Simon and Suzy Webster created the SHUFL Foundation in 2021, as the charitable counterpart to SHUFL Capital which was formed in 2020.
Born in Norfolk, Suzy grew up and went to school in Jersey. Her career briefly started as a psychologist before charting a course through legal services, founding and running a social network for women, and developing an app in the personal training industry.
Meanwhile, Simon, whose early career was spent in the UK financial services sector leading business change – delivering technology transformations and supporting M&A transactions, moved to the island over 20 years ago.
Pictured: The SHUFL Foundation will support initiatives that support mental and physical well-being and making people happier.
After founding SHUFL Capital – a venture capital business that invests in “happiness, sleep, health, fitness and leisure” – Simon realised that some “very worthy areas” would not get the financial support they needed because they were not profit-oriented, and the Foundation was set up to fill this gap.
“The original motivation for the focus on wellness for SHUFL Capital comes from Simon’s own personal experience with sleep and mental health issues in 2009,” the couple said.
“The formal healthcare response to these issues were surprisingly limited to drug and/or talking therapies. Once Simon left full-time employment he resolved to invest in and help entrepreneurs to increase the range of therapies and options that make people happier.”
“The SHUFL Foundation has been created in recognition of the fact that not all of the challenges that people face in achieving wellness and happiness can be met through commercially-motivated, private sector enterprises,” they added.
“Sometimes, the motivations for entrepreneurship and investment don’t exist and as a result these problems do not get the cash and support they need.
“We are focussed on supporting initiatives that support mental and physical well-being and making people happier.”
The Foundation will provide funding and support to charities and other good causes that address wellness issues. The Foundation will not seek external or donations, with all of the money distributed coming from profits generated from SHUFL Capital.
Simon and Suzy funded the first donations themselves as SHUFL Capital hadn’t generated profits yet.
Whilst they signed up as platinum sponsor for the Jersey Bulls for a minimum of two years to ensure “the survival of this nascent but already well-loved football club, the foundation’s inaugural cause was St. John Ambulance Jersey.
“St. John Ambulance Jersey are delighted to announce that we have received sponsorship from the SHUFL Foundation to continue with the work we do in supporting informal carers in the community and expand the service we provide,” Sarah Harman, the charity’s CEO, said.
“As well as continuing with our Carers’ Support Programme and our monthly social meet up, it will enable us to expand our support. We will be commencing a respite service for carers to enable them to attend the programme or to have some vital time to themselves.
“Our St John Companion service will also be open to referred clients that spend a lot of time alone, perhaps being cared for by professional carers and would benefit from additional social interaction, improving their social connectedness.”
“We want to support all carers living in the community, and work in conjunction with other charities and services to support all Islanders who need help,” Ms Harmand added.
“The Carers’ Support Service that we at St. John Ambulance provide aims to provide carers’ with the knowledge to provide care for the person they care for, an awareness of services that are available to access on the island and to provide confidence and support to continue being a carer for as long as they choose to do so.”