Dan Levene, co-founder of Two Blues Solar, is among 14 businesses announced today as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors.
Dan Levene, co-founder of Two Blues Solar, a solar panel installation business which addresses the growing demand for sustainable solutions to help drive the nation’s transition to net-zero, is among 14 businesses announced today as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors.
Two Blues Solar is a solar energy company that funds the procurement, installation, and ongoing maintenance of solar panels for clients previously unable to access cheaper, renewable energy. By tapping into a growing market, they aim to make renewable energy more accessible, offering tailored solar installations that power corporate buildings to help reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a greener future.
They often install the panels on warehouse roofs, where occupants rent space, making solar panels commercially unviable. Now, businesses can rent the panels, and the energy, directly from Two Blues Solar.
Dan and his co-founder Dillon Cane each took a loan of £25,000, accessed via Virgin StartUp, to hire two additional employees who have been instrumental to growing the business and improving their prospecting pipeline.
The business was founded after Dan and Dillon learned that the UK’s solar energy ambitions could be fulfilled until 2035 if every south-facing warehouse roof had solar panels installed. They both had previous experience in the commercial property sector, and once the gap in the market was spotted, Two Blues Solar was born.
The annual Start Up Loans Ambassadors programme, now in its ninth year, celebrates inspiring UK business owners who have launched an enterprise using finance from the government-backed scheme. The Ambassadors have been selected as they demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and determination required to make a smaller business successful, and to provide inspiration for entrepreneurs across the UK.
Dan Levene, co-founder of Two Blues Solar, said: “The finance from Start Up Loans helped us to hire two people fully focused on procuring contracts, which really helped us to grow. The whole process from applying for, and then receiving, the loan, was straightforward and hassle-free, which helped protect our time so we could focus on the business.
“Both Dillon and I would highly recommend accessing finance through the Start Up Loans scheme. Our first installation project is about to go live and without the finance, I’m not sure we would ever have reached this point.”
The 2024 Ambassadors will be introduced at an event in central London that marks the start of a year-long programme which will see the new Ambassadors take part in a series of local and national activities, helping inspire and encourage aspiring start-up founders to take the leap into business ownership.
Louise McCoy, Commercial Managing Director of Small Business Lending at Start Up Loans, said: “I am delighted to welcome Dan Levene, co-founder of Two Blues Solar as the new Ambassador for London. He embodies the determination and drive that is required of a business owner in the current climate. I know that he will inspire others to follow their dream of becoming a business owner and I am very much looking forward to working with him and helping to share his story.”
Since its inception, the Start Up Loans programme has delivered more than 115,000 loans to business owners across the UK, amounting to more than £1.1bn of finance. Of those loans, 40% of loan recipients have been women and 20% from Black, Asian, and Other Minority Ethnic backgrounds (not including White Minorities).
Through a network of business support partner organisations, the Start Up Loans programme provides:
- access to pre-and-post loan support to help applicants to develop a business plan
- fixed-interest first and second loans of up to £25,000 to help recipients to start or grow their business
- mentoring support to help loan recipients with everything from cash flow to marketing.
