Vision for Growth: Shade Station unlocks £1.35m with NatWest’s innovative intellectual property-backed loan

NatWest press release

• Manchester-based online eyewear retailer Shade Station secures £1.35m through NatWest’s innovative IP-backed loan

• Funding to support global expansion, AI-powered technology development, and launch of smart eyewear e-commerce platform

• NatWest’s High Growth IP loan enables fast-growing businesses to unlock finance using intellectual property as collateral

Shade Station, a leading online retailer of prescription glasses and designer sunglasses, has secured a £1.35 million loan from NatWest, utilising the bank’s IP-backed lending proposition. The funding will support Shade Station’s international expansion, as well as the development of AI-driven e-commerce features and the launch of a new smart eyewear platform, offering glasses capable of displaying digital information directly onto lenses. As part of their ambitious development plans, Shade Station aim to make this ‘next-generation’ eyewear - currently only available via a number of specialist retailers – more readily available to consumers via their innovative portal development.

The smart eyewear platform is expected to undergo a phased launch throughout 2026, initially in the UK and Ireland, before expanding into selected European markets including the Nordics and DACH region. The platform will focus on making next-generation smart glasses accessible to everyday consumers, with features such as heads-up notifications, navigation prompts, real-time translation, fitness and activity insights, and seamless smartphone integration, all delivered through lightweight, everyday eyewear designs.

Early interest from suppliers and brand partners has been strong, with the company already seeing significant inbound demand from manufacturers keen to distribute smart eyewear through a trusted, high-volume e-commerce channel.

Based in Manchester, Shade Station has grown rapidly under its current management team, increasing its annual turnover from £4 million to £22 million. The business is now leveraging its proprietary software and registered trademarks as collateral for NatWest’s High Growth IP-backed loan. Developed in partnership with IP valuation specialists Inngot, this type of loan is enabling businesses to secure finance against their intellectual property, rather than traditional tangible assets. Since its launch in January 2024, the bank has unlocked over £27 million in funding using IP-backed loans, underlining its commitment to supporting the UK’s most innovative scale-ups.

Jon Walden, Chief Operating Officer at Shade Station, commented:

“As an IP-rich business, we have been able to reduce our interest costs by nearly 50% with NatWest’s High Growth IP-backed loan, creating a far more efficient funding structure and delivering meaningful savings for the business.

“This funding allows us to accelerate our international expansion, invest further in our AI-driven platform, and move faster to bring smart eyewear to a much broader audience through a best-in-class e-commerce experience.”

Neil Bellamy, Head of TMT & Services, UK Corporate Coverage at NatWest, said:

“Through NatWest’s High Growth IP-backed loan, customers have the potential to turbo-charge their growth. We revalue IP on an annual basis and have found that our lending has enabled our portfolio of firms to invest in further IP and add greater value to their business - meaning that for every £1 lent by the bank, the value of the underlying IP has increased by £1.32 (132%).”

Guy Boxall, Relationship Director North West Commercial Mid-Market at NatWest, said: “We were very happy with the IP value that Inngot’s platform found. It enabled us to provide Shade Station with sufficient funding for investment and to reduce the outstanding loan as well. The new management team has been in place for two years, and they have done a great job growing both brand recognition and turnover.”