Social media start-up secures funding for expansion

A start-up company based in Hackney has secured funding to continue helping mums to get back into work.

Digital Mums, which provides online social media training and flexible work, has secured £285,000 to enable it to expand.

Training

Funding was provided by David Kershaw and Jeremy Sinclair, founders of M&C Saatchi, with additional investment from Big Venture Challenge, a company that invests in social entrepreneurs to enable them to grow their business.

Digital Mums was launched by Nikki Cochrane and Kathryn Tyler in 2014 to help unemployed mothers. The company provides a number of opportunities for mothers seeking work, including training and work experience.

The company trains up media professionals to enable them to become social media experts on a flexible, part-time basis. According to the company, many women who study the programme secure permanent employment.

Global expansion

Currently, Digital Mums is made up of 21 members of staff and is currently training its 300th participant.

The company will be using the funding to expand outside of London in 2016 and 2017, and will continue to reinvest 10 per cent of its profits into a bursary fund for mothers who are on a low income.

Commenting on successfully securing funding, Digital Mums’ Kathryn Tyler said: “Maternal unemployment is a major problem in so many countries across the world. We have raised investment specifically to help scale our reach in the UK and crucially, to help us achieve global expansion.”