A South Tyneside entrepreneur who started his first business after receiving help from The Prince鈥檚 Trust has donated 拢10,000 back to the charity.
Chris Quickfall started tech company Invate, an assistive technology equipment and training provider, back in 2006 after selling his PlayStation to raise the funds.
However, even after selling his possessions to launch the firm, Mr Quickfall found he could still not get enough money together to buy his first order of stock.
He said: 鈥淲hen I wanted to start Invate, I didn鈥檛 have any money because I was a penniless graduate, so I sold my PlayStation on eBay for about 拢150, which gave me the start-up capital to register a business.
鈥淗owever, I couldn鈥檛 get the money to facilitate the first purchases of stock to sell because I couldn鈥檛 get any credit. The regional development agencies wouldn鈥檛 support me, but the Prince鈥檚 Trust gave me a grant of 拢500 and a loan of 拢2,500.
鈥淲ith the support of The Prince鈥檚 Trust, I then reapproached the organisations that knocked my idea back for previous loans and asked why they weren鈥檛 prepared to support me when The Prince鈥檚 Trust was. Once I had the Prince鈥檚 Trust name behind us, I got another 拢10,000 from one of the regional development agencies.
鈥淚t was through the Prince鈥檚 Trust that I could demonstrate confidence to third parties. I think it鈥檚 almost that nobody wants to be the first person to sign off on somebody and because of that I couldn鈥檛 raise the money I needed to start a business. But The Prince鈥檚 Trust took the risk of going first, and others followed.鈥
The seed funding from The Prince Trust helped launch Mr Quickfall鈥檚 career and helped him bringing in 拢260,000 in Hebburn-based Invate鈥檚 first year.
Mr Quickfall has since launched three more companies and is currently CEO of Cognassist, a tech platform that helps teachers understand how to help students learn more effectively.
He is now donating 拢10,000 to The Prince鈥檚 Trust as part of The Big Give Christmas Challenge. The scheme is run throughout December by match funding platform The Big Give and sees the organisation double every donation made. By using the scheme, Chris has guaranteed 拢20,000 for The Prince鈥檚 Trust鈥檚 Young People Relief Fund.
He added: 鈥淕iving back to The Prince鈥檚 Trust feels like closing that loop, which they kicked off. It鈥檚 a great feeling to give to the organisation that gave so much to me. It鈥檚 always been a charity I feel closely aligns to what I do now across my companies, putting young people into education and employment 鈥 or their own businesses like me. It鈥檚 something I want to pass on, to help other young people like me to get the start they need, the right start.鈥
Clare Crabb, director for the North of England at The Prince鈥檚 Trust said: 鈥淪eeing how our support helped Chris Quickfall transform his idea into a successful business is immensely rewarding, particularly given that his latest enterprise Cognassist supports neurodivergent learners.
At The Prince鈥檚 Trust, we鈥檙e passionate about breaking down barriers to education and employment, and it is inspiring to see an alumnus not only drive this commitment in his own work, but also choose to give back and support the Trust鈥檚 mission.
鈥淭he harsh reality is that young people in the North East are facing disruptions to their futures on a greater scale than in living memory. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e thrilled to receive this generous donation from Chris for our Young People Relief Fund.
鈥淭he Prince鈥檚 Trust helps young people build their confidence and skills and access jobs, education and training 鈥 and of course, will empower the entrepreneurs of the future, the same way it did for Chris 14 years ago.鈥
