Louise Doyle is the visionary co-founder and CEO of needi, a corporate gifting service that uses AI-powered gift-matching technology to connect businesses with the perfect sustainable gifts while supporting local independent businesses.
Alongside co-founder Steph Scholes, needi has grown to work with over 150 B2B clients, including high-profile companies like Microsoft, Spotify, and Virgin, generating over £1 million in sales for small businesses. Louise’s dedication to reducing waste through meaningful, eco-friendly gifts sets needi apart in the corporate gifting space, known for its efficiency, personalisation, and innovative, feel-good gifting experience.
As a mother of 20-month-old twins and a 6-year-old, Louise continues to drive needi’s innovation, helping the company scale towards its £5 million sales target for local businesses in the next five years.
Can you tell us a little about your background and your company?
I’m Louise Doyle, the co-founder and CEO of needi, a corporate gifting service that uses AI-powered gift-matching technology to connect businesses with the perfect sustainable gifts while supporting local independent businesses.
What inspired you to start your business?
My co-founder Steph Scholes and I were working together at a Global Social Enterprise which had over 40 staff globally, and because it was a social enterprise, salaries were often limited which meant we had to find unique and creative ways to keep them motivated. One of the ways we did that was to find gifts on sites such as Etsy, Amazon and Not on the High Street and send them to the staff to show they were really appreciated. We quickly found this difficult though, as it was difficult to coordinate gifts that would get there on time, especially with a gift message and wrapped. We also struggled to find sustainable or personalised products.
This is when the idea for needi was born. We ordered gifts for our clients as well and we just had the best staff retention. We increased our staff and client retention by huge amounts and that’s where the idea for needi came from. We realised it was having a great effect on our own staff and we could do it for other people as well. On the gifting side of things too, when I was pregnant, my favourite maternity gifts weren’t the baby grows or the flowers I was given – it was actually a cleaner that my friend got me for six hours who tidied away the flowers and made me feel human again. It was another part of our vision. We’ve got a real passion for giving people gifts that they want and need instead of just stuff they will throw away.
How did you create awareness for your brand?
We knew from the start that networking was going to be really important for us, we wanted to build a fast-paced, large-scale company and wanted to fundraise. We started by just updating people in the corporate world on what we were doing and showed we were market-fit by getting some excellent merchants onboard, gradually with more networking, we got introduced to investors and we put a pitch together.
What strategies helped you secure funding and scale your business?
We constantly updated everybody who could potentially invest in us with what we were doing, we kept a pitch deck and all of our figures and updates really clear for them. We became really good at explaining our story and goals and building a lot of really strong, positive relationships. We also graduated from The Founder Institute which put us in a really good place to start our initial fundraising. Our subsequent funding came through a mixture of VCs and angel investors and we have raised just over £1 million.
What have been your biggest successes so far?
We’ve been really proud to work with major companies such as Intuit Quickbooks, DPD, Spotify and more to provide gifts for their staff and clients. It is great to be recognised by these big names and provide an excellent service for them. We are also immensely proud to have successfully fundraised and been recognised in awards such as the Techround 100 and Elite Business 100. I was also selected for Joe Kennedy III’s Connect to Success programme where we matched with Stripe as mentors which has been incredibly valuable to us.
What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
One of our biggest challenges as a marketplace was the whole chicken and egg question. It was difficult to bring on clients onboard without merchants, and to get merchants on board without buyers. We quickly realised we needed them both, which meant a lot of juggling and onboarding some really key products and merchants onto our site, even though we didn’t have any clients yet.
We managed to do bring them onboard by being really honest with them and being really transparent. We were honest that they may not get loads of sales initially, but showed them our future plans to get those huge sales for them.
In terms of overcoming setbacks, this is something Steph and I are very good at and have a lot of experience in as we both come from a sales background which means we are fully used to rejection. When you’re in sales, people will just hang up on you or downright reject you and you can’t take that personally. You end up developing the mentality that failure is not an option. I think Steph and I are very naturally resilient and we love working together so we can pull each other up when one of us gets knocked down. I think it’s really important to have that person you can call – whether it’s to vent or to ask advice or when you need to be reminded what a great job you’re doing.
What are your plans for the future?
Over the next five years, we aim to enhance our AI-powered gifting and be a household name for gifting. With mentorship from Stripe through Ulster University’s Connect to Success programme, we’re refining our technology to offer smarter, more seamless gift-matching experiences. Our focus includes expanding bespoke gifting options, onboarding more local and independent businesses, and launching premium corporate gifting packages. With a goal of generating £5 million in sales for small businesses, we’re committed to sustainability, innovation, and making thoughtful gifting effortless for companies of all sizes.
What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?
I think female entrepreneurs especially can be way too humble and let imposter syndrome get the best of them. If you can really quickly and effectively explain your idea to people, it takes you right to mentors, investors and customers.
Some people might have the best business idea and the best business plan but if you can’t communicate that to people properly, whether it’s a confidence issue or a lack of know-how, it’s very unlikely to get off the ground.
So I always say don’t be worried about sharing your idea or about somebody stealing it. If you are the right person to build this business successfully, with hard work and the right words, it will begin to fall into place. Stay passionate about your idea and get really good at explaining it, as it can have such a big impact.
What are your top three tips for entrepreneurial success?
My first tip is just to really keep your eye on that horizon. Knowing that you will get there and as long as you make sure that you are kind and good to people along the way, then you’re doing your job properly and you can feel good about that.
Secondly, make sure you’ve got people around you who will pick you up when you fall down. Whether you have friends and family to support you or you hire a really great team around you, you are going to need those people as an entrepreneur. There are so many setbacks and you really need a lot of stamina, energy and patience to keep going. I have found that having a really great support system makes all the difference and is what gets you through the tough times, you need to be surrounded by people who will motivate you and give you exactly what you need when you need it.
Finally, it may be a common piece of advice but it’s an essential one; you have to really love what you do and have full belief if you business and yourself. If you don’t – every day is going to be hard, without passion, there’s no point.
Who are five people who inspire you the most, and why?
Anne Boden – The founder and former CEO of Starling Bank, how she disrupted the industry as a female tech entrepreneur is endlessly inspiring to me.
Amelia Sordell – The founder of Klowt, her fast growth has been really impressive and inspiring to watch.
Trinny Woodall – Another female entrepreneur and trailblazer who really lifts up other female entrepreneurs.
Sara Davies – I love how she uplifts female entrepreneurs and brands and find her drive and success really inspiring.
Emmie Faust – The Founder of Female Founders Rise has been a huge source of inspiration to me and the way she supports female entrepreneurs is so important.
What are your favourite inspirational or motivational quotes?
“People won’t remember what you said but how you made them feel.”
Where can our readers connect with you?
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/louiseneedi
