.4m in 2024, alongside expanding the team from 7 to more than 100 employees. Having featured in the FT1000 two year’s running, Lovey’s loan process combines direct lending and brokerage to provide funding solutions for SMEs.