Festival Loo, an innovative Bristol firm with a mission to make dirty, smelly toilets at music events a thing of the past, has been judged the region’s best new graduate start-up business.
The firm was launched last year but its directors have worked together behind the scenes at major events and festivals for several years. Their clean, non-smelling compost loos are now features at some of the UK’s best-known festivals and the business has also expanded into New Zealand. Their toilets even guarantee never to run out of loo roll.
Festival Loo was one of five businesses that have spun out of the city’s universities in the running for a Lloyds TSB’s Enterprise Award. In total 10 businesses competed in the regional heat with judging taking place last Tuesday morning followed by an award ceremony and lunch in the University of Bristol’s Wills Memorial Building.
The awards aim to find Britain’s best student and graduate entrepreneurs in two categories – Best Start-Up, awarded to a business in its early stages, and Best Enterprise, awarded to the business judged to show real potential to grow over the next five years.
As best South West start-up, Festival Loo won £1,000 plus two years’ mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives. The award judges said they were very impressed with the business and it has great potential.
Oxford-based Yasa, which has developed a motor suitable for electric and hybrid vehicles and the industrial market, won the best South West enterprise award, receiving £5,000 plus two years’ mentoring from senior Lloyds Banking Group representatives
Clutching his award, Festival Loo founder William Goodwin said: “We believe that the plastic Tardis-style loo is not the answer for festivals. Compost loos are the future. They are spacious, airy and always have enough loo paper.”
In fact, each of Festival Loo’s 150 toilets has a loo roll 300m long. On site they are continually checked for cleanliness.
“We believe that if people go into a clean toilet they will keep it clean,” added William. The firm’s three founders each out in several thousand pounds to kick start it and they are now obtaining growth capital from a private investor in London. This year they are doubling the number of loos to 300 but, as William points out, there is huge potential – Glastonbury has 5,500 toilets.
Festival Loos now goes forward to the national Lloyds TSB’s Enterprise Awards final in Liverpool on March 13. The national best start-up gets £10,000 and the best enterprise £50,000 with both receiving two years’ mentoring, a business session with a Lloyds Banking Group executive and free legal advice
The other Bristol firms shortlisted were design consultancy iM Service Design, creative agency Interactive Places, psychology training company and a self-help publications house Mindsport, and The Triathlon Shop.
