01 February 2023: Tribepad, a leading talent acquisition software provider, has secured a £12m investment from BGF – one of the largest and most experienced growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland. 

Founded in Sheffield in 2008, Tribepad has developed a best-of-breed talent acquisition platform which supports the end-to-end hiring process for some of Britain’s leading enterprises. Its software is used by over 125 in-house talent acquisition teams at organisations including Tesco, the BBC, Grant Thornton, Subway and NHS Professionals. 

Tribepad helps hiring teams improve speed and efficiency in talent acquisition and address any potential bias to improve the overall recruitment experience for both candidates and hiring managers. Tribepad’s talent acquisition platform combines Application Tracking System technology with recruitment advertising, video interviewing, employee onboarding, data insights and equality, diversity and inclusion tools. Today, more than 25 million people worldwide use Tribepad’s software to power their job searches. 

The need for technology to support traditional recruitment processes was brought to the fore during the pandemic, while an increasingly transient and shrinking UK labour force has been driving acute talent shortages across many sectors in recent years. With BGF’s investment, Tribepad will be able to scale its offering, enabling even more companies to recruit the right people effectively and fairly, as well as developing new features and functionality that will enhance the overall user experience. 

Commenting on the deal, Tribepad’s CEO, Dean Sadler, said: 

“Tribepad is driven by the simple aim of making the recruitment process better and fairer for everyone. Our software is proven to generate positive outcomes for candidates and employers, so that the right people are hired for the right jobs. Having grown the business organically since inception, we wanted to find an investment partner that understood our proposition, recognised the market potential and could help turbo-charge Tribepad’s growth. BGF’s team have delivered on this from the start, and I look forward to working closely with them on the next stage of Tribepad’s growth journey.”

The deal was led by Rob Johnson and Linda Nguyenova, investors in BGF’s Yorkshire team. 

As part of the investment, Andy McRae – part of BGF’s Talent Network – has been appointed as non-executive chair. He brings a wealth of experience from across the recruitment and technology sectors, having previously worked with a range of PE-backed businesses and entrepreneurs. 

The deal will also see Tribepad’s co-founders Alexis Twigg and Dan Kirkland step down from their roles to pursue other interests. 

BGF’s Rob Johnson said: 

“Tribepad has built a feature-rich platform that’s helping organisations across the country improve their ability to source and attract talent. The business is well-positioned to capitalise on favourable market tailwinds that are driving ever greater adoption of recruitment technologies as organisations look to succeed in what is an extremely tight labour market. With the support of BGF and Andy McRae as non-executive chair, I’m excited to see what Dean and the team can achieve and I look forward to working closely with the business over the next few years.” 

Advisors to BGF: 

• Squire Patton Boggs – Paul Mann, Hannah Crosland, Joshua Lodge, Matt Smith and Sarah Hardman
• Tax Advisory Partnership – Russ Cahill and Toyan Williams

Advisors to Tribepad: 

• KPMG M&A – Graham Pearce, Paddy Goodlet, Ekrem Shahin, Katie Peter and Charlotte Moss
• KPMG Law – Edward Bartlett, Rebecca Ridley & Katherine Munn
• KPMG Tax – Mike Linter, Joanne Brien, Nathan Potton, Andrew Cawthray and Al Milne
• KPMG Tax Valuations – James Porter, Robin Jackman and Mominul Islam

ENDS

About BGF

BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested over £3bn in more than 500 companies, making it one of the most active growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland. Investing from a balance sheet of £2.5bn, BGF is a minority, non-controlling equity partner with a patient outlook on investments, based on shared long-term goals with the management teams it backs. BGF invests in growing businesses in the UK and Ireland through its network of 15 offices. BGF models have now been set up in Canada and Australia, with other countries evaluating the opportunity to replicate this. 

www.bgf.co.uk / @BGFinvestments

About Tribepad

Tribepad is a specialist talent acquisition software provider, serving some of the UK’s best-known organisations such as the BBC, Tesco, The Church of England, Serco and G4S. Its award-winning software includes an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), video interviewing, employee onboarding, freelancer management and job boards. Tribepad helps organisations save time and money in the recruitment process while delivering a positive user experience for employers and candidates. Its software is used by more than 25 million people and is available in 16 languages worldwide.

More about Tribepad: www.tribepad.com