OUR EPIC Impact: More Than Just Numbers
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For every £1 invested in our programme, we create around £30 in social return: through increased employment, new businesses, and reduced reliance on social services. Our EPIC Young Business Programme creates an average of £26,000 in Social Value Impact for each graduate.
Beyond the stats, we see the real impact in the young people we work with:
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A care leaver who lacked confidence but is now running a thriving online business.
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A young person previously involved in youth justice who secured an apprenticeship through our network.
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A school leaver who had no idea what to do next, now building a sustainable social enterprise.
These stories are why we do what we do.

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IVETA PUDILOVA
Happy Autistic Lady
In 2022 Iveta joined Vera, her sister, leveraging her background in social media marketing and digital accessibility to level up their passion project into a thriving social enterprise: Happy Autistic Lady.
Though quite quickly it evolved into something much deeper; a journey of self-discovery. Iveta began to understand and embrace her own neurodivergent identity. Now, as co-founder and CEO, they provide businesses and educational institutions with empowering campaigns, consultancy, training, and unique branded merchandise to improve retention, brand reputation, and satisfaction. They can help you meet ethical and legal compliance whilst boosting team productivity and engagement.

ZEZE SOHAWON
Emotion Dysregulation in Autism
A proud autistic and care leaver, EDA was borne out of Zeze's lived experience of being sectioned in secure and intensive care units for 4 years due to struggling to manage her emotions safely. Now she is a youth mental health advocate, having delivered a TEDx event, published a book and she has spoken at international conferences. Zeze has had a film made about her life and 6 accolades to her name including a British Citizen Award and Diana Award. Zeze strives to be the person to others that her past self needed.
When she is not being CEO, Zeze is also a student studying Human Neuroscience where she intends to study medicine and become a psychiatrist.
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TAYLA EVANS
Envirotent
EnviroTent started as a school project for Tayla and won the Young Enterprise Award. With EPIC’s support, this school project is now a well established and successful business. Tayla is an innovative person with a passion for the environment who first identified the need and created the concept of EnviroTent. A young entrepreneur, she is determined to make an impact for a greener festival experience.
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Tayla wants to revolutionise camping by providing 100% recyclable cardboard tents at festivals with a way of camping that’s environmentally responsible, as well as warm, dry and comfortable.​​​​​​​
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ALEXIOS ZACHARIADES-LAYLAND
Joobi & Gumbudii
Lex is the founder of two businesses: Joobii and Gumbudii. Joobii was his first venture, born from a passion for inspiring younger generations. We connect young people with job opportunities by leveraging the power of short-form video and social media to make careers feel exciting and accessible.
Gumbudii came next: a content-creating marketing agency driven by one mission: making brands more human. They specialise in helping businesses connect authentically with younger audiences through creative storytelling and the power of video.

MIRIAM BIBI
Miriam Hair & Makeup
Miriam is a professional make-up artist with over 6 years of industry experience covering all areas of the West Midlands and Warwickshire and is willing to travel to all parts of the UK upon request.
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She has worked alongside award-winning photographers, models, designers, and companies. In addition, she has had experience with weddings, TV, short films, music videos, theatre, magazines, fashion shows and many more big events.
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LEO MARTIN & LUKE SIMPSON
Martin & Simpson
We know first-hand the struggles and frustration around managing, updating and launching a brand on Amazon. From the back-and-forth seller support to the 3rd-party sellers destroying a brand’s image, it can be a turbulent path to success on Amazon.
Throughout our years of selling, representing and growing brands on the platform, we have encountered many problems in the process. We use this experience to turn your brand into a success, whether it’s a new or existing product range.
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EDWARD GOSTICK
Top Tours Global
​Edward William Gostick is the founder and managing director of Top Tours Global, a Birmingham-based company offering immersive, in-character walking tours that delve into the city's rich history and culture.
Specialising in themes like the infamous Peaky Blinders and Birmingham's historic gangs, Edward brings a personal touch to his tours, often guiding participants as "Edward Shelby," a nod to his distant relation to the real-life Birmingham gang. His passion for storytelling and deep knowledge of Birmingham's past provide guests with a unique and engaging experience.

KWAME BOATENG
Ingrained Oil
Former student Kwame, aged 23 from Walsall, launched his business Ingrained Oil in June 2022 with support from The Prince’s Trust's Enterprise programme and then from EPIC Entrepreneurs.
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Ingrained Oil, has revolutionised the fragrance industry by creating an alcohol-free brand that caters to individuals with fragrance sensitivity. The brand mission is to ensure that everyone can enjoy the pleasure of smelling good without enduring the negative symptoms associated with traditional perfumes. Ingrained Oil has gone from strength to strength, including being stocked at John Lewis.

HELENE NTUADI
Meka Connect
Meka Connect is a dynamic conglomerate dedicated to connecting people and communities through various ventures under its umbrella.
Formerly known as Meka Toys, we have expanded our scope to encompass a wide range of sectors, including books, games, fashion, programs, and more. Our goal is to leverage the synergies between these diverse ventures to create innovative solutions and enrich the lives of our customers.
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DECRAE SIMMS & TY HARRIS
Money Moves
Decrae Simms, Ty Harris and Roger Thomas are the founders of Money Moves, a streetwear clothing brand that focuses on buying, branding and reselling.
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Initially, a £400 grant to buy socks was provided by EPIC to test their business concept, and this was successful. Further support in the forms of business mentoring, financial planning and business planning is ongoing with Money Moves. Most recently they have booked a photoshoot for the creation of their website.

DEE SALIM
Move On TIme
When Dee joined EPIC in 2020, she actually started with a totally different business idea. However with the help of her EPIC mentor, she decided to focus on a new business, Move On Time.
Move On Time started out as a concept, and is now a thriving Birmingham based family run removals services, with it's aim to make the process of moving easy, fast, and reliable. Dee worked tirelessly to grow her business, build a strong customer base with repeat bookings and strong reviews, and create partnerships with other businesses such as estate agents.
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ELLIOT DEXTER
Dexter's Poetry Place
Elliot Dexter is a poet who shares his work around mental health challenges, self-discovery, and isolation, promoting open conversations about mental health issues. He was mentored by Jonathan Smith, chief executive at The APC, as part of the EPIC Young Business Programme.
Dexter uses his poetry to share his experiences with mental health challenges and encourages others to talk openly about their struggles.​ "Dexter's Poetry Place," focuses on promoting positive mental health and creating a safe space for open communication about mental health.

IJEOMA WAGBARANTA
Mdoubleodee/MOOD Mondays
Ijeoma Wagbaranta is the founder of MOOD Mondays, a music discovery series that champions emerging artists. Through MOOD Mondays, Ijeoma enabled six emerging artists to perform live across three of her events, as well as providing open mic opportunities for attendees to showcase their art.
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On top of offering paid performances for young musicians, the free live events were also beneficial to the local community in Birmingham, as they created a space for networking and community building.
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​THULANI "TEE" CHIMANIKIRE
Teefordaplug
Tee Chimanikire is a Birmingham-based creative, event promoter, and R&B artist dedicated to empowering fellow artists.
As the founder of Teefordaplug, she has built a thriving platform for musicians, DJs, and creatives across multiple cities.
Her events have gained sponsorship from brands like Red Bull and Smirnoff, and in 2024, she launched ‘Plugdamotives’ to expand her vision while keeping the signature Teefordaplug vibe alive.
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JORDAN SHAW
Brandeyedentity
At Brandeyedentity, we pride ourselves on being more than just a service provider. Think of us as your creative partner. In a world where first impressions are pivotal, our mission is to ensure your brand not only stands out but resonates deeply with your audience and acheive what you have set out to accomplish.
Whether it's through captivating digital designs, engaging brand identities, strategic social media campaigns, compelling print materials, or a holistic blend of all these elements; Our aim is to deliver unparalleled creativity.

RENNAE SMITH
Tressamor
Tressamor is a hair extension and wig business that was founded by Rennae Smith. Rennae was supported by EPIC to register the brand name, create a website, secure trademarks, create social media handles and build her website.
EPIC helped Rennae secure the assistance of a top echelon celebrity make-up artist and model called Kellie Liquorish. Kellie in turn also arranged a renowned UK photographer called Ian Winstanley for the shoot, and her e-commerce site was launched.
Now Rennae has grown her business to offer beauty and aesthetics treatments, and lash extensions.

MO AL-BUKAIR
Candy Castle Animation
Candy Castle Studios was founded by Mo Al-Bukair with a vision of growing into a large animation studio producing 3D animated content for worldwide TV and cinema.
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Mo’s first contact with EPIC was in October 2020, where we outlined different forms of support we could offer. We helped with setting up the company, trademarks, URLs, financial & business planning.
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ANUJ ASHAR
Launchpad AI
Launchpad AI is a cutting-edge technology and innovation company dedicated to helping early-stage, high-growth startups scale and succeed. Anuj founded the company in 2022 after graduating with a degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.
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The company was born from a desire to solve the challenges entrepreneurs face when building scalable mobile apps and websites. With expertise spanning AI, and digital solutions, Launchpad AI empowers startups to accelerate growth by providing them with the tools, strategies, and support they need to thrive in a competitive market.