A six-figure investment from Bristol Private Equity Club has helped fast-growing women’s fitness brand This Mum Runs step up to the next level.
Launched with a single Facebook post in 2014, the trailblazing Bristol-based business is now one of the fastest-growing businesses in the city. 
With 35,000 members worldwide, a team of highly qualified ‘Run Makers’ and an on-trend clothing range, This Mum Runs aims to empower all women = not just in terms of their personal fitness but also mental wellbeing and ambition.
The business has now attracted £156,000 in investment funds from Bristol Private Equity Club, which will be used to scale up its community ready for a global roll-out as well as expanding its home-grown clothing brand.
This Mum Runs Founder and chief executive Mel Bound, pictured, said: “I had posted an appeal on Facebook for some mums to run with and more than 75 women turned up!
“This showed me there was a massive need – and a massive gap in the market. From that first moment we have grown to 35,000 members worldwide.
“We aim to give all women, particularly the ones who had dropped out of regular exercise for whatever reason, and remove many of the barriers women face to regular exercise.”
This Mum Runs has 400 volunteer Run Angels who are trained to lead free weekly runs across 30 park locations in Bristol, Bath and London. The company is listed as a Sunday TimesTop 100 ‘Disrupter’brand and is one of just seven female-founded businesses.
The plan over the next two-to-three years is to build a global brand with up to 250,000 mums running in branded clothing in towns and cities across the world.
Mum of two and former marketing director Mel said the investment from Bristol Private Equity Club was important in enabling This Mum Runs to step up to the next level.
“Investment at this point is crucial in aggressively scaling up our community ready for a global roll out. It will also help us boost sales of our in-house apparel,” she said.
The eye-catching clothing range has been designed by Mel with help and suggestions from eight-year-old daughter Lyla.
“I believe it’s important to show our children you can do something you love and build it up from scratch and have success,” she added.
Bristol Private Equity Club founding member Jerry Barnes said: “This Mum Runs has progressed from its almost accidental launch to idealistic start-up to successful business in a startlingly short time.
“The clothing range they have road-tested around Bristol is eye-catching and popular with ‘can-do’ slogans which are inspiring women who haven’t run since their school days to give This Mum Runs a go.
“We were completely bowled over by their focus and determination to get the business offering just right for women of all fitness levels in Bristol.”
Bristol Private Equity Club enables those who have been successful in business to pass on their expertise and vital funds to businesses that can convince them they have a bright future.
The club was founded in 2016 and has grown from six to 70 members, primarily supporting projects requiring between £100,000 and £500,000 of equity funding. Some 14 businesses have so far received equity funding totalling more than £3m.
