Eccie and Ginnie Newton

Meet Eccie and Gini Newton, the dynamic duo behind Karma Cans and Karma Kitchen, trailblazing their way through barriers to turn their vision into reality and recently securing a whopping £250m in funding to expand across Europe.

Eccie and Gini, having kickstarted Karma Cans in 2014 at ages 21 and 23, exude tenacity and initiative. From moving kitchens three times in a year to building their own space, giving birth to Karma Kitchen, their journey has been built on revenue, sans investment. Their self-belief and confidence, coupled with embracing competition as proof of concept, have been instrumental in their success.

Collaboration is their secret sauce. Working together, they challenge each other on major decisions, providing diverse perspectives that navigate tough times. Failing isn't feared but embraced as a learning curve. Gini wisely notes, "You only learn from failure. We have failed so many times, and we will fail again, and we’ll pick ourselves up. And that's just part of the business world."

Addressing the gender funding gap, Eccie emphasises the importance of widening access to resources and changing the mindset around pursuing funding. Creating a female-dominated culture in their business early on played a pivotal role in building the confidence to secure funding. Eccie emphasises, "We’ve proved our concept, why not take the next step? Why shouldn't we be the ones?”

For these inspiring entrepreneurs, success lies in doing it your way. Their advice to fellow female entrepreneurs? "Create your own space, do your own thing early, and don't conform too much to a workplace that wasn't designed for you. Embrace the sense of the possible to drive yourself forward."