Better supply chains

Supply Change is a female-led social enterprise that connects social enterprises to organisations looking for goods and services. Their idea helps organisations find suppliers that align with their values while creating a positive impact on the communities they operate in, and won them a place on the Investec Beyond Business programme in 2018.

Initial research by the three founders showed that current procurement processes and platforms are challenging for social enterprises to access. Their solution was a new kind of procurement platform, one that would make the process of applying for tenders with the public sector much easier for social enterprises, while helping the organisations improve their social impact.

So far, Supply Change has redirected over 300,000 worth of spending towards social enterprises and have developed a 5-year strategy to reach £20 million of redirected spend towards social enterprises by 2027.

How Investec Beyond Business supported them

Investec Beyond Business supported the Supply Change team by providing financial and business advice including one-to-one specialist consultation from Investec experts.

“When you are first starting out and you have an idea, self-doubt can definitely be your own biggest barrier… the Investec Beyond Business programme was amazing not just for the practical support, but they gave us confidence that our idea was worth pursuing!”

– Beth Pilgrim, Co-founder, Supply Change

What could you do with £20k business funding?

Have you recently launched a social enterprise in east London, or do you have a great idea for one? Find out more about the programme.