Dyslexic entrepreneurs aren’t just running successful businesses, they are majorly contributing to the UK economy.
According to new research from the global charity Made By Dyslexia, founders with dyslexia contribute at least £4.6 billion to UK GDP every year, while supporting over 60,000 jobs across the UK.
At least one in three business founders are dyslexic, suggesting that Dyslexic Thinking skills (skills that dyslexics typically over-index in), such as problem-solving, creativity, visualisation, communication and big-picture thinking, are an excellent match for a career as an entrepreneur.
A New Type Of Accelerator Emerges
To support those who are already carving out careers as a dyslexic business founders, Virgin StartUp is launching a first-of-its-kind, free business programme called “Momentum”, to help dyslexic entrepreneurs scale their businesses, using their unique Dyslexic Thinking skills.
The eight-week business accelerator programme is designed to work with entrepreneur’s Dyslexic Thinking strengths through workshops, 1-1 mentoring and access to resources.
Virgin StartUp has also added a dedicated “Dyslexic Thinking” space in its online community for business founders. The deadline to apply for Momentum is 30 September 2025 and the programme starts on 14 October 2025.
Elle Upshall, Scale Up Lead at Virgin StartUp, commented:
“Momentum has been designed to help dyslexic founders embrace the strengths that set them apart. We know that Dyslexic Thinking brings creative, problem-solving and vision in abundance and this programme is about giving entrepreneurs the support, tools and confidence to use these strengths to scale their businesses.”
Richard Branson Attributes His Successful Career To Neurodiversity
Sir Richard Branson, Co-Founder of the Virgin Group, has famously spoken about how his dyslexia has helped him build one of the world’s most recognisable brands.
He commented: “Much of my success as an entrepreneur comes from my Dyslexic Thinking. It’s my superpower. Dyslexic Thinking has enabled me to see the world differently and find new solutions to old problems that businesses were struggling to address. The world needs dyslexic entrepreneurs more than ever, so I’m delighted to support this campaign and I am looking forward to hearing the stories behind the dyslexic founders who join the Virgin StartUp programme.”
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Dyslexic Thinking Helps Drive Business Growth
Alex Wright is one entrepreneur who has used his Dyslexic Thinking to disrupt the healthy drinks market with DASH Water, a no sugar or sweetener soft drink, receiving early-stage support from Virgin StartUp.
Today, DASH is expected to sell 50 million cans in 2025 across 20 countries.
Alex commented: “It’s no surprise to me that Dyslexic Thinkers over index as entrepreneurs. While dyslexia felt like a challenge at school, it’s been one of my biggest assets as a founder. It’s helped me to spot gaps in the market, see problems as opportunities, dream big and build a successful, disruptive business.”
Success Stories: Famous Dyslexic Entrepreneurs
But Virgin and DASH are just two stories of startups powered by Dyslexic entrepreneurs.
In fact, of the world’s top business people have spoken about how dyslexia may have held them back in traditional school settings, but became a superpower later in life.
Some examples include:
Jo Malone, Founder at Jo Malone London
Jo Malone is the woman behind one of the UK’s most loved businesses. In her biography, she talks openly about her acute sense of smell and how being dyslexic gave her an edge against other competitors.
This helped her grow the company into a household name, which she eventually sold to Estée Lauder in 1999.
Theo Paphitis
One of Dragon’s Den’s top investors, Theo Paphitis left school at 16 with no qualifications due to his dyslexia. From there, he built a business empire, driving the success of some of the UK’s biggest high street names.
Speaking to the British Dyslexia Association, he commented “I can safely say that I wouldn’t be where I am if I weren’t dyslexic because it’s given me this ability to problem-solve, and throughout my journey, I’ve come to realise that it’s not just me saying this – many others gain huge value from the differentiation that dyslexia gives them.”
Jamie Oliver
Famous chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver recently launched a show on Channel 4 which explored how the outdated UK school system is leaving kids with dyslexia behind.
As an entrepreneur, he has spoken openly about how he felt ‘left behind’ at school and the importance of neurodivergent education.
Ingvar Kamprad, Ikea
The founder of one of the biggest furniture brands in the world, Ingvar Kamprad struggled at school due to his Dyslexia. Originally, he used to keep tabs on his orders by numbering his furniture, but found that it was too hard to remember due to his dyslexia.
Instead, he came up with names for categorising each product, a decision which has grown into one of Ikea’s most unique facets. (DyslexiaHelp)
