The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust

What The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust does

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT), now operating as Youth Business Scotland, is a registered Scottish charity (SC007066) founded in 1989 and headquartered in Glasgow. The organization supports young people aged 18-30 in Scotland to start and continue in business, acting as a "lender of last resort" for those unable to obtain funding from traditional sources. PSYBT provides startup loans, a minimum two-year Aftercare Programme delivered through a network of nearly 800 volunteers, regional mentoring, and multiple awards programs (Growth Fund, Jolomo, Moffat, John Connor, BT Scotland Young E-ntrepreneurs). The organization also hosts Elevator networking clubs, Business Cafés, and "Get Enterprising" events across 19+ Scottish regions.

PSYBT's service model is delivered through an in-person regional volunteer network supported by a modest technology layer comprising an Interactive Business Directory (allowing supported businesses to inter-trade) and an Online Aftercare System (developed with Microsoft Scotland and The Wood Family Trust). Supplementary resources include a downloadable Business Start-up Guide and Business Plan Template. The organization has historically disbursed over £2.46 million via its Growth Fund, achieving an 81% business survival rate, and BT Scotland alone invested over £535,000 across 11 years in the Young E-ntrepreneurs programme helping 160+ businesses start.

PSYBT operates as a nonprofit with no equity holders, relying on donations from individuals, businesses, and charitable trusts (Robertson Trust, Brown Shipley, Stewart Ivory Foundation, Moffat Charitable Trust, Laidlaw Youth Project), corporate sponsors, and public-sector supporters (NDA/Magnox Ltd, European Regional Development Fund). Its annual fundraising target is approximately £1M. Following a 2011 merger with The Prince's Trust Scotland, PSYBT was rebranded Youth Business Scotland and now operates within The Prince's Trust umbrella, extending its remit into broader youth employment, education, and training services.

Name

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust

Legal name

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust

Website

https://psybt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (Youth Business Scotland) is a Scottish registered charity that provides startup loans, mentoring, and a two-year aftercare programme to young people aged 18-30 across Scotland, supported by ~800 volunteers and operating as part of The Prince's Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship support
• Startup business loans
• Business mentoring services
• Aftercare programme
• Charitable trust funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Grants: PSYBT operates as a charity relying on donations from individuals, businesses, charitable trusts and foundations. They receive funding from trusts like The Robertson Trust, corporate sponsors like Brown Shipley, and public sector supporters. The organization acts as a 'lender of last resort' for young entrepreneurs unable to obtain funding elsewhere.
2. Trust and Foundation Funding: Significant funding from trusts including The Robertson Trust (£75,000 for Scottish Borders, over £250,000 total since 2005), Stewart Ivory Foundation (sponsors bookkeeping course), Laidlaw Youth Project, and various other trusts supporting the Growth Fund.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Three-year partnership with Brown Shipley providing £15,000 to support young entrepreneurs. BT Scotland invested over £535,000 in the Young E-ntrepreneurs programme over 11 years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PSYBT is a registered charity that provides funding, mentoring, and a minimum two-year Aftercare Programme to young people in Scotland aged 18-30 to help them start and continue in business. It acts as a lender of last resort for those unable to obtain finance elsewhere, and also runs the Growth Fund for existing businesses, networking events (Elevator clubs), and an interactive Business Directory of supported Scottish businesses.

Product overview

The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT), now known as Youth Business Scotland, offers a comprehensive suite of youth entrepreneurship support services rather than a traditional technology product. The core offering centers on Youth Business Scotland, a support program providing funding, mentoring, and a minimum two-year Aftercare Programme to help young people (primarily 18-30 years old) start and continue in business. Supporting this core service are resource tools including a downloadable Business Start-up Guide and Business Plan Template. The organization operates the Elevator Club networking event program across Scottish regions and manages various awards programs including the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Growth Fund Awards, Jolomo PSYBT Awards, Moffat Awards for Travel and Tourism, John Connor Awards, and BT Scotland Young E-ntrepreneurs Awards. Technology platforms include an Interactive Business Directory for supported businesses to inter-trade and an Online Aftercare System for communications and reporting. Fundraising and networking events include the annual Alliance Trust Cateran YOMP, PSYBT Golf Day, and Volunteer Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Growth Fund: A funding scheme providing growth funding to PSYBT supported entrepreneurs between 18 and 31 who have been trading for at least one year and want to expand their business.
• Jolomo PSYBT Awards
• Moffat Awards for Travel and Tourism
• John Connor Awards

Products and services

• Youth Business Scotland Programme A youth business support program helping young people in Scotland aged 18-30 start up and continue in business through funding, mentoring, and aftercare support.
• Growth Fund A funding scheme providing growth funding to PSYBT-supported entrepreneurs aged 18-31 who have been trading for at least one year and want to expand their business.
• PSYBT Aftercare Programme A minimum two-year guidance programme providing ongoing support to young entrepreneurs after they start their businesses, including volunteer mentoring and networking.
• Elevator Club Free business networking clubs for young people aged 18-30 who are in business or thinking about going into business, held across various Scottish regions including Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh, Borders, and Fife.
• Interactive Business Directory A searchable online directory of Scottish businesses supported by PSYBT, filterable by region and business type, enabling inter-trading and networking among supported businesses.
• Online Aftercare System An interactive system enabling PSYBT to communicate with and support clients, volunteers and partners, and to report on the impact of its work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 195 Growth Fund businesses funded with £2.46 million, creating 290 jobs in last 12 months; 81% continue trading
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, minor and major.

• Microsoft ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported PSYBT's IT developments enabling the interactive Business Directory and Online Aftercare System. PSYBT expressed gratitude for this support without which the IT developments would not have happened.
• The Prince's TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSYBT is now Youth Business Scotland, part of The Prince's Trust. Two of Scotland's leading youth charities joined forces to offer even more support to young people. The Prince's Trust Scotland supports disadvantaged young people into education, training and employment.
• Fundación ImpulsarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSYBT collaborated with Argentina-based Fundación Impulsar during Social Media Week for a live streaming innovation challenge with Youth Business International partners.
• Youth Business InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of youth entrepreneurship organizations; PSYBT participates in international initiatives including People's Choice Award competitions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Youth Business International: Global network of youth entrepreneurship organizations of which PSYBT is a member; comparable non-profit model providing funding, mentoring, and support to young entrepreneurs across more than 50 countries.
• Key Fund: UK social enterprise investor providing blended finance (loans and grants) to start-ups and growing social enterprises in the North of England and Midlands; comparable mission of early-stage, high-risk funding to disadvantaged founders.
• Shell LiveWIRE: UK-wide programme (now run by The Prince's Trust) supporting young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 with funding, awards, and mentoring; very similar target beneficiary and product set to PSYBT.
• The Prince's Trust: UK's leading youth charity supporting disadvantaged young people into education, training, and employment; parent organization of PSYBT following the 2011 merger and direct peer in youth entrepreneurship and employability support.
• UnLtd: UK charity supporting social entrepreneurs with seed funding, mentoring, and awards; comparable mission of backing underrepresented founders with early-stage capital and non-financial support.
• Enterprise Nation: UK membership community and support platform for small business founders offering resources, events, and mentoring; comparable audience of early-stage UK entrepreneurs.
• Start-Up Loans Company: UK government-backed provider of low-interest loans and mentoring to under-30s starting businesses; direct competitor/alternative for PSYBT's target beneficiary with similar lending-and-support model.
• Co-operative & Community Finance: UK ethical lender providing loan finance to co-operatives, community enterprises, and social businesses; comparable model of patient capital and non-financial support to under-served UK founders.

Broad incumbents

• Big Issue Invest: UK social investment arm of The Big Issue providing loans and grants to social enterprises and charities; broader remit than PSYBT but operates in adjacent 'social finance for under-served founders' space.

Emerging players

• School for Social Entrepreneurs: UK charity delivering training programmes and support for social entrepreneurs and community-minded founders; partial overlap with PSYBT in supporting mission-driven early-stage ventures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-prince's-scottish-youth-business-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust