Benjamin grew up in Romford, before leaving home to study Architectural Engineering and Design Management at Loughborough University. He started his first business aged 16 – a clothing brand called Black Spade. However, the intellectual property was stolen after Benjamin failed to trademark the logo and register the company, something he was unaware of at the time.
Walkie came about after Benjamin’s experience with his first business, Black Spade, which gained local and national attention. From that business, he discovered there was a gap in the market for a product which connects people to exercise, and from that, Walkie was born.
Forward’s Enterprise services have provided Benjamin with key support that has helped him to develop Walkie:
“I have benefitted from 4 months of business support with an advisor who has helped me to evaluate my next steps properly and educated me on how to be ready for launch.”
Through the programme, Benjamin has also been awarded a £1,000 grant, which has helped him to launch the app.
Through Forward’s Enterprise service, Benjamin has built the foundations for his business’ next steps. These will include joining a tech accelerator, securing funding, and building a monopoly for his business:
“I am passionate about helping to reduce obesity and loneliness in our society and this passion will drive me towards my goal of reaching 10,000 users by the end of 2026. Over the long term, I want to gain millions (and hopefully billions!) of users.”
