Iwoca: Difference between revisions
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'''iwoca Ltd.''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪ|ˈ|w|ɒ|k|ə}}) is an online [[FinTech]] company based in [[London]]. It offers credit facilities to small businesses trading in the [[UK]] and [[Germany]] via an automated lending platform. [[CEO]] Christoph Rieche and [[Chief Technology Officer|CTO]] James Dear founded iwoca in October 2011 and the company started trading in March 2012. They |
'''iwoca Ltd.''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪ|ˈ|w|ɒ|k|ə}}) is an online [[FinTech|Fintech]] company based in [[London]]. It offers credit facilities to small businesses trading in the [[UK]] and [[Germany]] via an automated lending platform. [[CEO]] Christoph Rieche and [[Chief Technology Officer|CTO]] James Dear founded iwoca in October 2011 and the company started trading in March 2012. They aimed to offer custom-built loans to small businesses, who usually struggled with fair access to finance from big banks. To start with, these were exclusively e-commerce businesses, but from April 2014 iwoca began lending to all types of small businesses. By July 2015 it was reported to have seen 250% year-on-year growth in issuance.<ref>[http://uk.businessinsider.com/iwoca-raises-20-million-from-commerzbank-and-acton-capital-partners-2015-7 "London fintech startup iwoca just got $20 million from German investors], 30 July 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.</ref> |
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iwoca provides credit lines of up to £200,000 and business loans of up to £250,000 |
iwoca provides credit lines of up to £200,000 and business loans of up to £250,000. It uses various [[machine learning]] models to automatically assess businesses based on data taken directly from [[Xero (software)|Xero]], [[eBay]], [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[PayPal]], [[Sage Pay]], business bank accounts and other online and offline platforms.<ref name="telegraph1">{{Citation |
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| last1 = Amy | first1 = Wilson | last2 = | first2 = | title = Iwoca's capital way to assist eBay traders | newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = September 11, 2012 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/9534160/Iwocas-capital-way-to-assist-eBay-traders.html | access-date = March 15, 2019 }}</ref> |
| last1 = Amy | first1 = Wilson | last2 = | first2 = | title = Iwoca's capital way to assist eBay traders | newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | date = September 11, 2012 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/9534160/Iwocas-capital-way-to-assist-eBay-traders.html | access-date = March 15, 2019 }}</ref> This follows a similar model to the one used by [[Kabbage]] in the [[United States]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidprosser/2014/01/14/iwoca-and-ezbob-battle-it-out-for-britains-online-traders/|title=Iwoca And Ezbob Battle It Out For Britain's Online Traders|last=Prosser|first=David|date=January 14, 2014|work=[[Forbes]]|accessdate=March 15, 2019}}</ref>. It’s also integrated its credit [[Application programming interface|API]] with the Tide bank<ref name="euromoney">{{Citation|last1=Peter|first1=Lee|title=Iwoca’s growth shows SME hunger for credit as banks withdraw|date=March 16, 2018|url=https://www.euromoney.com/article/b17c1cfty3pffn/iwocas-growth-shows-sme-hunger-for-credit-as-banks-withdraw|newspaper=euromoney.com|access-date=March 15, 2019|last2=|first2=}}</ref>. A 3% monthly interest rate and maximum loan term of 12 months are typical<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.iwoca.co.uk|title=iwoca UK homepage|date=|publisher=iwoca|accessdate=3 August 2015}}</ref>. |
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In 2018, iwoca doubled its revenues to £48 million and reached profitability<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uktech.news/news/iwoca-issues-1-billion-in-funding-to-over-30%2C000-small-businesses-20191104|title=iwoca announced £1bn milestone on funding SMEs|date=2019-11-05|website=UKTN (UK Tech News)|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref>. As of October 2019, iwoca has now funded more than £1 billion to over 30,000 businesses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/iwoca-one-billion/|title=iwoca issues £1 billion in funding|website=www.iwoca.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> since inception and made funding available to over 50,000 across a range of industries through its platform in the UK and Germany and has raised £350 million in equity and debt finance. It has stated that its mission is to fund one million small businesses. Its platform and successes were referenced by Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney in a speech about technology and small business lending at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet for Bankers and Merchants of the City of London<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/speech/2019/enable-empower-ensure-a-new-finance-for-the-new-economy-speech-by-mark-carney|title=|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>. |
In 2018, iwoca doubled its revenues to £48 million and reached profitability<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uktech.news/news/iwoca-issues-1-billion-in-funding-to-over-30%2C000-small-businesses-20191104|title=iwoca announced £1bn milestone on funding SMEs|date=2019-11-05|website=UKTN (UK Tech News)|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref>. As of October 2019, iwoca has now funded more than £1 billion to over 30,000 businesses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/iwoca-one-billion/|title=iwoca issues £1 billion in funding|website=www.iwoca.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref> since inception and made funding available to over 50,000 across a range of industries through its platform in the UK and Germany and has raised £350 million in equity and debt finance. It has stated that its mission is to fund one million small businesses. Its platform and successes were referenced by Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney in a speech about technology and small business lending at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet for Bankers and Merchants of the City of London<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/speech/2019/enable-empower-ensure-a-new-finance-for-the-new-economy-speech-by-mark-carney|title=|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>. |
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iwoca is funded by private investors and [[venture capitalists]].<ref name="telegraph1"/> In January 2014 it announced that it had raised £5 million in investment from Global Founders Capital and Redline Capital Management, to be used for UK and [[Europe]]an expansion.<ref name="techcrunch">{{cite web|author=Catherine Shu |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/09/e-commerce-business-lender-iwoca-raises-8-2m-to-expand-in-the-uk-and-europe/ |title=E-Commerce Business Lender iwoca Raises $8.2M To Expand In The UK And Europe | Techcrunch |publisher=Techcrunch.com |date= |accessdate=11 July 2014}}</ref> In July 2015 it announced that it had raised $20 million equity from investors including CommerzVentures and [[venture capital]] firm [[Acton Capital Partners]] in its [[Series B]] round.<ref>[http://www.iwoca.co.uk/blog/2015/07/iwoca-raises-20-million-to-accelerate-growth/ "iwoca raises $20 million to accelerate growth"], 30 July 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.</ref> |
iwoca is funded by private investors and [[venture capitalists]].<ref name="telegraph1"/> In January 2014 it announced that it had raised £5 million in investment from Global Founders Capital and Redline Capital Management, to be used for UK and [[Europe]]an expansion.<ref name="techcrunch">{{cite web|author=Catherine Shu |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/01/09/e-commerce-business-lender-iwoca-raises-8-2m-to-expand-in-the-uk-and-europe/ |title=E-Commerce Business Lender iwoca Raises $8.2M To Expand In The UK And Europe | Techcrunch |publisher=Techcrunch.com |date= |accessdate=11 July 2014}}</ref> In July 2015 it announced that it had raised $20 million equity from investors including CommerzVentures and [[venture capital]] firm [[Acton Capital Partners]] in its [[Series B]] round.<ref>[http://www.iwoca.co.uk/blog/2015/07/iwoca-raises-20-million-to-accelerate-growth/ "iwoca raises $20 million to accelerate growth"], 30 July 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.</ref> |
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iwoca entered the German market in 2015, and has since established itself as one of the largest [[Fintech]] lenders to small businesses – paying out the highest number of loans to SMEs in the country<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finanz-szene.de/news/04-07-19-deutsche-bank-basel-iv-iwoca-october/|title=04/07/19: Deutsche Bank, Basel IV, Iwoca, October|website=Finanz-Szene.de|language=de-DE|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>. In February 2019, the company raised $194 million through a Series D funding round<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2019/alternative-small-business-lending-investment/|title=SMB Lender iwoca Raises $194M|last=PYMNTS|date=2019-02-19|website=PYMNTS.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> and has received £10 million from the Capability and Innovations Fund<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bcr-ltd.com/cif/|title=Capability and Innovation Fund – BCR|website=bcr-ltd.com|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> Banking Competition Remedies grant. As part of this grant, iwoca promised to fulfil six commitments<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bcr-ltd.com/public-commitments/|title=Public Commitments – BCR|website=bcr-ltd.com|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> including co-developing new products with [[Xero (software)|Xero]], launching iwocaPay (an invoice payment solution for SMEs) and opening offices outside of London to serve their diverse range of customers. On top of this, iwoca promised to match the £10 million grant with £13 million of its own funds. |
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By the end of 2017, the firm has provided more than £350 million to 15,000 companies.<ref name=euromoney>{{Citation | last1 = Peter | first1 = Lee | last2 = | first2 = | title = Iwoca’s growth shows SME hunger for credit as banks withdraw | newspaper = euromoney.com | date = March 16, 2018 | url = https://www.euromoney.com/article/b17c1cfty3pffn/iwocas-growth-shows-sme-hunger-for-credit-as-banks-withdraw | access-date = March 15, 2019 }}</ref> The firm has integrated its credit [[Application programming interface|API]] with the Tide bank.<ref name=euromoney /> In February 2019, the company has raised nearly $194 million through a Series D funding round.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pymnts.com/news/b2b-payments/2019/alternative-small-business-lending-investment/|title=SMB Lender iwoca Raises $194M|date=February 19, 2019|website=pymnts.com|accessdate=March 14, 2019}}</ref> |
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In January 2020, iwoca announced that it was opening a new office in Leeds, creating 100 new jobs in Yorkshire by 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/major-european-fintech-business-iwoca-to-create-up-to-100-jobs-by-opening-leeds-office-1-10160848|title=Major European fintech business iwoca to create up to 100 jobs by opening Leeds office|website=www.yorkshirepost.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> |
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==Awards== |
==Awards== |
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In 2012 iwoca won a Smarta 100 award as one of the most disruptive small businesses in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mike |url=http://www.smarta.com/smarta100/2012/iwoca |title=Iwoca - Smarta 100 Winner 2012 | Smarta 100 |publisher=Smarta.com |date= |accessdate=8 November 2012}}</ref> Since then they have been selected by [[UK Startup Awards]] as a Top Twenty UK Startup<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeffrey |url=http://startups.co.uk/iwoca/ |title=iwoca - Startups |publisher=Startups.co.uk |date= |accessdate=29 October 2013}}</ref> and won the [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] Money Startup Pitch.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeffrey |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/01/iwoca |title=Meet Iwoca, winner of Wired Money's Startup Pitch Stage |publisher=Wired |date= |accessdate=29 October 2013}}</ref> In May 2015 iwoca was |
In 2012 iwoca won a Smarta 100 award as one of the most disruptive small businesses in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mike |url=http://www.smarta.com/smarta100/2012/iwoca |title=Iwoca - Smarta 100 Winner 2012 | Smarta 100 |publisher=Smarta.com |date= |accessdate=8 November 2012}}</ref> Since then they have been selected by [[UK Startup Awards]] as a Top Twenty UK Startup<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeffrey |url=http://startups.co.uk/iwoca/ |title=iwoca - Startups |publisher=Startups.co.uk |date= |accessdate=29 October 2013}}</ref> and won the [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] Money Startup Pitch.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jeffrey |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/01/iwoca |title=Meet Iwoca, winner of Wired Money's Startup Pitch Stage |publisher=Wired |date= |accessdate=29 October 2013}}</ref> In May 2015 iwoca was named Alternative Lender of the Year for Commercial Credit in the Credit Today awards<ref>[http://www.credittodayawards.co.uk/winning/winners15 "Credit Today Awards - 2015 Winners"], 12 May 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.</ref>. In 2018, iwoca was also awarded NACFB Small Funder of the Year<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nacfb.org/revealed-2018-nacfb-award-winners/|title=Revealed: 2018 NACFB Award Winners {{!}} NACFB|website=www.nacfb.org|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> and Xero Financial Services App of the Year<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.xero.com/uk/events/xerocon/london-2018/xero-awards/|title=Xero UK Awards 2018 {{!}} Xero|website=Xero UK Awards 2018|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>. It is currently #34 in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fasttrack.co.uk/league-tables/tech-track-100/league-table/|title=Fast Track|last=TWK|website=Fast Track|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>. |
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In 2019, iwoca was awarded Best Fintech Lender (Short-term) at the Lending Awards<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.creditstrategy.co.uk/alternativelending-news/alternativelending-news/lending-awards-2019-winners-revealed-6487|title=Lending Awards 2019 winners revealed|website=Credit Strategy|language=En|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>. |
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== Community == |
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In November 2019, iwoca announced its partnership with Kendal Cycling Club<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/cumbria/18048792.funding-help-kendal-cycling-club-develop-community-activities/|title=Funding to help Kendal Cycling Club develop community activities|website=The Westmorland Gazette|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> – a club based in the Lake District with just under 700 members. The partnership offers free membership to the club for small business owners with the aim of improving mental and physical health<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwoca.co.uk/insights/iwoca-cycling-club/|title=Why we ride – iwoca launches cycling project|website=www.iwoca.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>. Research by Xero<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/in-business/new-research-reports-soaring-stress-levels-among-uks-small-businesses/|title=New research reports soaring stress levels among UK’s small businesses|last=Matters|first=Business|date=2019-02-21|website=Business Matters|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> found that 80% of small business owners have experienced stress in the last six months, and iwoca’s initiative aims to help them feel healthier, happier and better connected.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportengland.org/our-work/mental-health/why-we-invest-in-mental-health/|title=Why we invest in mental health - Sport England|website=www.sportengland.org|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
Revision as of 15:31, 17 January 2020
Type of site | Financial Services |
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Available in | English |
Owner | Privately Held |
Created by |
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URL | iwoca |
Registration | Required |
Launched | 5 October 2011 |
Current status | Active |
iwoca Ltd. (/ɪˈwɒkə/) is an online Fintech company based in London. It offers credit facilities to small businesses trading in the UK and Germany via an automated lending platform. CEO Christoph Rieche and CTO James Dear founded iwoca in October 2011 and the company started trading in March 2012. They aimed to offer custom-built loans to small businesses, who usually struggled with fair access to finance from big banks. To start with, these were exclusively e-commerce businesses, but from April 2014 iwoca began lending to all types of small businesses. By July 2015 it was reported to have seen 250% year-on-year growth in issuance.[2]
iwoca provides credit lines of up to £200,000 and business loans of up to £250,000. It uses various machine learning models to automatically assess businesses based on data taken directly from Xero, eBay, Amazon, PayPal, Sage Pay, business bank accounts and other online and offline platforms.[1] This follows a similar model to the one used by Kabbage in the United States[3]. It’s also integrated its credit API with the Tide bank[4]. A 3% monthly interest rate and maximum loan term of 12 months are typical[5].
In 2018, iwoca doubled its revenues to £48 million and reached profitability[6]. As of October 2019, iwoca has now funded more than £1 billion to over 30,000 businesses[7] since inception and made funding available to over 50,000 across a range of industries through its platform in the UK and Germany and has raised £350 million in equity and debt finance. It has stated that its mission is to fund one million small businesses. Its platform and successes were referenced by Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney in a speech about technology and small business lending at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet for Bankers and Merchants of the City of London[8].
History
iwoca is funded by private investors and venture capitalists.[1] In January 2014 it announced that it had raised £5 million in investment from Global Founders Capital and Redline Capital Management, to be used for UK and European expansion.[9] In July 2015 it announced that it had raised $20 million equity from investors including CommerzVentures and venture capital firm Acton Capital Partners in its Series B round.[10]
iwoca entered the German market in 2015, and has since established itself as one of the largest Fintech lenders to small businesses – paying out the highest number of loans to SMEs in the country[11]. In February 2019, the company raised $194 million through a Series D funding round[12] and has received £10 million from the Capability and Innovations Fund[13] Banking Competition Remedies grant. As part of this grant, iwoca promised to fulfil six commitments[14] including co-developing new products with Xero, launching iwocaPay (an invoice payment solution for SMEs) and opening offices outside of London to serve their diverse range of customers. On top of this, iwoca promised to match the £10 million grant with £13 million of its own funds.
In January 2020, iwoca announced that it was opening a new office in Leeds, creating 100 new jobs in Yorkshire by 2023.[15]
Awards
In 2012 iwoca won a Smarta 100 award as one of the most disruptive small businesses in the UK.[16] Since then they have been selected by UK Startup Awards as a Top Twenty UK Startup[17] and won the Wired Money Startup Pitch.[18] In May 2015 iwoca was named Alternative Lender of the Year for Commercial Credit in the Credit Today awards[19]. In 2018, iwoca was also awarded NACFB Small Funder of the Year[20] and Xero Financial Services App of the Year[21]. It is currently #34 in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100[22].
In 2019, iwoca was awarded Best Fintech Lender (Short-term) at the Lending Awards[23].
Community
In November 2019, iwoca announced its partnership with Kendal Cycling Club[24] – a club based in the Lake District with just under 700 members. The partnership offers free membership to the club for small business owners with the aim of improving mental and physical health[25]. Research by Xero[26] found that 80% of small business owners have experienced stress in the last six months, and iwoca’s initiative aims to help them feel healthier, happier and better connected.[27]
References
- ^ a b c Amy, Wilson (11 September 2012), "Iwoca's capital way to assist eBay traders", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 15 March 2019
- ^ "London fintech startup iwoca just got $20 million from German investors, 30 July 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.
- ^ Prosser, David (14 January 2014). "Iwoca And Ezbob Battle It Out For Britain's Online Traders". Forbes. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ Peter, Lee (16 March 2018), "Iwoca's growth shows SME hunger for credit as banks withdraw", euromoney.com, retrieved 15 March 2019
- ^ "iwoca UK homepage". iwoca. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ^ "iwoca announced £1bn milestone on funding SMEs". UKTN (UK Tech News). 5 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "iwoca issues £1 billion in funding". www.iwoca.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/speech/2019/enable-empower-ensure-a-new-finance-for-the-new-economy-speech-by-mark-carney.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Catherine Shu. "E-Commerce Business Lender iwoca Raises $8.2M To Expand In The UK And Europe | Techcrunch". Techcrunch.com. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ "iwoca raises $20 million to accelerate growth", 30 July 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.
- ^ "04/07/19: Deutsche Bank, Basel IV, Iwoca, October". Finanz-Szene.de (in German). Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ PYMNTS (19 February 2019). "SMB Lender iwoca Raises $194M". PYMNTS.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Capability and Innovation Fund – BCR". bcr-ltd.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Public Commitments – BCR". bcr-ltd.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Major European fintech business iwoca to create up to 100 jobs by opening Leeds office". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Mike. "Iwoca - Smarta 100 Winner 2012 | Smarta 100". Smarta.com. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Jeffrey. "iwoca - Startups". Startups.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Jeffrey. "Meet Iwoca, winner of Wired Money's Startup Pitch Stage". Wired. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Credit Today Awards - 2015 Winners", 12 May 2015. Retrieved on 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Revealed: 2018 NACFB Award Winners | NACFB". www.nacfb.org. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Xero UK Awards 2018 | Xero". Xero UK Awards 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ TWK. "Fast Track". Fast Track. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Lending Awards 2019 winners revealed". Credit Strategy. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Funding to help Kendal Cycling Club develop community activities". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "Why we ride – iwoca launches cycling project". www.iwoca.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ Matters, Business (21 February 2019). "New research reports soaring stress levels among UK's small businesses". Business Matters. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Why we invest in mental health - Sport England". www.sportengland.org. Retrieved 17 January 2020.