A Leicestershire entrepreneur who founded a website to help create accessible housing for those most in need is flourishing thanks to a crowdfunding platform launched by NatWest.
Jodie Warren, of Loughborough, who started Social Mortgage, is one of more than 150 entrepreneurs from across the Midlands and the East of England who have so far benefited from the bank’s Back Her Business initiative since it was launched 12 months ago.
Her website helps people purchase their own properties by connecting them with like-minded people.
She is using Back Her Business to raise a target of £1,250 of funding. If successful she will receive £500 of additional funding from NatWest to support her campaign.
Back Her Business supports female entrepreneurs by helping and encouraging more women to start and fund their own businesses in the early stages.
The programme has been developed in partnership with Crowdfunder and forms part of NatWest’s wider commitment to reduce the gender gap when it comes to entrepreneurship, by supporting the creation of a further 400,000 female-led businesses by 2025.
Jodie plans to use her funding to develop the Social Mortgage website further, creating a more advanced interactive platform which brings users together with experts, products and services all in one place.
The aim is to focus on supporting those with disabilities who struggle with accessibility issues around housing and independent living, as well as service and ex-service people and the emergency services, NHS workers and carers.
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Jodie said: “I founded Social Mortgage not to make a profit, but to help those that needed it most.
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“The finance from Back Her Business will allow us to upgrade the original website built by me, and hopefully facilitate the purchase of the .com domain name as we look to launch the website globally.”
Heather Waters, enterprise manager at NatWest, said: “A year on from the launch of the 海角视频’s first female-only crowdfunding platform, we are successfully supporting entrepreneurs like Jodie by providing them with industry-leading advice and mentorship.
“We have already helped a number of women in the Midlands drive forward their entrepreneurial ideas and business growth and we will continue to support entrepreneurs in the region and across the country going forward.”