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Bonser and Mathers launch British Design Fund

John Mathers, ex-CEO of the Design Council, has teamed up with design entrepreneur Damon Bonser to launch the British Design Fund, an early stage investment fund for start-up UK product design and manufacturing companies.

Bonser is founding CEO of the British Design Fund, with Mathers joining him as director of the scheme, which aims to provide funding to help consumer product and hardware-based start-ups take their products to market. Funding will be available to Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)-qualifying companies.

The initiative will also offer advice from a panel of experts – including Mathers and Bonser – on relevant market sector know-how to help entrepreneurs accelerate their product to market, along with the funding they need to prototype, test and set up manufacturing.

Bonser said: “The UK has the second largest design sector in the world, yet there is an astonishing lack of equity funding into early stage product design and hardware businesses. Most product start-ups are relying upon innovation grants and crowdfunding platforms to get their first products off the ground – if they’re lucky. The British Design Fund aims to fill that gap and help entrepreneurs like myself significantly increase their chance of success in such a thriving sector.”

Mathers added: “During my role at the Design Council, I saw how significantly fast the UK’s design sector is growing – not just in size but in its contribution to the UK economy. With almost £72bn generated in 2015 alone, it makes no sense why funding is so low for the sector. That’s what has driven me to help drive in the sector a change and join Damon in launching the British Design Fund.”

Damon is a serial entrepreneur with more than 10 years’ experience in building, running and selling international businesses within the creative sector. He specialises in managing product development and manufacturing, as well as establishing successful routes to market, with extensive experience of selling into blue chip retailers across the world.

Mathers is a well-respected name in the design world, holding positions such as president at the DBA, chief executive at Holmes & Marchant, chief operating officer at Blue Marlin and senior roles at Fitch and Enterprise IG. Prior to his role on the British Design Fund, Mathers was chief executive at the Design Council for four years.

Bonser set up the British Design Fund with backing from Sapphire Capital Partners LLP and Twenty20 Mentoring Ltd.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alex Sampson .