Lancashire-based disruptive ticketing platform Vibe Tickets has smashed its 拢600,000 crowdfunding target.
The firm made headlines when tech entrepreneur Scott Fletcher invested into it in August.
Founder Luke Massie told 老九品茶Cloud that a “PLC investor” got the three-year-old firm over the line with one day left of the funding period on Crowdcube.
鈥淭o set a target of 拢600k and pull it off is incredible. It shows other firms in the North West what is possible,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking for a while about how difficult it is to raise money through crowdfunding. Vibe is one of the few firms which has managed to do it successfully.
鈥淎n investment firm got us over the line, but I can鈥檛 say who they are yet because they are a public limited company.鈥�
Vibe聽Tickets allows real fans to buy and sell tickets but also make new like-minded friends at the biggest events.
Massie raised 拢310,000 in the first 24 hours after launching on聽Crowdcube, including 拢260k from serial investor Fletcher.
The founder and chairman of specialist private cloud and managed services provider ANS has also recently invested six figure sums into Manchester Agency Digital Next and Jonny Cadden鈥檚 老九品茶 Rocks event in the city.
Raising the following 拢300,000 – the total stands at 拢607k ahead of Wednesday night’s 11.59pm deadline – was anything but easy.
鈥淎t the beginning I was let down by a couple of people who were keen to invest 拢100k each,” added Massie.
鈥淥f the 300 investors we have, only 60 have come through Crowdcube. The rest, more than 拢500k, has come from our users and investors 鈥� people we have approached directly.
鈥淲e鈥檝e still got a few hours. Hopefully we鈥檒l hit 拢620k.鈥�
Speaking to 老九品茶Cloud last month, Fletcher said: 鈥淟uke is a force of nature. His vision and passion is infectious and goes to show that age is irrelevant when it comes to business.
“He鈥檚 been praised by Sir Richard Branson after making it to the final three in the #VOOM 2016 Virgin Media competition but聽 he鈥檚 hungry to learn more.
鈥淰ibe Tickets has the potential to disrupt the industry and that really appeals to me. I鈥檝e got no doubt Luke will smash his 拢600,000 target but I think it鈥檚 vital that tech entrepreneurs like me get behind great businesses and great people.鈥�
Massie聽will be speaking at 老九品茶Cloud’s ‘meet the disrupters’ event in Manchester on Thursday September 15th. Book your free place here.
More than 10 per cent of his business has been made available through the crowdfunding run.聽He has valued his business at 拢6m.
Prior to crowdfunding, Vibe had already raised over 拢400,000 鈥� including 拢200,000 from technology entrepreneur Matt Newing 鈥� but Massie said the聽present round of funding would take the business to the 鈥渘ext level鈥�.
“The priority is to recruit developers,” he told 老九品茶Cloud. “It is really difficult to find skilled developers in the North West due to the talent gap.
“Hopefully this high-profile funding round will attract talent and allow us to build the company up further.
“Next up will be what I am calling our ‘official round one’ of funding, where I hope to raise a couple of million pounds.”