Creative UK is delighted to announce the first equity investment from the North of Tyne Culture and Creative Investment Programme in the form of a £100,000 investment in Grid Finder – an early-stage, high-potential, esports start-up based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

The investment is part of a wider equity funding round, and has already catalysed additional private match investment of £325,000 for the company plus another £200k-£300k in soft commits towards their £1M+ Seed investment round.

Says Tom Bunten, Founder of Grid Finder:

“We are thrilled to have received this investment from The North of Tyne Culture & Creative Investment Programme.  The award will enable us to employ two more incredibly talented developers, Chris Honniball (CIO & co-founder) and Kamil Zurek – as well as giving us the funds to bolster our marketing team and strategy.”

“This is our second investment round but significantly larger than the first, with more complex mechanisms involved. Creative UK were patient, transparent and incredibly helpful throughout the whole process and it’s a huge boost to know that they have our best interests at heart and are just as motivated to see the business succeed as we are.”

Rahul Misra, Investment Manager, North of Tyne, Creative UK, said:

“We have been very impressed by the Grid Finder team’s passion – for online racing and for creating solutions for online racing communities. They have seen significant early traction for their platform. Through equity investment and strategic support from the North of Tyne Culture and Creative Investment Programme, we look forward to supporting Grid Finder’s growth. .”

“The North of Tyne Culture and Creative Investment Programme has a further £1M to invest through loan and equity financing on behalf of the North of Tyne Combined Authority by June 2023 – so we urge creative businesses in the area to get in touch!”

For further information please visit www.wearecreative.uk/northoftyne/north-of-tyne-investment/ or contact Rahul Misra, Investment Manager, North of Tyne, Creative UK on [email protected]  

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Media contact for Creative UK and North of Tyne Culture & Creative Programme:

Nicky Mckeen

M: 07824 390826

E:  [email protected]

Note to Editors:

Creative UK: 

Creative UK is the national network for the Creative Industries. We are an independent membership organisation that champions the value of the Creative Industries. We know that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Creative UK connects talent, business and organisations across the Creative Industries; from arts and culture, film and TV and video games to design, publishing and architecture and everything in between. At Creative UK, we support companies and people working in the creative sector by offering development opportunities at a local and national level, through our network of partners across the UK. We invest by identifying untapped potential to accelerate growth, providing tailor made resources and financial expertise. We do all of this because we believe in the power of creativity to change lives. https://www.wearecreative.uk/

North of Tyne Combined Authority:

The North of Tyne Combined Authority is a partnership of three local authorities: Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Council, and Northumberland County Council and the North of Tyne Elected Mayor. 

www.northoftyne-ca.gov.uk 

Grid Finder

Grid Finder was originally a passion project, designed to help gamers find gaming communities to race with during Covid. It very quickly became “Google” of online racing and has expanded its services assisting online racing communities in recruiting new drivers, managing their races and tournament series’,  as well as offering the gaming world a platform to sell car liveries, engineering setups, broadcast services, commentary services and coaching.

https://gridfinder.com/