What began as a £5,000 start-up in Leeds has grown into an international success story. Yorkshire entrepreneur Tayo Adebisi, founder of Tilz Prosperitas, is now exporting her popular gift sets
and Advent calendars across Europe — and preparing to break into the US and Canadian markets.
The company’s global push comes after securing up to £200,000 in trade finance loans, unlocked through an Export Assist referral from UK Export Finance (UKEF) — the government’s export credit agency. The funding, brokered by Dynamic Funding, will help Tilz Prosperitas meet soaring demand in Europe and fulfil new orders from major North American retailers.
Adebisi launched her e-commerce brand, TilzCollection, in 2017 with just £5,000 in start-up capital. Within four years, she had turned it into a £3 million business. But the pandemic hit cash flow hard, creating delays with suppliers and shipments, and putting new product development on hold.
Alissia Deane, UKEF Export Finance Manager for West Yorkshire, said: “Trade finance can be the key that unlocks international growth for British exporters, especially for smaller businesses. Tilz Prosperitas is a perfect example of how the right financial backing can help UK companies seize opportunities in multiple markets simultaneously.
We’re particularly pleased to support a female-led business breaking into competitive sectors like retail and e-commerce across Europe and North America”.
Tayo Adebisi, Founder and CEO of Tilz Prosperitas, said: “When I started TilzMart with £5,000 eight years ago, I never imagined we’d be supplying major retailers across Europe and North America. The pandemic taught us how crucial flexible finance is for growth - we had the orders but couldn’t bridge the gap between paying suppliers and receiving payments.
This funding has been transformational, allowing us to confidently take on larger contracts and expand into new markets”.
Alex Kourti, Dynamic Funding, said: “Tilz Prosperitas perfectly illustrates why we’re passionate at Dynamic Funding about supporting exporters who traditional lenders might not fully understand. It’s brilliant to see her business now confidently fulfilling orders across multiple continents - that’s the kind of British export success story we’re proud to enable”.
UKEF’s support for Tilz Prosperitas forms part of the government’s Plan for Change, aimed at expanding access to flexible finance for small and medium-sized exporters. In the last financial year, UKEF provided a record £14.5 billion in new financing, helping over 667 UK companies export and grow, and supporting up to 70,000 jobs nationwide.
The announcement coincides with the Regional Investment Summit, a landmark event bringing together business leaders, investors, policymakers, and local government to showcase the UK’s regional growth and investment opportunities.