Appointedd raises £595k investment for global drive

Edinburgh-based startup Appointedd has announced a £595,000 investment that will see the online booking specialist embark on a global expansion.

The deal, led by Equity Gap, will allow Appointedd to scale, trebling the size of its team and driving a rapid growth strategy targeting new markets and territories.

The company has attracted investment from a wide range of investors, including Gareth Williams, founder of Skyscanner, and Marie Macklin CBE, founder of Macklin Enterprise Partnerships.

The Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, is also involved in the investment round.

Appointedd’s disruptive software delivers a comprehensive set of features including online booking, customer relationship management, and marketing automation. The software revolutionises processes for a range of businesses, from local salons and other services, to global business development agencies.

Appointedd’s suite of tools allows small business owners to manage their business entirely online, replacing traditional pen and paper systems. The company launched the world’s first multi-time zone booking tools last year, an innovation they credit with establishing a global market for their technology.

Last month the company announced it had been selected as one of 12 integrated software systems in an innovative app platform curated by National Australia Bank. The deal will see Appointedd’s software being offered to 700,000 SMEs across Australia.

NAB’s new Business In One product integrates Appointedd into an ecosystem of third party business apps, including: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, SugarCRM, and Eventbrite. Data entered into any application will be up-to-date in all other apps, and the platform provides customers with real time reporting from a customisable, central dashboard.

Founder and CEO Leah Hutcheon said: “It has been fantastic to get such a positive reaction from investors at this round. We have felt extremely honoured to attract investment from the founder of one of Scotland’s unicorn companies and experienced entrepreneurs like Marie Macklin CBE. We look forward to using their expertise to help expand our software globally. We are already seeing some amazing traction, and it’s exciting to be working with partners like National Australia Bank. We’re particularly looking forward to growing our team as we have another global player to be announced soon!”

Early investors from Equity Gap followed their investment. Equity Gap is a business angel syndicate actively investing and co-investing in early stage Scottish based companies.

Speaking on behalf of his co-investors Fraser Lusty, director of Equity Gap, said: “We are delighted to continue to support Leah and the team at Appointedd through their next growth phase. We have particularly been impressed with the technical product enhancements and the strategic alliances formed which will open up volume markets in the USA, Europe and Australasia.”

Gareth Williams, founder and CEO of Skyscanner said: “It’s been a pleasure to watch the Appointedd product hone over time and I’m excited to be involved in the next stage of their growth. The software has the potential to be the leader in a huge market and I look forward to watching their international expansion.”

Appointedd was supported by Entrepreneurial Spark and won one of the first ScottishEDGE Awards. F

Founder Leah Hutcheon is an Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland and Entrepreneurial Scotland. Appointedd was awarded winner of the AccelerateHER competition run by Investing Women.

Jim Duffy, founder and Chief Executive Optimist of Entrepreneurial Spark, said: “Securing such a huge investment from key figures in the business community is a great achievement and demonstrates how successful Appointedd’s business model has been and its potential for use across the globe. We’ve worked with Leah since she joined the Entrepreneurial Spark business accelerator, where she has carefully and steadily grown her business with a strong network of support. We teach entrepreneurs to work on their mindsets and behaviours to become credible, backable and investable – all three of which Leah has achieved.”

Ms Hutcheon said: “Scotland is a great place to build a startup - there’s a burgeoning ecosystem filled with talented people who are extremely giving of their time and support. Organisations like Entrepreneurial Spark, Women’s Enterprise Scotland, and Entrepreneurial Scotland ensure that companies get access to the support they need and there’s an active investor network, buoyed by Scottish Investment Bank match funding and ScottishEDGE.”

www.appointedd.com