Retail space marketplace Appear Here has raised $7.5m from one of Europe’s biggest VCs Balderton Capital.
The London-based startup puts retail landlords in touch with business owners to facilitate the rental of space.
The platform currently caters for Bath, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
Old Street takeover
Founded by Ross Bailey in 2012, Appear Here has transacted over 500 lets in the last 12 months and has 600 different properties now in its system.
Eight out of the UK’s ten biggest retail landlords have signed exclusive deals with Appear Here, including British Land, Land Securities and Hammerson.
Appear Here has recently managed the popup takeover of Old Street Underground Station, with a number of startups and businesses making the most of the space.
The investment will be for international expansion in 2015 and for the development of its customer services.
Retail revolution
Balderton’s Mark Evans, who joins the Appear Here board, says that retail is a sector “ripe for overhaul”:
Appear Here is a simple idea which lets brands and entrepreneurs thrive and allows landlords to make the most profitable use of their space.
Their technology, service, understanding of the market and attention to detail is extremely impressive.
Existing investors MMC, Forward and Meyer Bergman also took part in the round, which follows on from a £1m fundraising in November 2013.