Independent UK ticketing platform Skiddle has secured the first external investment in its 25-year history.
Soho Square Capital has taken a minority stake in the business, with founders Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer retaining control.
Skiddle announced the investment on Thursday (November 5), and said it would support an existing five-year growth plan spanning lifestyle events, technology, marketing, and European expansion.
Financial terms of the Soho Square investment were not disclosed.
Skiddle said lifestyle events are an immediate focus, as it grows beyond music, festivals, and nightlife into categories including comedy, food and drink, theatre, sport, and wider experiences.
European expansion forms part of Skiddle‘s medium-term plans, building on its presence across the Republic of Ireland and international markets including Ibiza, Mallorca, Malta, Tenerife, and Marbella.
The partnership will also give Skiddle access to a network of businesses that have previously navigated European expansion, the company said.
“We started Skiddle because we wanted to help people find out what was on,” said Skiddle Co-Founders Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer. “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.
“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.”
Ben Sebborn and Richard Dyer, Skiddle
“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.”
Founded in Preston in 2001 by Sebborn and Dyer, Skiddle began as a “What’s On” guide before it started selling tickets in 2006.
The company describes itself as one of the UK‘s leading independent event ticketing and discovery platforms, serving events across music, nightlife, festivals, and wider experiences.
In 2025, Skiddle generated £178 million in face-value ticket sales across 180,000 listed events, according to the company.
It said it maintained a 98% promoter retention rate, and that revenue had grown by an average of more than 20% a year over the past two years.
Skiddle also recently partnered with the Association of Independent Festivals, providing funded memberships and marketing support to independent UK festivals.
The investment comes amid continued dealmaking in UK ticketing.
Fellow UK-born platform DICE was acquired by live events discovery platform Fever in 2025, having raised more than $200 million across its history.
A European push would also put Skiddle up against incumbents such as CTS Eventim, which describes itself as Europe’s number one in ticketing and live entertainment and reported €3.08 billion ($3.48 billion) in revenue in 2025.
The wider UK live music market has grown, with consumer spend on live events up 9.5% to £6.68 billion in 2024, according to industry group LIVE.
That growth has coincided with regulatory scrutiny of the sector, with Live Nation facing the prospect of a UK competition investigation into live music.
“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,” said Joe Tebbutt, Director at Soho Square Capital. “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.”
Soho Square Capital is a London-headquartered partnership capital firm that backs founder-owned middle-market businesses across the UK and Northern Europe, typically through senior or preferred capital with minority equity stakes.
“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.”
Joe Tebbutt, Soho Square Capital
The firm says it can commit up to £40 million in any given transaction, and that its team has invested together for more than 15 years.
Skiddle will continue to be led by Sebborn and Dyer alongside CFO Peter Hinnigan, with Tebbutt joining the board on behalf of Soho Square.
The deal marks Soho Square‘s second investment from its Soho Square Partnership Capital Fund II.Music Business Worldwide