Co-founded by David Catton and Agustina Memoli, Uplyfted collects used carpet tiles from office refurbishments, professionally cleans them, and redistributes them for installation in social housing.

To date, the company has installed over 20,000m² of renewed flooring across 16 housing associations, cutting emissions by over 90% compared to new tiles and diverting substantial waste from landfill.

The funding will support Uplyfted’s expansion into the commercial office and school markets, by increasing Hannah Priddle’s time with Uplyfted. Hannah is a design expert with 20 years’ experience in the textiles industry.

The investment will provide essential working capital to support the company’s strategic pivot into these higher-margin markets, while funding new warehouse operative positions from April 2026 to meet anticipated demand from commercial contracts.

With approximately eight million m² of carpet tiles replaced prematurely and typically sent to landfill each year in the UK, Uplyfted is well positioned to capitalise on growing corporate demand for sustainable building materials while fulfilling its ambition to reduce CO ₂ emissions.

Agustina Memoli, Director of Uplyfted Services Ltd, said: “This investment from River Capital comes at a crucial time for our business. We’ve proven that renewing once-used carpet tiles ready to be reused can deliver exceptional quality whilst dramatically reducing carbon emissions and waste. With growing pressure on corporations to meet ESG targets and government action to regulate in favour of reusability, we believe it is the right time to scale our operations. The NPIF II funding will enable us to work more closely with stakeholders to bring sustainable flooring solutions to a much wider market.”

Sue Chambers, Investment Manager at River Capital, commented: “Uplyfted is an excellent example of a business that combines strong commercial prospects with genuine environmental and social impact. David and Agustina have built an impressive operation with strong industry connections and they have a clear growth strategy. Their products offer clients significant cost savings whilst dramatically reducing carbon emissions and Uplyfted is ideally placed to capitalise on this growing market. We’re delighted to support their expansion through NPIF II.”

Sue Barnard, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said: “Uplyfted demonstrates the kind of sustainable innovation we’re proud to support through NPIF II. From its base in the North West, the business is reducing waste, lowering carbon emissions and helping organisations transition to more circular building practices. Supporting ambitious companies like this not only drives environmental progress but also strengthens regional economic growth and job creation across the North.”

The £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII) covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunity for new and growing businesses across the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.

 ENDS