Founder: Joe Burke
Website: www.thirst-solution-com

Founded in 2006 with the help of the Prince’s Trust, Thirst Solutions’ drink dispensing backpacks are already all over concerts, football games and festivals up and down the country. Joe believes that banks are doing little to encourage young entrepreneurs. “I found it very difficult to get a loan,” he says. “Banks pride themselves on been able to do ‘startups’ but all they do is open a bank account. You have to have large collateral and guarantees – they take no risks on new businesses nowadays.”