Led · Equity · Jun 2026

Smash Padel operates and develops padel centres across the UK and follows a community-driven site selection model. At the time of the report it ran five profitable centres in Bicester, Oxford, Whitstable, Mid Sussex and Cardiff. The company plans to scale to 20 centres nationwide and has a new facility scheduled to open in Taunton in summer 2026, with three additional centres expected before the end of the year. Management emphasizes a rigorous approach to choosing sites and growing grassroots participation rather than only monetizing existing players. Smash Padel also aims to support the development of elite youth talent alongside its expansion. The recent £1.25M investment led by Middleton Enterprises is intended to accelerate these growth and development objectives.

Led · Equity · May 2024

Upholstery2u brings a mobile workshop to customers’ locations to complete on-site furniture and equipment upholstery repairs. Founded in 2021 by brothers Daniel and Michael Boyle and based in Brierfield, UK, the company’s trained upholsterers can complete repairs in as little as thirty minutes. It has completed work across gyms, hotels, pubs and restaurants, airports, educational establishments, and healthcare providers. The business received a £1.125M growth investment from Middleton Enterprises. Upholstery2u plans to use the funds to expand its mobile furniture repairs business across the UK and internationally. The founders highlighted Middleton Enterprises’ growth capital and noted Jeremy Middleton’s operational experience with Homeserve as a valuable fit for the company’s growth.

Led · Equity · Feb 2024

SushiDog operates a grab-and-go quick service restaurant concept in London, selling sushi rolls, bowls and salads as a healthier alternative to mainstream fast food. Co-founded by Greg Ilsen and Nicholas Goldstein, the chain opened units on Baker Street and The Strand in September and October 2023 after an earlier funding round led by Middleton Enterprises. The company reports a 77% year-over-year revenue increase and an associated rise in sales driven by the performance of its London sites. SushiDog raised £800K from Middleton Enterprises to finance further expansion. Management has identified multiple additional London sites scheduled to open in 2024. The brand emphasizes rapid expansion while maintaining a healthier, grab-and-go food offering.

Led · Equity · Feb 2018

Oradian provides a finance management platform for personal banking to microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating in countries with underdeveloped banking infrastructure. Led by Antonio Separovic, the company is based in London, UK and Zagreb, Croatia. It initially focused on Nigeria, where it grew its customer base to 24 MFIs serving 489,000 end users. With support from the Philippine Central Bank, Oradian rolled out in the Philippines and now works with 18 MFIs. The company is also present in Ghana, Liberia, and Malawi. It will use the funds from this raise to continue expanding its business reach. Oradian offers Instafin, a SaaS platform used by banks and financial institutions to provide banking services where traditional infrastructure is lacking or in poor condition. The product is positioned to promote financial inclusion by enabling microfinance institutions and banks to serve more customers in remote or underserved areas. Oradian reports a client base of 200,000 in Nigeria accumulated over the last two years. Company leadership frames Oradian as a partner that helps microfinance institutions and banks build capacity for growth and transform their businesses. Finance in Motion noted the platform reduces the high costs associated with traditional hosted solutions, which can be a barrier for many institutions. The company’s stated mission is to reach people at the base of the economic pyramid and expand access to financial services. Oradian is a Croatian startup that provides Instafin, a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service platform to help microfinance institutions manage core-banking activity. Its customers are mainly microfinance providers in Nigeria, and the company aims to scale across West Africa. Oradian has raised an undisclosed seed round to support scaling and to expand its team in Zagreb and in Nigeria. Investors in the round include Credo Ventures, Playfair Capital, Day One Capital, Esther Dyson, Moaffak Ahmed and Pule Taukobong. Co-founder and CEO Antonio Separovic, who grew up in Cape Town and has a background in financial inclusion, says the product addresses MFIs' poor data and reliance on legacy software, spreadsheets, or pen and paper. Competitors mentioned in the article include Temenos, Fern Software, Craft Silicon and newer SaaS players such as Mambu.

Led · Equity · Feb 2018

One Utility Bill is a Newcastle-based fintech that manages energy, water, broadband, media and TV licence services on behalf of thousands of households across the UK. The firm manages an annual servicing value of over £10m for its customers. It plans to use recent funding to scale and improve operational efficiency, update its technology stack, and accelerate customer growth. The company says the funds will also support the creation of around 40 new jobs in the North East over the coming year. To date One Utility Bill has raised around £5m in funding. Founded in 2014 by CEO Chris Dawson and CTO Dale Knight, the business has focused on increasing automation and building a compelling customer proposition. One Utility Bill consolidates household bills into a single monthly payment and can split payments equally between housemates. The platform manages energy, water, broadband, media and TV licence for thousands of households across the UK. It handles an annual value of over £10m on behalf of its customers. Founded in 2014 by Chris Dawson (CEO) and Dale Knight (CTO) and based in Newcastle, the company serves both consumers and business partners. One Utility Bill plans to use new funding to extend consumer and business-partner propositions, enhance technical capability and create new features for customers. One Utility Bill is a billing technology platform founded in 2014 in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne that simplifies billing for tenants, landlords and letting agents by bundling gas, electricity, water, internet, media subscriptions and TV licenses into one user-friendly monthly bill. The service enables users to split bills easily and offers products such as Bills Inclusive and Notify, used by nearly 400 letting agents. The company has about 25 employees and serves roughly 10,000 customers across the UK, from Plymouth to Aberdeen. One Utility Bill has signed partnerships with Sky TV & Broadband, Virgin Media, Octopus Energy, Spark Energy and others. The company will use the newly raised funds for national growth and further development of its tech stack. It recently closed a £650k funding round to support these plans.