The story
The story behind HelpBnk
From a homeless teenager to an agency sold to PwC, a staircase with a doorbell, and the Dream group. A timeline of Simon Squibb, HelpBnk and Dream, so I know the company I want to work for.
Independent research from public sources, checked on Oct 11. Not affiliated with HelpBnk or Dream.
At a glance
18 moments. Scroll sideways and pick one to read it.
Late 1980s – 1990s
Around age 15Homeless, and a first business- About ten yearsBuilding in the UK
2000 – 2016
Around 2000Fluid, a creative agency- 2011Nest, backing early founders
- Nov 2015 – Feb 2016PwC buys Fluid
2020 – 2023
September 2021A mission: 10 million founders- Early 2020sThe question that went viral
- 3 May 2023HelpBnk is registered
- 1 August 2023A staircase with a doorbell
2024 – 2025
March 2024Doorbells in three cities- 13 January 2025The One Billion Award
- 16 January 2025What's Your Dream?, the book
- April 2025The Dream Machine hits the road
- 17 June 2025The doorbell tour, with Richard Branson
2026
23 February 2026Dream Inc. Limited- June 2026How the model works
- 2 July 2026The DreamFund
- 24 Oct – 20 Nov 2026The World's Biggest Business Competition
- Late 1980s – 1990s
Starting from nothing
The part of the story Simon tells most: no home, no money, a first business anyway.
Around age 15
ReportedHomeless, and a first business
After his father died, Simon was left without a home as a teenager. He has said he started his first business at that age.
About ten years
ReportedBuilding in the UK
His public bios describe roughly a decade as an entrepreneur in the UK before he moved to Hong Kong.
Source:Enterprise Nation
- 2000 – 2016
Hong Kong: Fluid and Nest
Two decades in Asia: a creative agency, an investment firm, and the exit that funded what came next.
Around 2000
ReportedFluid, a creative agency
After moving to Hong Kong, Simon founds Fluid, a boutique creative and digital agency working across the Greater China market.
2011
ReportedNest, backing early founders
He launches Nest Investments, an incubator that gives Hong Kong startups seed money, office space and advice, and runs it as founder and CEO.
Source:TechCrunch, May 2013
Nov 2015 – Feb 2016
PwC buys Fluid
PwC acquired Fluid's team of about 30 people, its clients and its digital, design and strategy work, and folded it into its Experience Center.
- 2020 – 2023
What's your dream?
One question asked to strangers on the street turned into an audience of millions, then into a company.
September 2021
ReportedA mission: 10 million founders
Back in the UK, Simon describes his new goal on a small-business podcast: help 10 million people start and grow a business.
3 May 2023
HelpBnk is registered
HelpBnk UK Limited is incorporated in London, with Simon as director. The idea: free help for anyone starting a business.
Source:Companies House
1 August 2023
A staircase with a doorbell
Simon buys a four-storey staircase with no building attached, in Twickenham, at auction for £25,000. A video doorbell goes on top so anyone can ring and pitch a dream.
Sources:Scottish Financial News, Aug 2023BusinessCloud, Jun 2026
- 2024 – 2025
From a doorbell to a movement
The doorbell travels, the book lands, and the biggest names in business join in.
March 2024
ReportedDoorbells in three cities
People can pitch at doorbells in London, New York and Hong Kong, or in the comments of every video.
Source:Simon Squibb on TikTok
Loads content from TikTok.16 January 2025
What's Your Dream?, the book
His first book comes out with Century, part of Penguin Random House, and is sold as a number one Sunday Times bestseller.
Sources:The BooksellerPenguin
April 2025
The Dream Machine hits the road
A van with the doorbell sets off around the UK. The best pitch gets £10,000, with no shares and no equity taken.
Source:Simon Squibb on TikTok
Loads content from TikTok.17 June 2025
The doorbell tour, with Richard Branson
After more than 1,500 pitches at the doorbell inside Virgin Hotels London, Virgin StartUp and HelpBnk take the Dream Machine to towns across the UK.
Source:Virgin
- 2026
Dream, the group
HelpBnk becomes one part of a group of companies, with a fund and a model that runs on partners.
23 February 2026
Dream Inc. Limited
Dream Inc. Limited is incorporated at the same London address as HelpBnk, with Simon as director. It is the company behind the Revenue Operations Manager role.
Source:Companies House
June 2026
ReportedHow the model works
The team explains that mentoring stays free, most revenue comes from video advertising, and partner companies pay HelpBnk when members adopt their tools.
Source:BusinessCloud, Jun 2026
2 July 2026
The DreamFund
Simon pledges 10% of the profits of every company in the Dream group, for life, to fund people's dreams: no equity, no repayment, winners voted by the HelpBnk community.
Sources:BusinessCloud, Jul 2026Simon Squibb on X
Loads content from X.24 Oct – 20 Nov 2026
ReportedThe World's Biggest Business Competition
A four-week competition across five tracks with a $1 million prize pool, ending in a live demo day.
Source:Emergent (track sponsor)
Hear it from Simon
The shows he hosts with the HelpBnk team, and three interviews worth an hour of your time.
- Simon hostsMar – Jul 2024
Free Humanity Podcast
Simon and the HelpBnk team talk with founders about how they turned an idea into a business. Fourteen episodes, starting with the team behind the dreams.
- Simon hostsAug – Oct 2025
Simon Says
A weekly show where Simon takes live calls from people with an idea and helps them find, start or grow it.
- Simon as guest1 Sep 2021
The Small Business Sessions
An early interview, from before HelpBnk: leaving school at 15, selling Fluid to PwC, and the goal of helping 10 million founders.
- Simon as guest12 Jun 2025
Voices of Influence
The launch episode of the show from Influencer: personal brand, education, and why he thinks business is better learned by doing.
- Simon as guest14 Aug 2025
Begin Again with Davina McCall
The personal story: losing his father, being homeless at 15, and how that turned into a purpose.
How this was put together
- Public sources only: company registers, the press, publishers and Simon's own channels.
- Verified means an official record or two independent sources. Reported means one source or a public bio; those are tagged.
- Claims I could not check are left out, and numbers that change over time (followers, companies, investments) are not quoted.
- The illustrations are drawn for this page. Photos from the press belong to their authors, so they are not reused; Simon's own posts load only if you open them.