A Bristol tech company that collates different “fun” activities on offer in the city region has launched its platform Birmingham.
Yuup was developed during the first lockdown in 2020 to help hundreds of small creative business owners offering experiences – such as art, exercise and food classes – to reach a wider audience.
The company, which also operates in Bath, has launched 90 experiences in Birmingham, including canal boat gin tasting; circus skills; film screenings; flower arranging; knitting, life drawing; perfumery; photography; rock climbing; silver jewellery making; sustainable skincare; Vietnamese cooking; walking tours; and wine tasting.
Yuup has said it is planning to add more Birmingham activities in the coming months – from established local businesses looking to generate additional income streams to side hustlers using its platform to share a passion while earning some extra cash.
The business said it was also “keen” to hear from other creators and independent businesses in the West Midlands who would like to host experiences in the city. Yuup, makes its tech available for free to businesses but takes a percentage of any sales. It also helps the firms with marketing and promotion.
“We’re really excited about this next important step to ‘scale up’ our work to support local communities,” said co-founder Dominic Mills. “Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for us to deliver this impact – the local communities we work with in Bristol and Birmingham, our investors, our partners, and of course the phenomenal Yuup team.”
Mr Mills, who has a background working for digital agencies, came up with the idea for Yuup after trying to buy an experience gift in Bristol and struggling to find the right thing. He launched the company 15 months ago with five former colleagues.
Since going live, Yuup has booked 29,000 experiences through its platform and generated £750,000 for local Bristol indie businesses, it said.
