County Durham tech firm Valius, which operates an online marketplace for buying and selling SMEs, has secured a six-figure investment from Growth Capital Ventures (GCV), an investment and venture-building business with a portfolio spanning banking, fintech, software and technology.
Platform development and growth plans
Valius, based in Newton Aycliffe and established by business acquisition specialists Paul Griffiths and Andrew Botham, is designed to make buying and selling SMEs easier and more efficient. The platform simplifies the SME acquisition process, which can often involve searching across multiple brokers, listing platforms and other fragmented sources, and already features hundreds of UK businesses for sale.
The investment will support the continued development of the Valius platform, giving business buyers access to a marketplace of UK businesses for sale, alongside enhanced search tools, more detailed business information and functionality designed to make engagement between buyers, sellers and intermediaries easier. Business opportunities on the platform are sourced through established intermediary relationships, allowing buyers to identify businesses that more closely match their acquisition criteria.
Founder and investor perspectives
Mr Griffiths, founder of Valius, said: “Buying a business remains one of the most effective routes into entrepreneurship and business ownership, yet the process has changed very little over the years. We have seen first-hand how difficult it can be for buyers to identify suitable opportunities, while sellers and intermediaries continue to rely on fragmented channels and manual processes.”
“Our aim with Valius is to make it easier for serious buyers to discover quality opportunities and engage with the market more efficiently. This investment represents an important step in the development and growth of the business.”
GCV Invest and future enhancements
The investment was facilitated through GCV Invest, GCV’s private investor network, which provides experienced investors with access to carefully selected private market investment opportunities. Valius is the latest addition to the growing portfolio at GCV, founded in 2015 by brothers Craig and Norm Peterson. The GCV Invest Private Investor Network has previously backed businesses including Atom Bank, QikServe, Intelligence Fusion and n-gage.io.
Norm Peterson, co-founder and CEO of Growth Capital Ventures, said: “One of the strengths of the Growth Capital Ventures model is our ability to support founders throughout their growth journey, and Valius is a strong example of that approach in action.”
“The company is addressing a genuine market need and has a clear vision for how technology can improve the SME acquisitions landscape. We are delighted to have supported the fundraising through our private investor network and to be working alongside the founders as the business continues to develop and scale.”
Craig Peterson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Growth Capital Ventures, said: “The SME acquisitions market is large, fragmented and still heavily reliant on manual processes. We believe there is a significant opportunity to use technology to connect the market more effectively and improve the experience for buyers, sellers and intermediaries. We see significant potential in Valius and are pleased to be supporting the team through both GCV Invest and GCV Labs.”
Valius is also developing relationships with business sale intermediaries across the UK, bringing buyers, sellers and advisers together, and further enhancements to the platform are planned, including functionality designed to improve opportunity matching, automate elements of the acquisition process and provide buyers with greater insight into available businesses.
Mr Botham, director of Valius, added: “We are building the infrastructure required to support the future of SME acquisitions. The opportunity to improve the experience for buyers, sellers, brokers and advisers is significant, and technology can play an important role in making the process more efficient. Our focus now is on continuing to develop the platform, grow our network and build the tools that will make SME acquisitions more accessible and easier to navigate.”
