Start-Up business launched by former UoB student goes global

Personal branding agency, Kurogo, launched by University of Birmingham alumnus, Sam Winsbury, expands globally after celebrating its first birthday.

The company was officially founded in a bedroom in Birmingham in February 2021 by Sam Winsbury, 22, who took the plunge into entrepreneurship after graduating with a first-class degree in Psychology from the University of Birmingham. 

Kurogo works with CEOs and founders to build their personal brands. For most of their clients, this involves developing a unique personal branding strategy, creating social media content and overseeing PR activities. For other clients, Kurogo delivers bespoke personal branding training sessions for executive teams and whole companies. 

The start-up agency’s name derives from the Japanese ‘Kuroko’, meaning ‘black clad’, referring to the stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre who would support the main act on stage dressed in all black costumes to keep hidden from the audience.  

Kurogo has experienced rapid growth in the last 12 months, expanding its team to seven people and onboarding over 60 clients across the globe. Today, as it celebrates its first birthday, Kurogo has clients in the UK, USA and UAE, and has set its sights on wider Europe and Australia. 

Even with its global ambitions, Kurogo has strong ties to Birmingham and is one of many start-ups to be founded by former UoB students. The University has a strong track record of supporting student-led business, including through regular events and webinars, and the B-Start-Up programme. 

Founder of Kurogo and University of Birmingham graduate, Sam Winsbury, stated “UoB allowed me to develop a lot as a person and as an entrepreneur. The city itself was inspiring and always felt like it
was up and coming. The University gave me the social skills and platform I needed to set up the business and ultimately get it to where it is now.” 

During Sam’s final year at university, Kurogo’s first ever client, a Birmingham-based business, was secured following an introduction from the University. 

Sam added, “Even since graduating, having links to UoB has opened so many doors for me and the company. The alumni network has been a great way to follow others’ journeys and hear about the many successes that have come out of the university.” 

In addition to its plans to triple in size by 2023, Kurogo is committed to giving back, championing the work of charities and good causes. This year, Kurogo will support a series of mental health and wellbeing charities, an alcohol misuse support charity, and a cancer charity. The team of Personal Brand Managers also host free webinars and events on personal branding for university students, young professionals, and job seekers.

Kurogo, formerly Brandly, works with CEOs and founders to build powerful personal brands. Their vision – to be the go-to personal branding agency globally.

Kurogo’s services include brand strategy and design, content creation and community management, PR, and consulting days.

Since launching, Kurogo has worked with over 60 clients across the UK, USA and UAE, and has plans to grow into wider Europe and Australia. In 2021 alone, Kurogo generated over 30 million views on clients’ content, supported clients to raise investment, and landed features in top publications such as Forbes, BBC, TechRound and leading podcasts.  

For more information about Kurogo, visit their website: www.kurogo.co.uk

Press release by Kurogo
Added by Bob Lee (B-Enterprising Team)

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Press Contact: Lewis Alexander Baxter
Title: Director of Growth & Partnerships @ Kurogo
Email: lewis@kurogo.co.uk