MatchPint, a tech platform that connects sports fans, pubs and brands, has raised £1m in a round led by 24 Haymarket, with participation from existing investors.
MatchPint offers a free mobile app that sports fans can use to find the nearest pub showing their favourite game, invite their friends and then redeem exclusive offers in-venue.
The London-based startup is already working with leading pub companies like Fuller’s, Enterprise Inns and Punch Taverns, along with drinks brands including Diageo, Heineken and Carlsberg.
“Building a startup from scratch has brought with it a never ending stream of problems, pitfalls, and uncertainties,” said CEO Leo MacLehose, who founded Matchpint back in 2011 with school friend Dom Collingwood.
“Overcoming these, however, and developing a successful business, is the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done. We’ve learnt a lot about the exchange of ‘innovation’ vs. ‘scale’ between small and large companies, and we’re achieving it by unlocking capability through agility.”
The majority of the funding will be invested in marketing and operations so the company can scale across the UK and Ireland, with the remainder set aside as an ‘innovation fund’ to be used for product development and international business growth, including trials in Europe and East Asia.
The company has also appointed a new CTO to build its in-house dev team.
The £1m round brings total funding for these Tech City News Elevator Pitch winners to £1.4m.