New investment fund launched for digital start-ups

A new investment fund for digital start-ups has been launched in Lincolnshire.

Lincoln-based Umbrella Brands Group (UBG) is inviting firms with five staff or less to apply for a share of its new Growth Investment Fund – with £50,000 potentially up for grabs.

The fund, which is open to limited companies in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, is specifically for entrepreneurs and start-ups working in the digital or ecommerce industries.

It has been launched by the group’s founder Steve Bryant.

Bryant, chief executive of UBG, said: “The Growth Investment Fund is designed to help local entrepreneurs and digital innovators take their business ideas to the next level or jump on to new opportunities quickly – whether that’s financing larger capital expenditures, extra marketing or new investments to help them scale-up quickly.

“I wish I’d had access to this kind of support when I was just starting out. When you’re launching a business it’s difficult to know where to start when it comes to finding and securing the right kind of funding when you need it. That’s precisely why we’re launching this fund.

“We take every application on its merit – there’s no limit to what innovative, ‘digitally-minded’ businesses can use this fund to do or build. We can’t wait to help as many startups as we can to grow and thrive.”

Umbrella Brands Group was formed last year as the parent company to several fast-growing Lincoln brands including the marketing agency ThoughtMix.