A sculptor from Penryn has realised his dream of starting his own business thanks to support from Truro-based South West Investment Group (SWIG).
ICA Creation Ltd is the brainchild of sculptor and entrepreneur Kamil Waniowski and produces lightweight up scaled models of “literally anything”.
Waniowski, who has recently relocated back to Cornwall with his Cornish wife and children, got the idea whilst living in The Netherlands: He said: “I was working as a sculptor in stone, selling to shops and the like, when a friend asked me to help on a project sculpting in foam.
“Polystyrene foam is lightweight and quick to work with and I just fell in love with the possibilities.”
ICA Creation produces sculptures or models primarily for the marketing and promotion industries and has recently created a life-sized model of Buzz Lightyear for toy manufacturer Marbel.
“There really are no limits,” he added, “to what can be created and because everything is weather proof and highly portable these models are perfect for promotional events and displays.”
One of the biggest hurdles for business start-ups can be financing the project and ICA has been helped in this aspect thanks to a £35k loan from the South West Loans Fund, and help from the Business Investment for Growth (BIG) programme.
John Peters, fund manager for SWIG, said: “Kamil has a great vision for the business and a great product which we already knew he could market successfully from his time in Holland.
“Anyone who is thinking of starting a business needs to think about their market, their product and their business plan.
“If all of those boxes are ticked then there is funding available to help you get started.”
