Universal Partners is a financial services firm for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. Co-founded by Oliver Carson and Dhaval Patel in 2017, the company specialises in cross-border payments and bespoke risk management services. Universal Partners has earned recognition for its growth, including a nomination for the Scale-Up Business of the Year at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards, as well as securing a spot on the The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 list. The company has experienced significant year on year growth since inception and recorded sales of £8.6m in 2023.
My teacher told me “you’ll either go to prison or be a millionaire”
OLI CARSON
CO- FOUNDER, universal partners
More Founder Stories
How I started my multi-million-pound technology business from a pig shed
Charlie Jardine is probably the only Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur who launched his business in a pig shed. In 2015, he converted a barn on his grandfather’s Suffolk farm and began to develop his first product – an electric-vehicle (EV) charger. From there, things accelerated quickly…
Charlie Jardine
Founder - EO Charging
From nearly running out of cash…to becoming G100 number 1!
Founded by friends Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg and Purdy’s two sons, Jack and Charlie, Purdy & Figg is part of a new category of products at the intersection of household cleaning and wellness, with a range of sustainable, non-toxic, essential oil scented cleaning products. The company launched its core product ‘Counter Clean’ in 2022 […]
CHARLOTTE FIGG & PURDY, JAMES & CHARLIE RUBIN
Co-founders, Purdy & Figg
The twins set to shake up the cosmetics industry
Beijing-born twins Jake Xu and Shane Carnell-Xu launched this men’s cosmetics brand in 2019 after raising funds from angel investors Sally Preston and Neil Mather of Kiddylicious, the children’s snack business. Bestsellers in Shakeup’s skincare and makeup range include moisturiser, under eye concealer and face masks. The brand is stocked by national and overseas retailers, such as Harvey Nichols, Superdrug and Australia’s Myer, and it recently launched its new Face 4ward range in China. The Xu brothers previously set up READY, a creative agency based in Bath.
Jake Xu & Shane Xin Carnell-Xu
Shakeup Cosmetics
How we built the UK’s fastest growing sports and energy drink brand
PerfectTed is a London-based company behind Europe’s first matcha-powered energy drinks. It was co-founded by Marisa Poster and brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche in April 2021. Its drinks are currently stocked at over 3,000 locations in retailers such as Tesco, Holland & Barrett, and Planet Organic. The company are also the exclusive matcha partner to […]
Marisa, Teddie & Levi
Co-founders - PerfectTed
From dressing up as Santa to raising $50M and hitting the Deloitte Fast 50
Aged 10, Christer Holloman launched a Rent-a-Santa business in his hometown. He’d dress up as the Big Guy each Christmas Eve and, as per Swedish tradition, hand out gifts to excited kids. “I’ve got a picture of me aged 13 counting out my earnings on Christmas Eve, I guess I was destined to become an entrepreneur.” 30 years on, Christer is living out that destiny…
CHRISTER HOLLOMAN
CO-FOUNDER - DIVIDO
‘To be extraordinary you need to be ‘extra’ ordinary’
A wardrobe malfunction with ill-fitting tights that would not stay up inspired Brigitte Read to set up this hosiery business in 2018. Snag Tights caters for a wide range of sizes from four to 36 and offers 1,500 product lines. The online retailer has diversified into leggings, T-shirts, skirts and swimwear and has more than 2m customers in 90 countries. The Scottish-based brand is now eyeing expansion in America.
BRIE READ
FOUNDER - SNAG TIGHTS