SKIDDLE SECURES FIRST EXTERNAL INVESTMENT IN 25 YEARS TO ACCELERATE FIVE YEAR GROWTH PLAN
The UK’s leading independent ticketing platform Skiddle has secured its first external investment since launching 25 years ago, partnering with Soho Square Capital to accelerate the company’s existing five-year growth plans while its founders retain control of the business.
The investment will support Skiddle’s continued expansion beyond its established position in music, festivals and nightlife, with lifestyle events representing an immediate area of focus alongside further investment in technology, marketing and business development.
Skiddle is continuing to grow its presence across categories including comedy, food and drink, theater, sport and wider experiences, opening the platform to new audiences and event organizers while building on its core position within live music and independent events.
European expansion forms part of the company’s medium-term ambitions, building on Skiddle’s existing presence across the Republic of Ireland and international event markets including Ibiza, Mallorca, Malta, Tenerife and Marbella. The investment will support further growth into new European territories over the coming years.
Alongside capital, the partnership with Soho Square will give Skiddle access to additional strategic experience and a network of businesses that have previously navigated European expansion, supporting the company as it pursues its international plans with greater pace and scale.
Founded in Preston, UK in 2001 by Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer, Skiddle started as a “What’s On” guide with a simple ambition: to help people discover what was happening around them. It began selling tickets in 2006 and has since grown into one of the UK’s leading independent ticketing and event discovery businesses.
In 2025 alone, Skiddle generated £178 million in face value ticket sales across 180,000 listed events,while maintaining a 98 per cent promoter retention rate.
Recent initiatives supporting the independent sector include Skiddle’s partnership with the Association of Independent Festivals, providing funded memberships and marketing support to independent UK festivals and helping strengthen the businesses operating at the heart of the live events ecosystem. That growth has been built on close relationships with independent promoters, a deep understanding of the events industry and a team committed to helping organizers grow their events while connecting audiences with new experiences.
Revenue has grown by an average of more than 20 per cent a year over the past two years, with the new investment providing additional backing for plans already underway as part of Skiddle’s longer term growth strategy.
Soho Square’s investment combines capital with a minority equity stake, meaning Ben and Richard retain control of the business and continue in their leadership roles. They will work alongside CFO Peter Hinnigan and Skiddle’s long standing senior management team, with Joe Tebbutt joining the board on behalf of Soho Square.
Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer, Co-Founders of Skiddle, said:
“We started Skiddle because we wanted to help people find out what was on. Twenty-five years later, that’s still at the heart of what we do, but the opportunity ahead of us is bigger than ever.
“We want to help more people discover brilliant events, give more independent organisers the tools and support to grow, and take Skiddle into new markets. This investment gives us the backing to move faster across Europe, build our lifestyle offering and keep improving our technology.
“Taking investment for the first time was a big decision. Finding a partner who understood Skiddle, our independence and the relationships we’ve built with promoters and fans was essential. Soho Square’s approach means we keep control of the business we’ve spent 25 years building, with the support to take it further.”
Joe Tebbutt, Director at Soho Square Capital, commented:
“Skiddle is a rare example of a founder-built business that has become a leader in its market through great service and a genuine understanding of its customers. Ben, Richard and the team have earned the loyalty of promoters and fans alike, and the business has grown strongly as a result.
“This is exactly the kind of transaction Soho Square was built for: the founders stay in control of the business they built and fully committed to it, with the capital and support to pursue their plans for growth. We are delighted to be partnering with them for Skiddle’s next chapter.”
The investment marks Soho Square’s second investment from Soho Square Partnership Capital Fund II.
