way to address the issues was to start a lender just for students on their own terms, and to make it as cheap as possible whilst still supporting its employees.

Now, They want to make this clear: Smart-Pig isn't for everyone. It's not something they think all students will want to use. Instead, the whole point of Smart-Pig is get those students currently using other short term loans to switch to us instead for a better deal and the assurance that they'll be treated well.

The business was trialled from a student bedroom and the founders had to live on the breadline for a year before it could pay a small salary. After a lot of tweaking Smart-Pig was able to move into a real office and start bringing new people on board.