19-year-old David Humpston has been on quite a journey in the last few years – from competing in semi-professional motor racing to being one of brightest young businessmen in the country. Support was close to home for the Aylesbury-based entrepreneur, as he became a member of Buckinghamshire Business First and received a £5,000 Velocity Growth Grant to help his business, Viewpoint, get off the ground.
Viewpoint is a video production company that creates action footage for leisure venues, giving people the chance to star in their very own instantly-shareable action video while enjoying karting, paintballing, skydiving and much more. In its first year, it has supplied footage and equipment to the BBC, BT Sport and EuroSport HD. But how did David get Viewpoint to that stage?
"The grant is a brilliant help"
One source of help was the Velocity Growth Grant. David takes up the story: “I came into contact with Buckinghamshire Business First when I met with their business support team on a visit to Amersham & Wycombe College while I was studying on the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy course. I found out about available grants and was then guided through the application process for a Velocity Growth Grant. This guidance certainly helped me succeed in getting a £5,000 grant. The grant is a brilliant help, especially at this early growth stage!”
What did David spend the money on? “The grant has been used to buy camera equipment which, while obviously being essential to what we do, is vital to procure at this early stage to scale the business quickly. We have already been able to partner with several leisure venues, including Rogue Racing (Rogue Leisure) which is based locally. I’m aiming to turnover £100,000 in the first year, so any help at this stage goes a long way!”
David still has some of the grant money left to invest and plans to purchase more camera equipment and invest in advertising, such as the use of artwork for point of sale at each venue.
David’s potential has been spotted by many, which is why he has been named National Entrepreneur of the Year by the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, received funding from Richard Branson’s Virgin StartUp and was the winner of the Edge Challenge, a national enterprise competition which saw him receive his prize from then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
When asked what the next step is, it is no surprise to hear that David has no intention of slowing down. “The aim is for Viewpoint to partner with more leisure venues and to scale up the business in order to get economies of scale. In the long term I want to manufacture products which could be retailed through partnered venues.”
David is a testament to why Buckinghamshire is the Entrepreneurial Heart of Britain, showing that age is no barrier when you have vision and determination.
Learn more about Velocity Growth Grants
Find out more about the Velocity Growth Grants by requesting a meeting with one of our Business Support team, calling 01494 568941 or emailing BusinessSupport@bbf.uk.com.