Undisclosed · Other round · Consumer · UK
UK event-ticketing platform Skiddle has taken its first external capital in an undisclosed growth investment from Soho Square Capital. The founders retain control, while the new capital will support technology, marketing, business development and expansion into lifestyle events and additional European markets.
A profitable-looking niche meets institutional capital
Skiddle began as a local “what’s on” guide in 2001 and started selling tickets in 2006. It now combines event discovery, ticketing, marketing tools and promoter analytics across music, nightlife, festivals, comedy, sport and food. The company says £178m of face-value tickets were sold through the platform in 2025 across 180,000 listed events, with 98% promoter retention.
Those figures describe a scaled marketplace rather than an early venture experiment. Ticketing platforms have to serve two customer groups at once: organisers need dependable settlement, marketing and operational tools, while consumers expect broad inventory and a simple buying experience. Skiddle’s independent positioning gives it a point of difference, but international growth adds local payments, regulation, marketing and supply acquisition to the operating burden.
Control stays with the founders
Soho Square structures investments with senior or preferred capital alongside a minority equity stake. For Skiddle, that means founders Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer remain in control and continue leading the business, with Soho Square director Joe Tebbutt joining the board.
The immediate expansion target is lifestyle events alongside the company’s established music and nightlife base. The longer-term test is whether Skiddle can reproduce its promoter relationships and audience liquidity across new categories and countries without weakening the service levels that underpin retention in its home market.
Sources checked:
Soho Square Capital announcement · Tech.eu Funding Explorer
