Making a world of difference

For Yomi Tejumola, founder of Algomarketing, the mission is clear: to restore joy in the world of work. To this end, the data scientist and former Google employee set up a company that focuses on automating mundane tasks within the marketing function. “This frees people up to be able to do the more strategic work that requires them to think, be creative and generate ideas,” he says.

It has struck a chord with the likes of Google, OpenAI, Zoom, Cisco and Stripe. “The biggest innovators in the world rely on us to stay at the forefront,” he says. “We solve the complex challenges within sales and marketing to help them be more autonomous.”

The company has teams in 32 countries and offices in the US, Singapore, Netherlands, Nigeria and the UK. The international outlook is reflected in its sales, with 65 per cent coming from outside the UK. Revenue does come from Europe and Asia but the lion’s share is from the United States. “It’s our fastest-growing region because of AI and how it’s being adopted there,” says Tejumola.

The true mark of an entrepreneur

With products such as braille menus and board games, the winner of the new Youth Ambition Award makes life easier for those with visual impairment

“I want to make the world a better, more accessible place for visually impaired people like me,” says Brandon Hulcoop, founder of All Things Dotty and winner of the inaugural Youth Ambition Award, which recognises a standout entrepreneur from The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme.

Hulcoop, who has been blind since birth, came up with the idea for All Things Dotty during lockdown. “I was bored and wanted to do something that might help others, so I started making and selling braille greeting cards,” he says.

Struggling to generate sales, Hulcoop closed the business after a year and fell into a period of unemployment and depression. “It was hard finding work. Nobody wanted to take me on because I was inexperienced and most companies couldn’t get past the fact that I’m visually impaired.”

At the beginning of last year, Hulcoop signed up to The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which is backed by LDC, the largest supporter of young entrepreneurs at The Prince’s Trust, and designed to inspire the next generation. “The course taught me how to create a proper business plan and helped me feel far more comfortable with business finance and tax,” he says.

“They modified the course materials so that I could access them and wouldn’t feel left out.”

With the help of two Prince’s Trust grants, Hulcoop bought a braille embosser, invested in textile graphics software and advertising, and relaunched All Things Dotty in April 2023. Alongside greeting cards, Hulcoop has expanded the braille range to include colouring books, board games and online tuition.

He has also started creating braille menus for cafés and restaurants, and has petitioned the government to introduce legislation that requires all hospitality venues to have braille menus. “Restaurant owners already do a lot for disabled people, which is great,” says Hulcoop.