North West business briefs: Mercia Asset Management; Mojo; Ben Wild Studios; Fuel Hub; Beavertown Brewery; Their Future
Venture capital provider, Mercia Asset Management, has launched a new resilience programme offering practical support to ambitious women founders.
The programme will specifically target women entrepreneurs who find getting access to growth capital challenging and will offer support and training to help them scale their companies. Mercia plans to deliver fully-funded training to 80 female entrepreneurs through a series of four half-day workshops, with the first taking place in Birmingham on September 26, and followed by events in Manchester, in November, Leeds and London.
Rise & Thrive: Navigating Investment as Women Entrepreneurs, will cover topics including understanding and working with bias, navigating and optimising the investment framework, breaking down the fear of failure and imposter syndrome, and accessing and using networks and mentors.
The workshops are being offered as part of Mercia’s commitment to responsible investing and will be delivered in partnership with Janet Grant of The Better People. Janet started her career as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and worked in senior finance roles for businesses including Woolworths and WH Smith as well as a consultant FD. She now provides leadership coaching, resilience and wellbeing and behavioural profiling.
Janet said: “Competing in a growing or challenging business environment can feel daunting but it is often our own confidence and self-doubt that holds us back. I see the dramatic difference that good leadership and resilience support can make so would encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity. Using a quote from Henry Ford, ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right’.”
Angela Warner, managing director – Mercia Investments, said: “Mercia is passionate about finding and supporting scalable growth companies across the UK. However, we are acutely aware that woman entrepreneurs, for many reasons, often fail to access the capital they need to take their businesses to the next level. We hope that by working with Janet and The Better People we can offer practical support and instil confidence in a new network of talented founders to take that next step on the funding ladder.”
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Retail centre, Liverpool One has welcomed Mojo, the rock n’ roll Americana style cocktail bar, which has relocated from within the city centre’s Back Berry Street, to Hanover Street, marking a significant upsize from its previous home.
Operating across two floors, comprising a 3,500 sq ft space, the venue offers a menu of more than 100 cocktails, beer pong, and bottomless brunch. Mojo’s Hanover Street location also offers cocktail masterclasses, live sports, and its trademark rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack.
Rob Deacon, senior asset manager at Liverpool One owner, Grosvenor, saidd: “It’s so exciting to welcome Mojo to Liverpool One, with the launch showcasing that we are the destination of choice for both internationally-renowned operators and local brands. The addition of Mojo further diversifies our impressive food and beverage line-up.”
Martin Greenhow, Mojo managing director, said: “We are so pleased to have relocated within the city that we love, right in the heart of one of Liverpool’s liveliest destinations. This marks a new era for Mojo in Liverpool, with longer opening hours and an additional floor to celebrate on, we can’t wait to welcome back long time regulars and new guests alike.”
Metis and Starka acted for Liverpool One. Harlow Property Consultants acted for Mojo.
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Manchester-based animation company, Ben Wild Studios, has launched a film division as part of a bid to further diversify the studio’s portfolio and establish its presence in the rapidly evolving world of video content..
The business, which boasts an impressive client roster including GUCCI, New Balance, CBBC and the Voicescape, says the film division will leverage its extensive experience in storytelling and production to create captivating and meaningful video content. Drawing on the company’s commitment to innovation and artistry, the division aims to captivate audiences worldwide with its unique style and video skills.
Chief Doodler, Ben Wild, said: “We are so excited to be able to start this new chapter of our journey with the launch of our film division.
“We’ve had the most incredible 12 months and seen our client base continue to grow with the scope of work increasing from initial animation briefs to full video content creation and production.”
Ben Wild Film has partnered with Upturn Social Enterprise to showcase the company’s journey over the past two decades while reflecting its core mission to unlock the potential and improve the lives and the health and wellbeing of people from diverse groups and disadvantaged communities.
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Jonny Brownlee
Premium athlete performance meal provider, Fuel Hub, based in Warrington, has been announced as an official partner of the 2023 Super League Triathlon Championship Series event, which kick-started in Canary Wharf, London last weekend (August 25-27).
The worldwide event, now in its fifth year, takes place from August to November with races this year being hosted in London, Toulouse, Malibu and Neom. During the three-day competition, Fuel Hub will be providing its athlete approved meals, crafted by its in-house nutritionists and team of elite chefs, to more than 35 of the world’s elite triathlon athletes taking part in the swim-bike-run series, including Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Alex Yee, Beth Potter and Connor Bentley.
Jonny Brownlee, Olympic gold, silver and bronze triathlon medallist and Fuel Hub ambassador, said: “I’ve been working with Fuel Hub for a couple of months now and I wish I had started using them earlier in my career.”
Fuel Hub is projected to increase its turnover by 176% from April this year to April 2024. As part of the Championship Series event, Fuel Hub will sit alongside other strategic partners including Garmin, Zwift and Asics. Fuel Hub boasts an impressive portfolio of clients, supplying its performance meals to Chelsea FC, Fulham FC, and Manchester United FC Women. It also fuels England Rugby Union and Team GB and recently added Hyrox – a global fitness race – to its partnerships roster.
Michelle Laithwaite, CEO at Fuel Hub, said: “This is an incredibly proud moment for us as the Super League Triathlon Championship Series is the world’s fastest triathlon series with some of the world’s most elite athletes taking part. We really understand how important nutrition and diet is to hit peak performance, which is why it’s fantastic that the Super League Triathlon Championship Series has chosen us to fuel all athletes during the opener, which is bound to be tough with its tight and technical course.”
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Beavertown Brewery chose pubs in Liverpool and Manchester to launch a hi-tech beer mat which contained details of nearby local walks for drinkers, revealed by the sun’s rays.
The London brewer swapped its classic beer mats for UV-activated ones that, when held up to the sun, revealed a series of invisible routes to take punters on a journey of hidden destinations, from ancient burial sites to stone circles.
Research commissioned by the brewery has found that 83% of Scousers love to go for a local ramble. The new bar mats at Dovedale Towers encouraged punters to head outside over the bank holiday and uncover more about Liverpool’s hidden histories.
Tom Rainsford, marketing director of Beavertown Brewery, said: ‘Working a ‘pint stop’ into a walk with a mate is something we all love, in fact, our research has shown that over half of Scousers like to treat themselves to a trip to the pub after a walk.”
Beavertown’s beer maps were also available in participating pubs in London, Manchester, Nottingham, Bath and Glasgow.
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Their Future baby blanket
A Cheshire sustainable home and lifestyle brand, Their Future, has launched with what it claims is a compelling environmentally-friendly proposition for the consumer goods market.
The brand will launch initially with a single product, the Their Future baby blanket, which it says is the only one in the world created with innovative, fully recyclable fabric exclusively developed for Their Future.
A company spokesperson said: “The revolutionary baby blanket has been expertly crafted using a trailblazing process aiming to minimise the impact on the environment, and sets the scene for our vision going forward.
“Providing quality, durability and protection, and with unparalleled recyclability, the unique material designed in Germany is lightweight and breathable, ensuring a gentle touch against delicate skin and making it ideal for year-round use. Special technology adopted during the manufacturing process ensures that the blanket does not release microfibres, is created with minimal water consumption, no use of chemicals, and is 100% recyclable.
“As a result of an innovative process used in the development, the fabrics do not absorb moisture or any easily-made stains, therefore preventing odours from developing. Their Future’s baby blanket has superior, permanent, antimicrobial properties, as the technology included in the fabric’s construction ensures that most envelope viruses are destroyed on contact.”
