Luke Johnstone was living in a shed in his parents’ garden when he started building what would become PACK’D. He had grown up on a council estate, received free school meals and was coaching football to make ends meet while trying to turn an idea into a business.
Today, the frozen smoothie brand turns over more than £7 million a year and sits on the shelves of major UK retailers.
It is the kind of story Britain loves to tell about entrepreneurship: talent finding a way against the odds. But new research from Virgin StartUp suggests founders without money or connections face a much harder path.
Virgin StartUp’s 2026 Founder Barometer report paints a picture of a start-up landscape that is increasingly two-tier. Two thirds (67%) of founders from lower socio-economic backgrounds say they feel unsupported by Westminster, more than double the proportion among founders from upper-middle socio-economic backgrounds (33%).
“Everything takes longer when you don’t have the funds or social capital to access the right support,” Luke said. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. We need more visible role models, better access to networks, more strategic investment and practical routes to market so that brilliant ideas aren’t held back by someone’s background.”
Packd
The cost of an uneven playing field
The divide is especially clear when it comes to finance. Just 27% of founders from lower socio-economic backgrounds feel financially confident, compared with 70% of those from higher socio-economic backgrounds.
Financial strain is taking a personal toll too. One in three founders (33%) says their mental health has worsened in the past six months, up from 18% in 2025. Among founders from lower socio-economic backgrounds, that figure rises to 43%, compared with 15% of founders from higher socio-economic backgrounds.
Harry Kinnaird | Virgin
Fixing the front door
Despite these pressures, founders have not lost their ambition. Nearly six in 10 (59%) are prioritising sales growth over the next 12 months. The challenge is ensuring that people with strong ideas have a fair chance to turn that ambition into a sustainable business.
Virgin StartUp wants to “fix the front door” to entrepreneurship,so that ambition and ability, not background, determine who gets the chance to succeed.
Andy Fishburn MBE, Managing Director of Virgin StartUp, said: “Britain is full of people with the ideas and ambition to build strong businesses. As someone from the North East, I know that talent exists in every part of the country, but a founder’s background still has far too much bearing on their chances of succeeding.
“If the UK wants to unlock its full entrepreneurial potential, we need to fix the front door to entrepreneurship by widening access to finance, networks and practical support. Supporting today’s start-ups must be an economic priority.”
Since 2013, Virgin StartUp has backed more than 7,000 entrepreneurs with £100 million in Start Up Loans, and continues to build a founder community where people can find the advice, funding and connections that background alone shouldn’t determine.
Luke’s story shows what’s possible when talent gets a genuine shot. The Founder Barometer is a reminder of how much talent is still waiting for one.