Virgin StartUp Reviews 44

Applied on 3rd February — still no decision 4 months later.

For an organisation that claims to support entrepreneurs, the process is shockingly inefficient. It’s time-consuming, repetitive, and communication is almost non-existent. I keep getting emails encouraging me to apply, yet my actual application hasn’t moved.

I’ve submitted multiple business plans, often repeating the same information, and been asked basic questions you’d expect business advisors to already understand. Some requests have been unrealistic too — like asking for backdated address changes on bank statements (which isn’t even possible) and proof of savings when the whole point of the loan is to provide a financial buffer.

Despite already having a credit check, they carried out another hard search without clear communication — and then nothing.

I’ve spent 4 months chasing updates with zero urgency from their side, while this delay has directly impacted my business decisions, including having to reconsider my lease.

Also worth noting: this is marketed as a business loan, but it’s actually a personal loan — not made clear upfront.

I have now checked my application status and it has now said my application has timed out and I need to apply again!

Overall, a frustrating and disappointing experience. 4 months for no answer is completely unacceptable. My review will stand unless there is a update or change on this matter and will be looking to feedback this to the senior leadership team.

Update; No surprises after this review, my application was rejected before it was presented to the panel despite being saying it just needs to go through the panel and the paperwork to be sent out with new excuses. They rejected it on the basis of what information they had already known and the causation of such a important delayed process has caused- Thank you very much Virgin!

Virgin StartUp is just Fab!
I took part in the empowerment programme last year and the Virgin StartUp team were just the best. So helpful, kind and positive. The programme was fantastic. Following, there is consistent opportunities to network, engage in a great platform and receive assistance. I can't recommend enough!

Amazing — I met some really great mentors, including Radha Vyas, and attended some genuinely inspiring talks from Simon Squibb and Timothy Armoo.

I received a Start Up Loan from Virgin StartUp at the beginning of 2025 for my business, Krocus & Co., and I honestly can’t speak highly enough of the experience.

From day one, the team has been absolutely phenomenal. I felt supported, encouraged, and genuinely part of a wider community from the moment the loan was approved through to joining the Premium Membership. It never felt transactional, it felt human.

The Virgin StartUp community opened doors I never expected. Through events, exposure, and ongoing support, my brand reached new audiences and gained real visibility. The Premium Membership has been especially valuable, offering incredible mentoring opportunities and one-to-one calls with experienced, successful founders. As an early-stage entrepreneur, having direct access to people who have built multi-million-pound businesses is something truly special and not easily found elsewhere.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Virgin StartUp’s loan and Premium Membership to anyone starting or growing a business. It’s an outstanding place to begin and to grow with confidence.

COULDN'T RECOMMEND HIGHLY ENOUGH. I had the privilege of working with Virgin Start up on 3 occasions now. First, I got funding from the Start up Loan- the process was handled amazingly. My situation isn't straight forward but the team were clear with what they needed from me, and very patient and understanding to learn more about my situation and help me get approved for the loan. 2. my business was accepted into the EMPOWER100 cohort which provide a lot of support and mentorship for the business which has proved very helpful. And finally, we were asked to trade at their Christmas market which was a great opportunity to meet the wider team. I also made great business connections that I wasn't expecting. Overall a wonderful experience . THANK YOU VIRGIN for supporting !

I applied for a Start Up Loan through Virgin StartUp and spent weeks preparing every single document, forecast, and business plan exactly as requested. Throughout the whole process, no one mentioned that my type of business or loan purpose might fall outside of their lending guidelines.

Only after everything was submitted and reviewed did they send a short rejection email saying my application “falls outside of the lending guidelines”, with no explanation of what exactly was wrong or why this wasn’t made clear earlier.

If they had been transparent from the beginning, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time and effort. It feels like they let applicants go through a long and exhausting process just to reject them with a copy-paste message.

Very disappointing experience, poor communication, no accountability, and no respect for applicants’ time.

I'm grateful to Virgin StartUp for their thoughtful process and providing support for me to launch my business. Emma was really helpful, genuine, and supportive with her questions and advice! Thank you for Virgin StartUp for investing in the journey of founders and giving us community.

As a first-time founder, navigating the early stages of building a business has felt pretty overwhelming at times, but Virgin StartUp has been an incredible support!

From the Start Up Loan programme to the community events and expert-led expos, every part has been epic.

The team are incredibly engaged and supportive, and the opportunities I’ve had to network, pitch, and learn from other founders through events like the Purposeful Procurement Expo have been unrivalled.

Beyond the funding support, what I’ve really valued is the culture Virgin embodies - brave, human and visionary. As a part of the community you get access to brilliant people, exciting opportunities, and a belief in what you’re building.

Couldn’t recommend them more!

Bringing like-minded founders together in a warm and welcoming community - amazing.
I recommend attending the in-person events and meeting fellow founders and the helpful members of the Virgin teams.
James
Alt P

I can’t thank Virgin StartUp enough for their support with my Start Up Loan application. Emma was incredibly helpful, responsive, and genuinely encouraging throughout the entire process. She really took the time to understand my business and made what could have been an overwhelming experience feel smooth and positive. I’m so excited to move forward with my launch, and I honestly couldn’t have done it without her support. Highly recommend!

Your money should be in your account in 13 days. Why isn't my money in. The guy is on holiday he will be back Thursday. Since then no answer to emails or phone calls. Waste of time

The team at Virgin Startup really care. I love how invested and passionate they are about their mission, and how generous they are with their help and support.

I've been using the Virgin StartUp resources and participating in programmes like StepUp since 2019. Virgin StartUp brings in experts and leaders to share their entrepreneurial journey with budding entrepreneurs through 1 to 1 mentoring sessions as well as speaker series called Changemakers. The Virgin StartUp team are super supportive and care about the growth and development of startups. I've found the community of fellow startup founders very welcoming and friendly and enjoy learning from each other.

Virgin startups provide us with the most amazing supportive network. They have been literally like one of the family, taking time out of their days to support us. There events are incredible. Thank you for supporting nanas chutneys.

Virgin start-up is an amazing organisation built on key core values which you can see in the way people work with you and even in the office surroundings!
The support structure is 2nd to none and the community is vibrant
I have been amazed at how much support is available and with the regular monthly events it just had so much more value.
The inspiration here is an extension of Richard Branson‘s!

Emma was fantastic from start to finish. Went the extra mile to speed up the process. Highly recommend.

This startup claims to offer loans to entrepreneurs, but it’s nothing more than a scam. They make big promises, but when it’s time to deliver, they disappear. No real support, no transparency, just excuses. Thankfully, the picture in my bio saved me from falling even deeper into their trap and help me withdraw my lost funds. Stay far away from this fraudulent company

If you're unfamiliar with Virgin StartUp (VS), there's a huge number of steps before you actually get your loan decision.

As in, you submit an application (which includes a full business plan), it is reviewed, then it is passed to a senior advisor, they review it again, there's back and forth/ editing with the senior advisor, then your application is submitted to a 'panel', they review it AGAIN– you get the idea.

Given that what they're offering is an unsecured personal loan, I think this is quite silly. I would understand if it was a grant or for a large sum of money, but for the amount I was requesting (10k)– unnecessary hoop jumping.

I've got to pay the bloody thing back!

I passed the initial credit check/business plan review and was transferred to a senior advisor (I am going to keep names anonymous)

The senior advisor was, at first, very helpful and keen to progress things along. I would say that in the week following our meeting, they seemed to be asking a lot of questions that, really, could have been asked prior to meeting.

There were also several points in the week that followed where I had to: repeat parts of my business plan after already explaining, clarify elements that were clearly explained in the business plan.

This felt quite disappointing, and perhaps indicates that the senior consultants have more applications than they can realistically handle.

After a lot of back and forth following our meeting, the application was submitted to the "panel".

It's important to note that the advisor wanted me to change large portions of my business plan, advised to change the payment terms I was requesting, advised against using the funds for things I had clearly researched, explained, and backed up with evidence.

Basically, it barely resembled the original strategy by the time they were finished with it. Some of their points were insightful and useful, whilst others I didn't agree with at all (but went along with it).

As I say, an absurd amount of hoop jumping but I stayed patient in the hopes of securing the money.

The application was submitted to the "panel" 12 days ago. In an email, my advisor said it had been submitted and that they had 2 working days to respond. They also said they were going on annual leave until the 17th, so a colleague would be in touch with updates.

From the 5th till the 17th I received nothing. The colleague didn't reach out, the "panel" hadn't made a decision, no one had contacted me to check in.

The advisor came back from annual leave today. After a very feigned apology for the huge delay, he explained that the application had been reviewed. The "panel" wanted to know:

Why am I applying for a loan and not just using my own money?

When will my website be done and how am I going to pay for it? (Bizarre)

How long have I lived at each address over the last 3 years?

At this point, with more hoop jumping and the massive delay, I am at my wit's end.

I'm sorry– is it not fairly obvious why anyone seeks a loan rather than using their own money.

The website also has absolutely nothing to do with my application or business plan, this is a project I have been working on. The loan was requested mostly for marketing spend and some audio/visual equipment.

After this, I told the advisor to can my application.

What was a productive process at the start turned into repetitive hoop jumping with seemingly no purpose. As if the barriers for entry weren't high enough for SMEs, we have application processes like this.

I understand that VS need to mitigate risk for themselves and be thorough, but this was honestly painful by the end. It felt unnecessarily long, quite intrusive at points, and ultimately wasted a massive amount of my time.

I wouldn't recommend anyone go through this process. Honestly, you're best off going elsewhere.

Very informative conversation

The VirginStartUp team was very helpfull and the event has been amazing and informative. Great networking experience and the guest speaker.