A Newcastle-based marketing training academy is looking to expand its global reach after securing a five-figure investment.
Fabric Academy has secured the funding from the North East Small Loan Fund Supported by The European Regional Development Fund.
The company, which was set up at the beginning of the pandemic, creates and provides webinars and courses for marketers of all stages of their careers. It offers a hands-on, real-world approach that identifies the skills required to develop successful marketing campaigns.
Since its inception, more than 600 people have completed its courses with candidates signing up from as far afield as the US, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
The Fabric Academy management team worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to bring in the £45,000 Small Loan Fund investment, which will help to enhance its website and digital marketing activities, as well as to bring in the staff needed to underpin its growth plans.
Its plans include building partnerships with other companies, the first of which involves a London-based internship programme provider which is expected to be revealed at a later date. Two new jobs will also be created in the coming months, with more to follow.
Fabric Academy founder Lisa Eaton said: "We found that there was a real gap between the knowledge that candidates had gained through their studies and the practical skills that are required by industry, so decided to use our own knowledge and experience to start to bridge that gap.
"Our ambition is to see the North East become globally recognised as a centre for marketing excellence and we're now putting the resources in place that we need to help achieve that goal."
Fabric Academy is part of the Scale Up North East programme, which is aimed at supporting North East-based businesses that can demonstrate both the hunger and the potential to achieve high levels of growth, and was referred to NEL by Scale Up North East partner Angelina Bell.
RTC North is behind the Scale Up North East programme, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in conjunction with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Jonathan Armitage, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, added: "Lisa and her team are applying the knowledge they’ve developed through their own successful careers in an accessible programme that has a practical impact on both the marketing skills of its candidates and the commercial performance of their employers and businesses."
Angelina Bell, partner at Scaleup North East, said: "The training solution that Fabric has developed fills a gap in the knowledge of strategic marketing that is fit for purpose and much needed by businesses that are scaling.
"There are so many businesses that hire people with specific skills such as digital marketing but finding someone who can think holistically and develop a solid high level strategic plan that is right for the company is a lot more difficult."