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The North West Fund for Digital & Creative has made a substantial additional equity investment into leading online ticketing platform Fatsoma to accelerate growth.

Manchester-based Fatsoma operates the UK’s fastest-growing event ticketing platform, which uses social media to sell tickets for event promoters, venue owners and festival organisers and has just launched version 2.0 of the Fatsoma platform, offering massive additional functionality. Fatsoma is used by 8,000 businesses across the UK and has more than 900,000 members, including 50,000 Fatsoma reps who actively sell tickets for venues and promoters through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.

In March this year the company secured an equity investment from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, alongside a personal investment from its new chairman, LateRooms co-founder Chris Allen. The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

Ben Taylor, co-founder and director, said: “The period in between Fatsoma’s initial investment and where we are today, has been a hugely exciting time for the business. Not only have we seen our efforts in building a better platform for promoters pay off with promoters selling more tickets than ever before, but the benefits have come full circle as our bottom line growth has accelerated beyond our initial expectations.

The investment from the North West Fund has allowed us to act quickly on our vision and stay ahead of the curve with innovation. Whilst Facebook and Twitter have always been brilliant sources of sales for us, we’re finding that our solution is ideal for the emerging number of personal and group chat applications like WhatsApp, Kik and iMessage.”

David Smith, Investment Director, AXM Venture Capital, which manages The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, said: “In the short period since our first investment, Fatsoma has shown a huge increase in revenues, resourced its team up to over 20 staff, and delivered an entirely rebuilt version 2.0 of its flagship platform. We are pleased to be able to support the company by making a second round investment to further accelerate this rate of progress.”

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Playdemic has secured a large venture capital investment from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative.

Playdemic is one of Europe’s leading social games developers for Facebook and mobile gamers. In the four years since it was founded the company has developed an international reputation for market leading production values and engaging gameplay underpinned by an advanced understanding of Free-to-Play games design and a proprietary analytics engine.

The company was founded by a team of proven gaming entrepreneurs led by Chief Executive Paul Gouge under the Chairmanship of Ian Livingstone CBE.

The company operates the established Gourmet Ranch franchise and its flagship game is Village Life which since its launch in December 2012 has attracted 16 million players. The investment follows on the heels of a similar large investment by IBM heir David Watson, and will be used to continue the development of the mobile version of Village Life and to support the launch of Playdemic’s next major social game in early 2014.

Paul Gouge, founder and CEO, said: “This investment represents a significant milestone in the continued growth of Playdemic and our mission to deliver the best Free-to-Play games services to our players. We have developed a strong relationship with AXM through this process and look forward to growing Playdemic with them.”

David Smith, Investment Director, AXM Venture Capital, which manages The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, said: “We are very excited to have invested not only in a market leading social game developer – but also to be working alongside one of the most talented and successful management teams in the sector.”

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

MediaCity-based GovToday has secured £700,000 in equity and debt funding in an investment round led by The North West Fund for Digital & Creative.

GovToday is a five year-old events-led B2B marketing communications business. The Company has established a strong brand in the UK government and not-for-profit sector, organising high level conferences with 12 month strategic partnerships for both public sector and sponsors alike – to allow the public sector to communicate policy, whilst generating revenues from commercial sponsors. The Company’s digital publishing arm is being developed into a valuable source of revenue in its own right.

The Company was founded by Tony Farrar, Rob Hollis, and Richard Taylor who each have extensive experience in the conference and business-to-business publishing sectors. The Fund’s investment will support the extension of the conference programme into new policy areas and subjects, refining GovToday’s digital presence, and growing the sales resource.

The Company has offices in MediaCity and employs 48 staff.

The investment was supported by Ronan Kearney through his Osprey Capital vehicle. Mr Kearney, who is a successful entrepreneur and founder of a financial services group, followed on his earlier investment in GovToday, and has taken an active role in developing new conference ideas. Further support was provided by loan finance from NatWest Bank.

Richard Taylor, Co-Founder and Digital Director, GovToday, said: “This current wave of investment, and AXM’s experience in the digital and creative industries, combined with our current board of David Wade-Smith as Govtoday’s Chairman, Erica Ingham as Finance Director and Ronan Kearney’s expertise in the financial markets, offers us a fantastic opportunity to expand our digital platform and events portfolio both in the UK and also into new markets and countries. This investment will boost key appointments across our digital, sales and editorial staff.”

David Smith, Investment Director, AXM Venture Capital, which manages The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, said: “We are delighted to have led a substantial round for GovToday. The team has enormous energy and dynamism, and we are confident that they will become the leader in this sector, serving a very clear need within the public sector.”

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

Nomad Games, which creates games for mobile, tablets and PCs based on well-loved board games, has received an equity investment from The North West Fund 4 Digital & Creative.

Nomad’s first game, Talisman Prologue, was launched earlier this year in a single-player version, reaching the number one mobile download in its category in 27 countries. Talisman is based on the highly successful classic board game created by Games Workshop. Nomad will launch Talisman Digital Edition as a multi-player version later this Summer, followed by a strong pipeline of other established board and card games.

Nomad’s CEO Don Whiteford leads a team of colleagues including Carl Jackson, Rob Anderson, Mat Draper and Andy Bate who originally came together as founders and key staff at Juice Games, a studio that was subsequently acquired by THQ, Inc. The team founded Nomad in 2011 following THQ’s decision to move development to Canada. They are supported by a non-executive chairman, industry veteran Colin Bell.

Don Whiteford said: “The team at Nomad are respected across the industry for the quality of their work, and have a proven track record producing award-winning titles and building successful studios. With our first title already topping the charts, the support of franchise-owners such as Games Workshop, and now the financial backing of the Fund, we are very excited by the prospects for growing another successful studio.”

Joannne Evans, investment director at AXM Venture Capital, added: “We are very pleased to back a team with such a strong reputation, and to see a strong independent studio regenerated within the North West region to fill the gap left behind by multinational game developers.”

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

Domiciliary care software developer Liquid Bronze Limited has secured an equity investment from The North West Fund 4 Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital, alongside investment from an angel syndicate.

Manchester-based Liquid Bronze, whose flagship product is the Malinko SaaS platform (www.malinkoapp.com) has developed a SaaS management suite which allows domiciliary care agencies to efficiently manage their operations and co-ordinate home-care staff, and to improve compliance with Care Quality Commission regulations.

Founder Andrew Threlfall said: “We are delighted to secure this investment, which will enable us to rapidly expand our user base in the domiciliary care market and to take advantage of the continuing rapid growth in this sector. We will immediately be putting these funds to work in recruiting new developers to deliver additional functionality on the Malinko platform”.

David Smith, investment director at AXM Venture Capital, added: “We are delighted to support Liquid Bronze with this subscription from the North West Fund 4 Digital & Creative. The Malinko product delivers excellent functionality and the financing will help the Company achieve a market-leading position from its head office in the North West.”

A member of the angel syndicate, Brian Gray, a director of Gould Hall Computer Services with over 35 years’ experience in the software sector, will join the Board as the non-executive chairman. The Board will be further strengthened by the addition of Anish Kapoor, co-founder of Telecity and founder of Yuuguu, who has joined as a non-executive director.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited, has supported the launch of new software venture, Sitedesk Limited (www.sitedeskconstruct.com) which will this Summer launch a market-leading on-site BIM (Building Information Modelling) collaboration tool, Sitedesk Dabit.

The initial development work on Sitedesk Dabit was commissioned by construction entrepreneurs Paul Grady and Danny Doohan, who saw the opportunity for a tool that bridged the gap between architects’ 3D models and the on-site project manager.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative introduced the Company’s new chief technology officer, Chris Sewart, who previously acted as CTO at Yuuguu prior to its successful exit; and also introduced chairman Craig Slater, who ran the listed construction software company Eleco PLC until 2011. Sitedesk is currently recruiting a sales director and CEO, and is based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, which is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank, will invest alongside other investors including the founders and Craig Slater in a total round of £435,000.

Sitedesk Dabit allows collaborative working between designers and contractors, using tablets and other mobile devices, allowing live, synchronised access to the 3D model without the need for high-end workstations. Crucially, it creates an intuitive repository for all the information created during a building’s construction phase, supporting both the construction project manager and the eventual facilities manager.

Leading online ticketing platform Fatsoma Ltd has secured an equity investment from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital, alongside a personal investment from its new chairman, LateRooms co-founder Chris Allen.

Manchester-based Fatsoma operates the UK’s fastest-growing event ticketing platform, which uses social media to sell tickets for event promoters, venue owners and festival organisers.

Used by 6,000 businesses across the UK, Fatsoma has more than 750,000 members, including 50,000 Fatsoma reps who actively sell tickets for venues and promoters through online channels such as Facebook and Twitter.

Fatsoma has already expanded its operations to Canada, Australia, the US, South Africa and Hong Kong. The investment will help it further accelerate its international expansion and add even more features and functionality to its market-leading platform.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

Fatsoma was founded in 2006 by Ben Taylor, Paul Stacey and Chris Pearson with a small bank loan. The company is growing fast, targeting revenues of £7.5million in 2013 with 20 full-time staff in its Manchester office, making it one of the UK’s leading players in the online ticketing industry.

AXM Venture Capital has introduced Chris Allen as a non-executive chairman. Chris was a co-founder of LateRooms, leading the company to a successful sale to travel and tourism firm TUI. He has made a substantial commitment to the business by co-investing alongside The North West Fund for Digital & Creative.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited, has led an equity investment of £250,000 into Gateway 3D Limited, alongside a personal investment from its new Chairman.

Gateway 3D is a fast-growing software and solutions vendor, providing an integrated 3D visualization and e-commerce solution for the personalisation and promotional product markets. The system allows end-customers to view products in 3D and personalize them with their own artwork, and processes the online transaction on behalf of the retailer. Gateway 3D powers personalisation sites for some of the largest retailers in the UK, including Pets at Home.

The Company was founded in Derbyshire by Andrew Talbot and Rob Bickerton, and has opened its new head office in Macclesfield as part of the funding arrangements and in order to source talented new technical recruits.

Craig Slater, who has sat on the boards of several PLCs in the promotional product market and software sector, has joined the Company as Chairman and as an investor.

The investment will fund Gateway 3D’s investment in technical and sales staff and in its IT infrastructure, supporting growth in both its UK and overseas revenues.

Andrew Talbot and Rob Bickerton are both successful entrepreneurs with a proven track record of founding and building software businesses.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited, has made an equity investment of £150,000 into Med ePad Limited, alongside a personal investment from new management.

A sister fund, The North West Fund for Biomedical managed by Spark Impact had previously backed the company, and AXM and Spark will-co-manage the investment.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative is part of The North West Fund and is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

The investment will fund the company’s ongoing trials of the Med ePad system with customers within the NHS through to full scale commercial implementation later in 2013.
In addition to its financial support, AXM was able to introduce a new chairman Tom Nawojczyk and new chief executive John Hopkins, to work with Med ePad’s founder Rob Connell to deliver the team’s vision of a tablet-based mobile healthcare system. Med ePad aids practitioner-patient engagement, and improves patient compliance and health outcomes.

Tom Nawojczyk and John Hopkins previously led in4tek Limited, a successful patient-centric healthcare systems vendor, which they sold to Civica in 2009.

The North West Fund has cumulatively led £500,000 of equity investment into Med ePad, including investment from the new management team.

The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited, has backed Carbon Digital, a Warrington-based visual effects (VFX) company, with a first-round investment for a minority equity stake.

Carbon Digital was founded by Paul McHugh and Sue McHugh. The company’s portfolio of work includes VFX for commercials and film including fluid dynamics, particle effects, camera tracking and CGI character generation. It offers a complete in-house service from concept generation, through live action shooting and directing to compositing and post-production.

The investment from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, which is part of The North West Fund, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), will support the company’s growth plans.

Paul and Sue McHugh started their careers in the computer games industry as animators and lead artists, working for companies including Rage, Sony and Acclaim. Carbon Digital clients include leading advertising agencies DKLW Lowe, BBH and corporate clients including Unilever.

Paul McHugh, managing director, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding from The North West Fund for Digital & Creative and the Carbon Digital team are very excited about the future direction and opportunities ahead. The investment will enable us to accelerate our delivery, starting with a number of interesting bigger projects, secured through our ability in high-end visual effects. We are an extremely forward-thinking and driven group. We always champion the newest technologies and techniques to gain an edge on our competitors and to collaborate with the best agencies. We are genuinely excited to foster world class talent in this field in the North West.”

Joanne Evans, investment manager of AXM Venture Capital, added: “We are delighted to be able to invest in a highly-skilled and very talented team that already has blue-chip clients in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the creative economy.”