London-based software startup GeckoLabs has secured a £250,000 investment as it looks to broaden its product range, open a new office in the capital and expand internationally.
VC firm AngelLab led the investment through it’s venture partner Andrew Weisz, who will also join the GeckoLabs board, with additional funding provided by the London Co-Investment Fund.
Founded in Edinburgh in 2012, GeckoLabs develops cloud-based software to help educational institutions manage and improve their recruitment processes. It currently works with over 30 of the UK’s top universities and colleges, including Robert Gordon University, Newcastle University, University of East Anglia, University of East London and University of Southampton.
The business is the brainchild of Matthew Lanham, a digital entrepreneur who has been involved in the Edinburgh tech scene for over 10 years and who started his first business, a web design company, aged just 17.
He said: “We are delighted to have received investment from AngelLab and the London Co-investment Fund, and to welcome Andrew Weisz to the board. The incoming investment will help us take the business to the next level, particularly with our ambitions to grow overseas. This is an incredibly exciting time for the business and this funding will mean we can achieve our objectives of expanding the team, opening our base in London and adding new products to the portfolio.
“Universities and Colleges are not maximising every interaction with students, and therefore missing out on potential enrolments. We’ve taken time to understand the student recruitment process, and identify where improvements can be made by embracing the latest technology.”
AngelLab managing partner Andrew Fullerton added: “The educational sector is an important and valuable growth market in which we are keen to invest. We are delighted to support the excellent team lead by CEO and founder Matt Lanham in his plan to increase the breadth of the solutions on offer from GeckoLabs and the roll out their software to new customers both in the UK and globally.”
During 2012, Gecko participated in ignite100, one of the UK’s top tech accelerator programmes, and graduated with investment from Northstar Ventures, IP Group, and four angel investors.