Investec is built on the spirit of entrepreneurship, and we’re proud to support budding entrepreneurs who want to make a sustainable, positive impact in the local community. We do this through the award-winning Investec Beyond Business programme.

Investec Beyond Business

Investec Beyond Business is a social enterprise incubation programme run in partnership with the Bromley by Bow Centre, in London. It aims to help promising entrepreneurs who are committed to creating sustainable, profit-making businesses which also generate social outcomes. The programme operates in Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Each year, Investec helps to launch up to six new social enterprises. These enterprises tackle a variety of social issues, including youth unemployment, social exclusion, vulnerable families, community cohesion, homelessness, mental health, rehabilitation of ex-offenders and food poverty. We look to encourage engagement from underrepresented groups such as female and ethnic minority applicants.

As part of the programme, successful candidates receive intensive support, including training and expert advice through the Investec Beyond Business College, which is run by volunteers from across the company. These entrepreneurs also receive funding of up to £20,000-£30,000 each to launch their new enterprises.

375+

jobs created

£6.5m

collective turnover

55%

female leadership

When Investec became the sole provider of funds for Beyond Business in 2011, the programme changed its name to Investec Beyond Business and has launched 62 social enterprises, many of them female-led and from diverse backgrounds. These businesses have created more than 375 jobs so far, as well as 54 work experience and 76 volunteer placements in the community. They have also generated a total turnover of £6.5m. Before Investec became the sole funder of the programme in 2011, Investec also supported four additional successful businesses between 2008 and 2011, when we were a junior partner in the programme.

The success rate of these social enterprises is impressive: 67% of them are still in operation after three years, whereas national statistics indicate that 60% of new businesses cease operations within the same timeframe.

This year, a shortlist of 10 businesses pitched to the panel of judges comprising of Ruth Leas CEO of Investec Bank plc, Luke Benjamin, COO of Investec Alternative Investment Management (IAIM) and former Investec Head of Financial Institutions Coverage Tangwena Nelson. We also had two Investec Beyond Business alumni, David Schluter (Fluid IT) and Sam Francis (Find a Balance) join the panel. The 2023 judging day deliberately coincided with City Giving Day in London, which celebrates the value of the City to society and shows how businesses can make a difference, as part of the bid to create a fair society. After a day-long pitching process, the panel selected the six most promising social enterprises. The successful entrepreneurs received £24,000 each in seed funding. 

INVESTEC BEYOND BUSINESS WINNERS 2023

BWRE logo

Black Women in Real Estate

Black Women in Real Estate (BWRE) is a community where black women are supported and encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work, are given opportunities to thrive, and help improve their psychological safety. They challenge the status quo, presenting black women as industry experts and increasing the number of black women represented across businesses, events, networks and professional bodies. BWRE creates opportunities for black women to grow and sustain fulfilling careers in the real estate industry. It does this by raising awareness of the plethora of careers open to them in the real estate industry and create a community for the many black women already working in the real estate industry.

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Wax Atelier

WAX Atelier’s mission is to kindle creativity and empower individuals through the creation of sustainable wax products that radiate warmth and beauty and which involve a commitment to sustainability. It is driven by the purpose of reinvigorating local manufacturing, nurturing the next generation of artisans and establishing east London as a global hub for creativity and sustainability. Its dedication extends to forging strong partnerships with local businesses and facilitating the development of a resilient, local supply chain. Its vision includes creating a thriving community and a dynamic circular hub firmly anchored in the solid groundwork WAX Atelier has established since its inception in 2020.

HSOF logo

Hackney School of Food

The Hackney School of Food is an oasis of calm in its beautiful and productive gardens located in an urban area of high deprivation in London. It works with communities to grow and cook delicious budget-friendly food by teaching cooking skills in its purpose-built kitchen, using food to build community cohesion and healthier futures for all.

Spiritwood logo

Spiritwood

Spiritwood is a creative construction company that uses unique and inspiring projects to deliver professional skills training to disadvantaged groups currently outside the labour market. It was established on two foundational ideas. First, that construction is a great vehicle to develop technical and broader skills in a professional environment. Second, that craft or other creative production can help improve mental health. It offers a construction programme with a social and environmental agenda, delivering what is in essence a traineeship, where a variety of trades are introduced in a short space of time. Professional skills include traditional trades, such as carpentry and workshop machining, as well as future-facing skills like digital fabrication and renewable energy. Creative workshops run by artisan makers are an invitation to step outside the professional setting to learn about mindful practice and wellbeing through creative production.

Wild mosaic logo

Wild Mosaic

Wild Mosaic (WM) enables people to reconnect with the environment by bringing life back to land and restoring habitats, wildflower meadows, wetlands and woodlands. In addition to finding suitable locations and restoring biodiversity, WM offers subscriptions to become a part of this wild mosaic, by 'adopting' a tile, so that users can create a personal connection to their own unique area through audio, visuals and storytelling. WM is now looking to create an offering for businesses and schools. Many organisations are keen to go beyond carbon offsets and want to create good, rather than merely balancing out bad, whether for their employees or because it fits with their brand. WM’s aim is to craft a way to do this which enhances biodiversity while (re)engaging people with the wonders of the natural world.

Travel hands logo

Travel Hands

Travel Hands is a service designed to ease the outdoor commute of VIPs (Visually Impaired People) by pairing them with sighted and verified volunteers to walk together to similar destinations ensuring a safe, convenient and inexpensive travel experience.

In their words


Investec Beyond Business entrepreneurs share their inspiring stories and community impact.

 

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