LDC partnered with The King’s Trust in 2019 and through our support of the charity’s Enterprise programme, we’ve so far been able to help more than 5194 young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to start, sustain and grow their own business.
This has included providing mentorship, funding and training as they embark on their business journeys.
The Story so far:
Expanding the Enterprise Programme
In 2024, we marked the fifth anniversary of our partnership with The King’s Trust by launching Business Advance to help young entrepreneurs sustain and grow their businesses.
The King’s Trust and LDC co-designed and developed Business Advance, an extension of the Enterprise programme. It’s intended to help young entrepreneurs as they navigate their first three years of trading, providing access to a designated mentor, structured business reviews to track progress against targets and ambition, workshops and networking opportunities.
Since the launch of Business Advance, 739 young people have taken part in the programme. These entrepreneurs have received tailored support including mentorship, structured business reviews, workshops and networking opportunities with 83% of participants reporting increased confidence and business knowledge.
Business Advance wouldn’t have been possible without the support and expertise of LDC. They are one of our biggest supporters at The King’s Trust and together we’re excited to help more young entrepreneurs to maximise the potential of their businesses.”
Watch the video
A Message of Thanks from The King’s Trust
We’re proud to receive this message of thanks from The King’s Trust, celebrating our partnership and shared commitment to empowering young entrepreneurs across the UK.
Watch the videoFrom Grant to Growth
Former LDC portfolio company Blis was originally founded by CEO Greg Isbister in 2004 with a grant from the King’s Trust, a charity that LDC has supported since 2019. In 2025, LDC exited its investment in Blis to T-Mobile after a successful three-year partnership.
Read more
WATCH THE VIDEO
Tips for Young Entrepreneurs
To support the launch and UK wide roll out of Business Advance, we spoke to LDC employees and business leaders in our network and asked them to share tangible and practical advice for young entrepreneurs.
WATCH THE VIDEOWatch the video
Championing Youth Ambition
As part of The LDC Top 50 – which celebrates the nation’s most ambitious entrepreneurs – we introduced The Youth Ambition Award, to recognise the achievements of a standout young entrepreneur from The King’s Trust Enterprise programme. Brandon Hulcoop of All Things Dotty won the award in 2024.
Watch the videoHands on Support from the LDC Team
In 2023, we were named The King’s Trust’ ‘Partner of the Year’ something our employees are incredibly proud of.
Our partnership with The King’s Trust is core to many company-wide initiatives and our staff continue to enjoy getting involved in a range of activities across the country.
More than 20 of our employees have trained to become one-to-one business mentors, we provide young entrepreneurs the opportunity to network and promote their businesses and products at a variety of LDC events and we have commissioned and bought the work of a number of young artists to display in our network of offices across the UK.
We also take part in The King’s Trust’s Brilliant Breakfast campaign, where we host an event raising funds to support disadvantaged young women to live, learn and earn.

