Curious Agency is a multi-award-winning creative agency based in the East Midlands. Founded by Nish Wickramasinghe – former creative head at one of the Midland’s most-awarded agencies – Curious Agency has worked with some of the biggest brand names in the world. These brands include Meta, Eaton, Grant Thornton, PrimeLife Care Homes, Deichmann, BDO, Octopus Investments, Bibby Financial Services, CIPS, MSDUK, Alcumus/SafeContractor, Nestlé, Whitworths, and P&O Cruises. Powered by an expert team of senior people and talented designers, they focus on client results and revenue, making the complex straightforward. 

 

What challenge did Curious Agency face? 

Following Brexit, the agency faced a shift in its client base. Founding Partner Nish Wickramasinghe explained: 

“Brexit was tough. Clients in the USA and Australia paused work and then moved away to avoid complex payment issues. Then Covid-19 and working from home meant it was harder to contact our clients as they worked out their new routines, which has resulted in a lot of key people moving out of businesses.”

In the face of these challenges, the organisation was looking for ways to ramp up new business activity.

 

How did SEMLEP provide support? 

Curious Agency heard about SEMLEP through the Corby Enterprise Centre – a local business hub. They went on to successfully apply for funding to commence new business activity and Nish was impressed at how straightforward the process was, giving Neil Smith a particular shout out for his “amazing” guidance. 

The application started with a call to discuss the challenges the agency faced and how the grant would help to overcome them. Then came the completion of some straightforward forms – including a 5-year forecast and simple action plan. Curious Agency quickly found they had been successful in their funding application, and, just a few days later, the funds landed in their account. 

As a result of the investment, Curious Agency is nurturing several new business targets and has a number of meetings booked with potential clients.