British Business Bank

An award-winning brewer has opened a new community-led taproom and events space in the heart of Fife’s picturesque countryside, with a focus on small-batch brewing. Howe Beer Project, founded by husband-and-wife team Kevin Kelly and Julia McCarthy and named after the surrounding Howe of Fife,

Edinburgh-based mobile app security specialist, Approov Limited, has secured a £1.2 million investment from the Investment Fund for Scotland, which is managed by Maven Capital Partners. The funding is part of a wider £5m round with participation from Souter Investments, and existing inve

The British Business Bank has reached the landmark milestone of £2.5bn of lending under its Growth Guarantee Scheme, with £127 million committed through 766 loans to small businesses in Scotland. Overall, 69% of lending has been delivered to businesses outside London and the South East &

Around 1,500 smaller businesses in Scotland received new financial backing from the British Business Bank in the 2024/25 financial year, in a move expected to generate £800 million in additional turnover. According to the Bank’s second annual Impact Report, the support will provide a &po

Come rain or shine, golf lovers in Dumfries now have a new way to enjoy the game thanks to Champions Links Golf (CL Golf) – a state-of-the-art indoor simulator studio bringing world-famous courses and fun-focused games to the town centre. Located on Academy Street, the three-bay venue offers s

The British Business Bank has announced a new £400 million Investor Pathways Capital initiative which will support diverse and emerging fund managers across the economy and make it easier for new entrants, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to break into venture capital. The init

The British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland has delivered over £25 million in financial support to Scottish businesses since it launched 18 months ago, supporting 58 firms across the country to develop and grow.

A former textiles teacher has launched a new sewing initiative in Shetland after trading the bustle of London for a slower pace on the isles. Helen Barwick, founder of Shetland Stitch Club, moved to the North Mainland with her husband and rescue dog in November 2024. After years as head of textiles

A&M Jenkins, a budding farming business on the island of Sanday in Orkney, has more than quadrupled its flock of sheep and taken on extra land just two years after getting started. Husband-and-wife team Alex and Marie Jenkins moved to Orkney from Aberdeenshire in April 2023, starting their ventu

Smaller firms in Scotland saw increased levels of equity investment in 2024 as London became less dominant and the wider UK saw a collective decline, according to new research from the British Business Bank. The bank’s annual Small Business Equity Tracker, published today, showed that equity d

A 20-year-old award-winning hospitality entrepreneur is gearing up for a busy summer of events in Dumfries and Galloway, following a funding boost from Start Up Loans to support the expansion of his business’s headquarters at the family farm in Sanquhar. Knockenhair Hospitality is run by Harry

Susan Nightingale discusses the positive trends in financial investment and support for smaller businesses in Scotland, highlighting their resilience and vital contribution to the nation's economy. Smaller businesses are the lifeblood of Scotland’s economy. Firms employing fewer than 50 employ

A branding designer and former DJ-turned-beekeeper is creating a buzz with the launch of a small-batch honey business in the northeast Highlands. Dan Price is set to unveil Fableman’s Highland Honey this spring, with the first batch expected to be ready by the end of summer. Based on a three-a

An Edinburgh-based IT professional is making a move into product design, with her debut product set to make shopping easier when it launches this spring, thanks to a recent funding boost to kick-start her business idea. My Trolley Mate is a mobile phone holder designed to help shoppers seamlessly us

Contract research company BDD has opened its new 122m² GMP manufacturing facility at BioCity near Glasgow, following a successful inspection by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) in March 2025. Two years in the making, the development of the state-of-the-art facil