BUSINESS IN BRIEF

The latest news from the UEA Enterprise Fund.

During The Difference Campaign, generous donors have supported more than 49 companies through the UEA Enterprise Fund, founded to give student and graduate entrepreneurs support to succeed in business.

Thank you to our generous donors for funding businesses over the past 12 months, including four companies that received ‘Grow It’ funding of up to £7,500.

Grippitz

A spinal cord injury nearly 20 years ago inspired Grippitz founder Dave Shraga (DEV11) to create a specialised new glove for wheelchair users with limited hand function.

The focus in the next year will be on reducing production costs by streamlining, gaining professional insight and relaunching Grippitz after the completion of a branding and website refresh.

Long Cat Media

A podcast production company specialising in darkly comic audio fiction. Its flagship series, Mockery Manor, was nominated for Best Fiction at the British Podcast Awards 2020.

The Grow It award will support Long Cat Media’s next ambitious project, the musical series The Ballad of Anne and Mary.

Greenr

This sustainable e-commerce platform connects consumers to ethical companies and their eco-friendly products. The Greenr platform will be offered as a realistic alternative to mainstream online retailers like Amazon or Argos, making it viable for the everyday consumer to shop more sustainably.

The ‘Grow It’ award will be used for platform development and marketing.

Doggy Paddle

A 20-minute swim is the equivalent of two hours of walking for a dog. This swimming pool for dogs offers somewhere safe and warm for our four-legged friends to get their exercise.

Backing from the Enterprise Fund will allow Doggy Paddle to expand its successful leisure sessions and diversify with a hydrotherapy service. The ambition is to build the business into a franchise model.

Scaling Up

Bare Kind, the ethical sock company led by UEA alumna Lucy Jeffrey (BIO13), received ‘Scale It’ funding worth £50,000 from the UEA Enterprise Fund this year.

Lucy said, “Bare Kind was created to save animals by selling socks. Through the sales of high-quality products that customers love, my company donates profits to animal conservation and rescue charities.

“Our headline product is Bare Kind bamboo socks, where 10% of the profits are donated to the animal on the sock. Our range includes orangutans, turtles, penguins, bumblebees, Amur leopards and more.

“I initially applied for and received a ‘Grow It’ award of £7,500. But it wasn’t long before I was ready to take my company to the next stage and was successful in applying for the Enterprise Fund’s ‘Scale It’ award worth £50,000.

“The funding supported Bare Kind’s marketing efforts over Christmas and the New Year, and will fund our continued growth as we launch new sock designs and expand sales in Europe, the US and Australia.”