{"id":43626,"date":"2025-11-19T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/?post_type=knowledge&p=43626"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T14:22:56","slug":"young-entrepreneur-fund-winners","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/business-news\/young-entrepreneur-fund-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"10 of the best young business owners to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ten young business owners have each been awarded a \u00a35,000 business grant through the Simply Business Young Entrepreneur Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 12,000 small business owners aged between 18 and 30 applied, with entries judged by industry expert judges including Professor Green and Harpreet Kaur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to get to know the 10 young entrepreneurs shaking up their industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young Entrepreneur Fund winners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After much deliberation, our industry expert judges chose the following 10 business owners as their winners:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rephobia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A therapist-led virtual reality platform<\/a> designed to help people overcome phobias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Simply
Rephobia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Devonshire Plastering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one-man plastering operation<\/a> plans to offer apprenticeships to young people lacking opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off the Cut Studios<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Based out of her parents\u2019 spare room, Beth sells handmade rugs<\/a> and wall art with plans to branch out into creating mini rug-making kits for home use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yak Shack<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An autonomous kayak and paddleboard rental business<\/a> which uses smart lock technology so customers scan and unlock their watersports equipment without the need of constant staff presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Majic Protein<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These two entrepreneurs sell the UK’s first high-protein cookie dough tubs<\/a>, transforming a family recipe into a snack with up to 50g of protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chhabra<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unique, conscious flavour blends for drinks<\/a>, stocked in retailers like Selfridges and Tesco. The founders also partner with a women’s enterprise in Kerala which provides fair wages and empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edvance AI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Helping legacy sectors (such as finance, healthcare, asset management, publishing) adopt confident AI practices<\/a> through upskilling workshops and consulting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Simply
Physio Vet Norfolk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Physio Vet Norfolk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A self-funded veterinary physiotherapist business<\/a> treating horses, dogs, and cats with rehabilitation and long-term condition management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

121 Barber Therapy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

121 Barber Therapy<\/a> redefines grooming as a holistic wellness experience, as well as driving social impact through its training academy \u2013 offering barbering training to young people from underrepresented backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cirkular<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A style-led discovery platform to make sustainable fashion shopping easier by combining the best secondhand, resale, and rental fashion from across the internet into one seamless, personalised feed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2018A truly affirming moment\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The winners, who\u2019ll also receive six weeks of business support from Hatch Enterprise, have already expressed excitement about what they\u2019ll use the grant for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beth Jackson, owner of Off the Cut Studios, plans to use the funds for the production of DIY rug tufting kits \u2013 an idea born from the many enquiries she gets from customers looking to learn the craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says: \u201cIt\u2019s surreal and I honestly still can\u2019t believe it. The fact that someone has looked at my plans and wanted to back me is incredibly validating and really special. The funding means I can finally start building the creative community I\u2019ve dreamed of for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chaddy Masangi of 121 Barber Therapy echoes the feeling of validation: \u201cWinning the Young Entrepreneur Fund is a truly affirming moment for us. This support goes beyond helping me as an entrepreneur, it directly impacts my amazing team and our ability to serve the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a huge opportunity to expand our work and we are incredibly grateful to Simply Business for recognising the value of our mission amongst thousands of other applicants.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Promising young businesses’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julie Fisher, UK CEO of Simply Business and one of the judges, said: \u201cThe volume, quality and brilliance of the applicants to the fund blew us away. While we could only choose 10 winners, the standard of the 12,000 entries we received has been truly heartening. Huge congratulations goes to our worthy winners \u2013 we can\u2019t wait to see how these promising young businesses take their growth plans to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply Business have given away over \u00a3125,000 to small business owners since 2020. Want to be in with a chance of winning your own business grant? Get notified to be the first to know when new competitions are announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More business funding guides<\/h3>\n\n\n\n