The former boss of Sky Bet is among a group of investors who have helped live music marketplace GigPig raise more than £1m.
The £1.3m seed round was led by Haatch Ventures and Notion Capital and also included participation from angel investors and music industry experts Chris Meehan, Richard Flint, Wolfgang Alistat and Andrea Mihalovits.
Flint has previously served as chief executive and chairman of Sky Bet and is currently a non-executive director of LadBible and Flutter.
The latest investment into the Manchester-based company will be used to create thousands of new gigging opportunities in towns and cities across the UK.
GigPig is also planning to launch new data-led products and services, as well as an app for artists.
‘We’re just getting started’
Michael Forster, CEO of GigPig, said: “With the hospitality sector facing unprecedented challenges, we believe our mission to help every pub and bar maximise their potential with live music is more important than ever.
“Our platform has already helped hundreds of venues improve customer satisfaction, drive footfall and increase sales while giving thousands of artists an easier way to earn money gigging.
“We’re just getting started and the investment announced today will help bring the benefits of live music to more communities in towns and cities across the UK.”
GigPig launched in June 2022 and currently operates in more than 22 cities across the country. Over 600 bars, pubs and clubs have signed up – booking more than 31,000 gigs so far – including national chains such as BrewDog, Albert Schloss, Arc Inspirations, NQ64, Stack and East Coast Concepts.
GigPig is ‘fuelling a cultural movement’
Chris Tottman, partner, Notion Capital, added: “When we met Michael and Kit we were deeply inspired by GigPig’s mission, rooted in their combined 30+ year industry experience of the grassroots and mainstream live music industries.
“We are invested in their vision to build an entirely new category that gives hospitality venues access to thousands of artists, with the ability to discover and book local talent at their fingertips.
“Not only does this give every pub or bar the opportunity to become a stage, but importantly it means artists will get more gigs, with faster and more reliable payments.
“In many ways I believe GigPig is fuelling a cultural movement, where for the first time in history venues and artists can connect at scale on a single digital platform.
“With millions of potential customers globally as the network scales, this was an incredibly compelling investment opportunity to fuel the next period of growth in the UK and internationally.”
GigPig ‘set to drive explosive growth of live music’
Mark Bennett, partner at Haatch, said: “GigPig is one of the most exciting start-ups in the UK right now, having developed a platform that connects venues and artists at unparalleled scale.
“While gigging in pubs and bars has long been the bedrock of the UK music scene, GigPig’s technology and industry expertise is set to drive explosive growth of live music in the hospitality sector.
“This will not only help give thousands of venues a proven way to increase sales, but importantly provide artists with a platform to launch their careers and earn money doing what they love most.
“Haatch is proud to support their mission as GigPig turns up the volume across the country.”