Businesses want to partner with us because they recognise the benefits of developing ambition and enterprise in young people while schools appreciate the fun and interactive way in which we embed entrepreneurial learning. The on-going support of our investment partners is enabling us to make a real difference to thousands of young lives.
Jayne Brewer, Chief Executive, 2B Enterprising
Business overview
2B Enterprising's aim is to inspire the next generation of ambitious, healthy, enterprising and informed young people. Raising the aspirations of pupils while introducing them to valuable life experiences and key skills.
Based in Swansea, 2B Enterprising has created a series of books called The Bumbles of Honeywood, which alongside physical and digital resources help primary school teachers to develop enterprise skills in the classroom.
Developed by business leaders and experienced educators, with input from teachers, The Bumbles of Honeywood programme features a series of illustrated books, and over 120 activities that enhance the teacher’s ability to improve the numeracy, literacy, digital and physical education skills of their pupils, alongside developing an enterprising mindset.
Chief executive
Jayne Brewer, Chief Executive - Appointed in 2021, Jayne is using her commercial enterprise and academic background to deliver on 2B Enterprising’s mission and targets. Working with her talented team, they are all exceptionally passionate about The Bumbles of Honeywood programme having seen first-hand the impact it can have on the learning journey of young people.
What is their purpose?
2B Enterprising have ambitions to inspire the next generation of ambitious, healthy, ethical and enterprising citizens who are able to confidently make decisions, communicate effectively and contribute to their community. Collaboration and cooperation is a key element of their programme, and they are committed to supporting colleagues and our community to add value wherever possible.
Significantly, 2B Enterprising launched the Bumbles of Honeywood enterprise skills programme in 2021. As Wales’ first bilingual enterprise skills programme, it teaches children aged five to 11 about enterprise, entrepreneurship, and essential life skills. The launch occurred after a syndicate of business angels completed a £400,000 investment in the company, alongside our Wales Angel Co-investment Fund investing £125,000 - taking our total investment in 2B Enterprising to £250,000.
Through illustrated books and interactive extension activities, the programme explores the enterprising nature of honeybees to help children develop skills such as resilience, problem solving, leadership, communication, and teamwork. Additionally, the resources touch on a wide range of current topics including sustainability, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion.
With 29% of these schools Welsh language, the business has grown from working with 12 schools to over 231 in less than two years. The 20-strong team has delivered over 773 in-class activity sessions attended by over 21,800 children in schools from Tower Hamlets to Haverfordwest.
Primary schools that apply for the resources are partnered with local businesses that provide insights from their own organisation to elevate children’s learning experience further. It is linked to the Four Purposes of the new Curriculum for Wales and is suitable for a range of abilities so teachers can identify the most suitable resources to satisfy their class’s learning outcomes.
Additionally, they have engaged with more than 90 corporate partners in various sectors, ranging from construction, hospitality, finance, technology, retail to tourism. By working alongside businesses such as Bluestone Resorts, Sony, Safety Letterbox Company and CK Foodstores, 2B Enterprising have been able to support even more schools across south Wales.
Funding
- Date of most recent funding round: January 2023
- Size: £125,000
- Co-investors: A syndicate of 10 business angels led by Angels Invest Wales lead investor Ashley Cooper
- The fund: Match funding from the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund
The latest equity funding will enable 2B Enterprising to develop more class materials for older age groups and explore extending their core proposition beyond the classroom through cartoon animation of their ‘The Bumbles of Honeywood’ series of books. Additional teaching staff are being recruited to work alongside corporate partners to help deliver the innovative programme.
2B Enterprising will continue to develop the resource portfolio and make meaningful connections between businesses and schools for the benefit of young people’s current learning experiences and future prospects.
What people are saying
With 21,328 primary schools in the UK, the primary education sector is valued at £35 billion p/a. The collective firepower of this, now 21 strong, syndicate means that 2B Enterprising can scale-up significantly with the roll-out of additional resources and investment in technology; expanding their reach across multiple platforms that will increase impact and develop wider visibility of our proposition.
Ashley Cooper, lead investor for the business angel investment syndicate
Encouraging young people to become enterprising is an important step in helping to unlock the longer-term potential of our economy and create opportunity for all. 2B Enterprising captured the hearts and minds of a syndicate of business angels who all recognise the value of syndicate investments and the extra firepower they can bring to companies looking to scale-up.
Carol Hall, Investment Manager, Angels Invest Wales
Education needs to prepare young people for a rapidly changing future and the world of work. Our enterprise education programme teaches broader skills such as resilience, teamwork, communications and problem solving, all of which will help to prepare future generations of leaders and entrepreneurs.
Our growth over the last 18 months is testament to the calibre of our resources and our team. Businesses want to partner with us because they recognise the benefits of developing ambition and enterprise in young people while schools appreciate the fun and interactive way in which we embed entrepreneurial learning. The on-going support of our investment partners is enabling us to make a real difference to thousands of young lives.
Jayne Brewer, Chief Executive, 2B Enterprising
