Kane-backed Seat Unique scores £20m funding boost to accelerate growth

A premium ticketing and hospitality platform backed by Harry Kane, the England captain, has secured £20m in new funding to help accelerate its international expansion.

Sky News has learnt that Seat Unique, which is capitalising on consumers' appetite to spend money on upmarket live experiences, is raising the money in a round led by Nickleby Capital, a long-standing backer of the company and one of the UK's leading growth investors.

The fundraising will be announced publicly on Monday.

It includes participation from Active Partners, Pentland Ventures and Hearst Ventures, according to people close to the deal.

Ben Stokes, the England Test cricket captain who is expected to return to the side this month, and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 Olympic heptathlon champion, are among the existing backers of Seat Unique.

Its star-studded share register also includes the model and television presenter Maya Jama, comedian Jack Whitehall, and the actor Daniel Kaluuya.

Former Welsh rugby union player Sam Warburton and Stuart Broad, one of England's leading Test wicket-takers, are also shareholders.

Seat Unique's latest funding round is the latest staging post towards its ambition of building a business valued at over £500m.

The valuation implied by the new capital-raise is undisclosed.

The Nickleby Capital-led round follows the recent acquisitions of P1 Travel and Circuit Hospitality, which were designed to establish a platform combining premium ticketing, hospitality and travel for rights-holders, venues, artists, sports teams and fans.

A person close to Seat Unique said it was on course to record £175m in sales this year, with a target of doubling that during the next three years.

Seat Unique, which is run by co-founder Robin Sherry, has been involved in ticketing for high-profile events such as the speaking tour undertaken by former US President Barack Obama.

It also has contracts with venues including Wembley Stadium, Manchester's Co-op Live arena and the 16 racecourses operated by Arena Racing.

The company's acquisition of Circuit Hospitality provided a stronger foothold in Premier League football by virtue of agreements with Arsenal and Everton football clubs.

It raised £10m last year to help finance that deal, with that round also led by Nickleby Capital, which counts some of Europe's most successful entrepreneurs among its backers.

Seat Unique is chaired by Richard Flint, the former SkyBet chief who also chairs investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown.

It markets original ticketing inventory, unlike secondary platforms, which have come under growing political pressure over their treatment of consumers.

"Demand for premium live experiences continues to grow rapidly, and our recent acquisitions have significantly expanded our capabilities and international reach," Mr Sherry said.

"The continued backing of Nickleby and our other investors allows us to accelerate acquisitions, expand internationally and strengthen our position as Europe's leading premium live experiences platform."

Mr Sherry believes that investors are being increasingly drawn to businesses focused on real-world experiences involving human connections and moments that technology cannot replicate.

He cited research predicting that the global sports hospitality market is expected to grow from $14.5bn in 2026 to $28bn by 2031.

"Seat Unique has established itself as the clear leader in premium live experiences across Europe," said Saav Shah, managing partner at Nickleby Capital.

"Having supported the company closely for the past three years, we have seen first-hand the momentum being created.

"Combined with a highly attractive acquisition pipeline and increasing demand from rights-holders and fans, we believe Seat Unique is exceptionally well positioned for its next phase of growth."

Seat Unique said on Sunday it was actively looking at further acquisition opportunities.

(c) Sky News 2026: Kane-backed Seat Unique scores £20m funding boost to accelerate growth