As we celebrate our 150th Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) loan, we can't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. It has been a long journey, but one that has been worth it. With this latest loan, we have now lent an incredible £11,654,348 to small businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK.

Over the years, we have supported many businesses to achieve their dreams and we've remained committed to our mission of helping small businesses succeed.

We couldn't have reached this milestone without the support of the MEIF, who has been our partner since the beginning. We're grateful for their trust and support, and we're excited to continue working together to help more businesses in the future.

Our team has worked tirelessly in the past few years to make this possible. Their dedication and hard work have been instrumental in our success, and we couldn't have done it without them.

We want to thank our clients, who have put their trust in us and allowed us to support them in their business journey. We're proud to have played a part in their success and are grateful for their continued support.

As we look to the future, we're excited to continue supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs. We're committed to our mission and can't wait to see what the next 150 loans and beyond will bring. Some of the businesses we have helped with MEIF loans in 2022-2023 include:

• A Lincoln-based golf simulator company, Virtually Golf, who secured £50k from the MEIF to further grow the business whilst creating two new positions.
• A Nottingham-based takeaway and catering business, All Flavaz, who secured £40k from the MEIF to create two new jobs, purchase necessary kitchen and bar equipment and upgrade its modern health and safety resources.
• A Northamptonshire-based data-driven marketing agency, Silver Jet Insight, who is ready to take off with a £26k loan from the MEIF to be used for purchasing new equipment and software, supporting cyber security measures and creating a new job role.
• A Milton Keynes based company, Rainbow Art Foods, who secured six-figure funding from the MEIF to add more outlets at shopping centres around the country.

Adrian Twelvetrees, General Manager at First Enterprise – Enterprise Loans General Manager, said: "Our 150th MEIF Loan marks a milestone in our mission to support small businesses. Thanks to our team, our clients, and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund for their support in achieving over £11 million lent to date. We will continue to drive growth and prosperity for small businesses across the UK."

Mark Wilcockson, Senior Investment Manager, British Business Bank commented: “Working with the MEIF’s fund managers to distribute these funds to businesses that are not able to access traditional funding options has boosted the region’s economy and supported the growth potential of many SMEs. We look forward to continuing this work with First Enterprise to continue distributing MEIF funding and support even more of the region’s businesses to achieve their expansion plans.”  

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2022 and the European Investment Bank.