Manchester Digital member Dream Agility secure investment which values their business at over £5million thanks to intro from Manchester Digital MD Katie Gallagher.
Dream Agility Ltd, founded by husband and wife team Glyn Powditch and Elizabeth Clark, are an award winning, Google Certified Partner, providing SaaS software to manage feeds and bidding for Google Shopping Ads, Facebook retargeting and Bing PLA’s to enable Digital Agencies to get more cost effective returns for their retail clients.
Powditch and Clark initially had a frustrating time trying to secure European/government investment from regionally managed funds, but their experience was that unless a business is cannibalizing another business, the fund providers were not interested. Ultimately the right sort of investor was going to be one who knew their space and a hunt for an entrepreneur with a software/digital agency background ensued. A meeting with Katie provided the contact that led to them meeting their Co-Director Kourosh Mehrabani, ex Senior Corporate Finance Partner at Deloitte. Kourosh in turn introduced them to the NW software tycoon Derek Lilley and his marketing partner Tim Crutchley; the perfect match was made.
“We’ve been looking for the right kind of investment for a while, Derek is a perfect fit for us with his experience of growing a highly successful global SaaS platform and Tim has a background in the Agency world with top level connections; they are the perfect team of investors” Said Elizabeth Clark CEO.
North West Software tycoon Derek Lilley, is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded successful restaurant chains Est Est Est, Bar and Grill, and Piccolinos, and recently saw another venture, Fourth Hospitality, sold to US firm Insight Venture Partners in a reported £200m+ deal in June. His co-investor, Wirral based Tim Crutchley has many years experience as the owner of one of the North’s biggest PR firms.
Glyn Powditch, CTO said “We are so grateful to Manchester Digital for signposting us to the right partners and lobbying local funds to change their policy on investment criteria. Last week we began discussions with Microsoft to be one of the first to introduce Bings Product Listing Ads at their launch in August, following on from a successful integration with Facebook.”
The investment will enable the firm to expand their team and extend into overseas territories.
ENDS
About
Dream Agility are the Everywoman in Tech Best start up winners 2014. A Google Certified Partner, their unique software enables digital agencies and retailers alike to capitalize on Googles move towards the more problematic but profitable feed based advertising in Google Shopping. With over £311bn stock on the UK’s high street (more than Amazon and Wallmart together) Dream Agility aim for their software to be the one stop shop in making the high street store stock searchable online – everywhere from Google, to Facebook to Bing and beyond.
Elizabeth Clark is the Chairman and CEO, Glyn Powditch is the CTO ex Gaming Director of Sky Bet. Kourosh Mehrabani is a Director and ex Senior Corporate Finance Partner for Deloitte in Manchester
Contact:
Elizabeth@dreamagility.com 07741 000793 or 0161 7638727
