Honcho relocates to County Durham following investment and creates three jobs to complete software development and product launch
The Finance Durham fund, established by Durham County Council and managed by Maven, one of the UK’s most active private equity firms, has helped raise £850,000, providing £150,000 of the total investment in innovative technology start-up, Honcho Markets Ltd (“honcho”), with CrowdCube investors providing the remaining £700,000. Funds raised will be used to complete the final build of the software and launch the product later in 2018, creating three new jobs based in Durham.
honcho’s software is an innovative alternative to price comparison websites (PCWs), and aims to disrupt the market by providing consumers with a new way to buy insurance products reducing the cost of insurance for motorists. Through honcho’s m-Commerce reverse auction marketplace, insurance companies transparently bid for the business of consumers, putting the customers’ interests at the centre of the transaction.
Founded in 2014, honcho sought to raise £650,000 to fund its app, initially through CrowdCube. With the support of the Finance Durham Fund, managed by Maven, honcho closed the investment window nine days early following the exceptional support it had received. The campaign was overfunded to a capped limit of £850,000 from 713 CrowdCube investors.
"The Finance Durham Fund can provide the financial resources to back business growth for ambitious companies"
Alex Marsh, Investment Manager, Maven CapitalNow headquartered in Salvus House, Business Durham’s flagship office space at Aykley Heads, Honcho is now resident in the thriving business community in Durham. Crowned one of the UK’s most innovative cities last month, Durham is home to a growing hub of dynamic technology businesses. The relocation of honcho to the County to develop and operate their app will add to Durham’s existing network of ambitious, high-growth companies.
The investment in honcho is the fifth deal from the £20 million Fund established with funding from Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham, the economic development organisation for County Durham. The Fund is managed by Maven Capital Partners, one of the UK’s most active private equity houses and SME finance providers, to support the growth of high potential businesses located in, or looking to relocate to the County.
Alex Marsh, Investment Manager of Maven, said, “honcho is a hugely exciting new business and we are delighted to support its plans to launch such an innovative app for motorists that empowers the consumer and ultimately reduces the cost of insurance. The team has identified a clear gap in the market and the overwhelming response from the crowd demonstrates that there’s a real appetite for the technology they’ve developed.
“The Finance Durham Fund can provide the financial resources to back business growth for ambitious companies and with such an impressive and highly experienced management team in place we look forward to working with Gavin and his team to help the business achieve its growth plans.”
Gavin Sewell, CEO of honcho said “We are absolutely delighted to have received such a fantastic level of support from the crowd as well as Business Durham and Maven and to have exceeded our funding target by more than 25%. We are very much looking forward to working with Maven, Business Durham and our other key partners in the North of the country to launch our reverse-auction marketplace for financial services products.”
Sarah Slaven, Business Development Director of Business Durham, said: “Business Durham are pleased to have helped honcho move to Salvus House, our prestigious office building in Durham City. Joining the thriving business community at Aykley Heads, honcho will be at the heart of the growing Fintech cluster in the City. It is fantastic that this exciting new company has also been able to benefit from the Finance Durham fund to help it thrive and grow.”
The opportunity for businesses
With an experienced North East team, operating from new offices in Durham and Newcastle, and a strong investment history across the North of England, Maven is well-resourced to provide the necessary support to local companies, both in terms of the initial investment process and the ongoing support as those businesses grow.
