Christina Lartey, Founder of Think Pieces
Think Pieces, founded by Christina Lartey, helps primary school children develop financial confidence through interactive workshops, games and digital learning tools.
With BD Giving’s GROW Fund, Christina has been able to accelerate the development of her business, expand her network and bring a new financial literacy app to life.
Turning Experience into a Business
Think Pieces began in a community where money was often tight and conversations about financial literacy were uncommon. But Christina absorbed the basics of money management from her big sister and it changed everything.
“That early experience helped build my confidence with money and encouraged positive financial decisions in early adulthood.”
Today, drawing on years of tutoring, teaching in schools, and working alongside teachers and professionals from the finance industry, she has developed programmes and resources that make learning about money both fun and practical.
Christina began running free workshops with children and families at Barking Library, testing ideas and gathering feedback from parents and teachers.
The Right Opportunity at the Right Time
Christina had been running Think Pieces for less than a year when she heard about GROW. A librarian who had seen her workshops in Barking encouraged her to apply. At the time, Christina said:
“I had lots of ideas and lots of things I wanted to do, but I was still figuring out how to make it sustainable.”
GROW offers both funding and practical support, helping local entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and explore new ways to grow.
One of Christina’s ambitions was to develop a gamified financial education app that could complement her workshops in schools. The £10,000 grant from GROW made it possible to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) of the app, which is now being tested with schools before a wider launch.
Confidence, Connections and Possibilities
While the funding was important, Christina says the whole GROW experience was valuable. GROW brought together founders from across Barking and Dagenham, creating opportunities to learn from each other and build new relationships.
Through these connections, Christina has already opened doors:
“People’s networks go far and wide. You mention what you’re working on and someone introduces you to someone you’d never have met otherwise. Those introductions are giving me new opportunities to expand the reach of Think Pieces.”
GROW also changed how Christina thinks about growing her business. Like many founders, she initially tried to do everything herself. Through GROW she realised that building a team and exploring social investment could help her scale her impact faster.
“I’ve realised I can’t do everything alone. If I want the business to grow, I need to work with others and build a team around the idea.”
Encouraging Others to Go for GROW
For Christina, one of the biggest surprises about GROW was the sense of community among founders. Learning alongside others who were building businesses in the borough created a powerful support network.
“The best part has been meeting other founders and learning from people who are at different stages of their journey.”
Her message to anyone considering applying is simple:
“You have nothing to lose by applying. You can only gain from the experience.”
Curious about GROW 2026? Applications close on the 8th of April. See here for more info.
