Small businesses boosted in Kent with £25m in government funding
The Start Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has provided £25m in loans to entrepreneurs in Kent. Since the government-backed programme began in 2012, it has supported Kent founders with 2,500 Start Up Loans to start or grow their business, with an average loan value of £10,107.
Thanet is the most entrepreneurial local authority in the county, with the highest number of Start Up Loans taken out, and is the most entrepreneurial Kent local authority when adjusted for population size. On the same measure, Tunbridge Wells and Dartford come second and third respectively.
The Start Up Loans programme is committed to providing accessible finance to all, including those who may otherwise struggle to secure finance from traditional high-street lenders. In Kent, 21% of Start Up Loans finance has gone to those who were formerly unemployed, helping get people back into work through entrepreneurship. 14% of recipients were from Black, Asian or other ethnic minority backgrounds.
Just over a tenth of loans (11%) have been provided to founders under the age of 25. Of those loans, more than one in five (22%) were taken out by NEETS (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) in the county.
Blair McDougall, minister for small business, said: “Kent is home to some of the brightest and most innovative entrepreneurs in the UK and through Start Up Loans, we are ensuring they have access to the finance they need to reach their full potential.
“This is an impressive milestone for the programme, which has supported thousands of entrepreneurs across Kent, boosting businesses, job opportunities and the economy.”
In the wider South East region, more than £150m worth of funding has been provided to small business owners, indicating increased investment into the region. With this new milestone, Kent stands as the most entrepreneurial county in the region with the highest volume and value of loans – over one in six loans in the South East region were taken out by Kent founders.
One Kent-based founder who used a Start Up Loan to grow his business is Robin Bartlett, founder of Sea Scrub Sauna. Since launching in 2023 Robin has opened three outdoor saunas and cold plunge sites across the Kent coast.
Robin said: “After multiple conversations with my cousin in Norway about the popularity of sauna culture and the wellness and social benefits it brings, I realised there was a clear gap in the UK market for this emerging industry. Especially after Covid, people were paying much more attention to their health and wellbeing, which created a demand for experiences like saunas and cold plunges.
“I have now grown my business to three different locations across Kent and I am excited to invest further in scaling the business, creating a larger network of sites and reaching a broader customer base.
“The loan is the only external funding we have taken on and it has been instrumental in getting the initial equipment needed to get off the ground. I didn’t have an established credit history and interest rates were heavily fluctuating at the time of setting up, so the fact that the Start Up Loans programme backed my business when other providers may not have, was a real vote of confidence.”
Louise McCoy, managing director, Start Up Loans Products, British Business Bank: “Reaching this milestone in Kent shows the impact Start Up Loans is having in supporting start up and early-stage businesses in the county, as well as the wider region. We know the initial funding is critical for many businesses to get going and so it is great to see 2,000 plus businesses using the funding to get started, or to grow.”
The British Business Bank is expanding its geographically-focused initiatives and will be committing £2.6bn of capital to support entrepreneurs wherever and whoever they are to access capital.
Of this increase, £350m has been allocated to two new Nations and Regions Investment Funds in the East of England and South East, expanding targeted finance to every UK Nation and region outside London. These funds are due to go live in the second half of 2026.