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Founding a business is brutal…but amazing!

England football captain Harry Kane is one of the investors behind this gut health brand, which raised £1.4m in March. Dr Megan Rossi, a gut health specialist and research fellow at King’s College London, joined forces with chief executive Jon Walsh to launch the business in 2019 with a range of ‘good for the gut’ granolas. They have expanded the brand to mueslis, porridges and live yoghurts, and retail sales hit £2.8m last year. The products are stocked in more than 1,400 stores nationwide, such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, and celebrity fans include Davina McCall.

Disclaimer: The statements made by our interviewees are an expression of their own views and opinions and in no way reflect FEBE Ventures’ views or opinions, nor are such views or opinions endorsed or supported by us.

More Unemployables

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…

Why we’ll be bigger than Heinz

Dr Will’s is on a mission to reduce our sugar consumption. Its sauces, dressings and mayonnaise are made with only natural ingredients and are sweetened with dates rather than added sugar. Its eponymous cofounder, Dr Will Breakey, teamed up with Liam White and Josh Rose to launch its products in 2017, and they have since won

‘The reality of being a founder…you make it up as you go along!’

Passenger Clothing sells durable outdoor clothing and accessories directly to the consumer. Based in the New Forest, it prides itself on being a responsible brand rooted in nature, connection and wellbeing. The company promises to plant a tree for every order and uses lower footprint materials like recycled cotton, hemp, recycled plastic and organics. In addition, its headquarters is powered by UK-generated renewable electricity.

How we built our brand with four ‘power-surge’ moments

What is a power-surge moment? Quite simply, it’s a few seconds of intensity that can catapult your business to a new level. Power-surge moments don’t happen often and they come about only when an entrepreneur’s determination consistently over-rides their desire for comfort and safety. In this story, we discover how Rimi and Manav Thapar created four electrifying ‘power surge’ moments to turbocharge their brand, LoveRaw…

WHY ‘LET’S GO AGAIN!’ IS THE ULTIMATE ENTREPRENEURIAL MANTRA

Vanilla Underground’s recent growth has been formidable, with online sales of its officially licensed clothing and apparel going – to use a technical term – completely ballistic. Armchair shoppers are ordering Minecraft T-shirts, Peppa Pig slippers and Harry Potter rucksacks faster than Sonic the Hedgehog. And the trend has handed the company’s Tamworth-based co-founders, married couple Deniz and Jason Yarnell, a heady combination of excitement, joy, and – because you can’t run a business without it – worry.

My life after my £200m exit

You heard it here first – “Behind every successful entrepreneurial awards are incredible ambassadors”. Which is why we’re super proud to have the brilliant Juliet Barratt as FEBE’s Growth 100 founding ambassador. We couldn’t be luckier to have her onboard. From working in education, to co-founding Grenade in her spare bedroom which was sold in 2021 for £200m – Juliet Barratt stands for everything FEBE is about: Determination. Hustle. Authenticity. Welcome to the FEBE family Juliet!