BookingLive has this week launched its new company headquarters at The Maltings in Cardiff’s dynamic tech hub, after securing £1.31 million in new investment from Blackfinch Ventures and the Development Bank of Wales. The funding will help BookingLive with its plans to more than double revenues during 2020 – and a recruitment drive is now underway to hire at least seven new employees for the new office.
Founded by Ammanford native CEO Vinnie Morgan in 2014, BookingLive provides online booking and reservation software to over 700 private and public sector customers. Its Enterprise system clients include Microsoft, BMW, Universal Music Group, the BBC, CAPITA, The City of Westminster, and numerous other public sector agencies across the UK.
Vinnie said: “BookingLive is set to grow rapidly in the next two years, as we continue our success in the UK and look to replicate that success in the US.Securing the backing of both Blackfinch and the Development Bank of Wales is a great vote of confidence in our company and in our product.”
The company’s customer base is expanding rapidly thanks to a new freemium Connect booking system, designed especially for small business owners and now in use across forty-seven countries. BookingLive has also recently opened a satellite office in Charlotte, North Carolina with Ebbw Vale native Chief Marketing Officer Sam Johnston to focus on expansion internationally and within the US. Following the success of BookingLive’s Enterprise product with local councils of all types and sizes across the UK, America’s 100,000 public sector agencies are seen as an especially important market for the company.
The investment will be used to expand BookingLive’s team and marketing presence, for additional product development, and to fund further expansion in the UK and US markets. Thanks to this financial support, BookingLive is now expecting to more than double its revenues during 2020.
The Development Bank of Wales was set up by the Welsh Government to support the economy of Wales by making it easier for businesses to get the finance needed to start up, strengthen and grow.
Alexander Leigh, Investment Executive with the Development Bank of Wales, said: “BookingLive is a high-quality, high-growth tech business that we are delighted to be welcoming to Wales. Their pioneering products and exciting growth plans make the organisation a perfect fit for our Wales Technology Seed Fund; we’re really looking forward to working alongside co-investors Blackfinch and the leadership team at BookingLive.”
CEO Vinnie Morgan again: “As a company, BookingLive has always had deep connections to Wales. I grew up in Capel Hendre outside Ammanford, and our CMO Sam Johnston, who is heading up our work in America and globally, is from Ebbw Vale. I’m delighted our headquarters are now in the Welsh capital.”
Wales’ tech sector is worth an estimated £8.5bn to the Welsh economy, it is one of the fastest digital economies outside London, and continues to grow. We are recognised for our highly skilled workforce, world class universities and robust digital infrastructure, with the UK’s first 5G network launched in Cardiff.
Around 45,000 people are actively employed within the Digital Economy in Wales, and we are home to over 3,500 home-grown and multinational technology operations.
