A small organisation, structured so the mission can't be sold off.
Two people. Bow, East London. Two legal entities — one runs free programmes, one earns revenue. The commercial arm funds the social programmes by covenant, not promise.
Two entities, one group
How we're built.
Co. 15445605
Asset-locked. Free programmes. Mission can't be extracted.
A Community Interest Company with a statutory asset lock. It runs all our free refugee programmes — StartNewLife, She, and the tools that power them. Funded by grants, donations, and the cross-subsidy from the Ltd. If it ever winds down, residual assets pass to TERN — never to individuals.
- Free for all who use it
- Grant-funded + cross-subsidised by deed
- Asset-locked: TERN named on CIC36
- Regulated by the Office of the Regulator of CICs
Co. 14071822
Commercial arm. Certified translation + Studio. Surplus goes to the CIC.
A private limited company; runs Central Asia Translations (certified translation, formerly PRVD.LDN) and svoi.uk (affiliate hub for migrants). Also the entity behind Mendee Studio — technology partnerships for mission-aligned organisations. Net surplus cross-subsidises StartNewLife CIC by deed.
- Central Asia Translations — certified translation
- svoi.uk — migrant affiliate hub
- Mendee Studio — technology partnerships
- Surplus covenanted to the CIC by deed
Buy a translation or commission the Studio, and you fund a refugee programme — by deed, not promise. The legal structure requires it.
TERN — The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network
TERN runs through us at every level.
The founder came through TERN before Mendee existed. That relationship has never been arm's length:
- Incubator — supported the founder before any external funding.
- Every grant — backed us through QMUL Grow It Awards, GLA Challenge LDN, and Innovate UK Skillanthropy.
- Asset-locked body on the CIC36 — TERN receives StartNewLife CIC's residual assets if it ever winds down. Statutory appointment, filed at Companies House.
- WebBooster — through TERN's programme, we build websites for refugee founders launching in the UK.
"TERN runs through Mendee at every level — it incubated us, backed us through every grant, and holds our asset lock."
Team
Two people. Bow, East London.
-
Alex Choysen
Founder
Founded Mendee Ltd in 2022 and StartNewLife CIC in 2024. TERN alum. Innovate UK grant recipient. GLA Challenge LDN 2023 winner.
-
Suhayl Odiljonzoda
Director, StartNewLife CIC
Native Tajik speaker. Community liaison for Central Asian beneficiaries. Translates and adapts content for Tajik, Uzbek and Kazakh communities.
What the structure means in practice
For funders, customers, and auditors.
For grant funders
Grant money stays 100% in the CIC. It cannot be extracted by individuals. Publicly verifiable at Companies House (Co. 15445605).
For customers
When you buy a translation or commission the Studio, your fees fund refugee programmes by covenant — because the deed requires it.
For auditors
Two separate sets of accounts, both filed at Companies House. The cross-subsidy deed is a formal legal instrument. Banked by Unity Trust Bank, the UK's specialist social-enterprise bank.
SEUK · Unity Trust Bank · ICO · DBS Basic · ITI · CIC asset-locked to TERN
One email reaches everyone
Grant officers, partners, journalists, commissioning enquiries.
We reply with one human, usually within 48 hours.