Gareth Williams, co-founder of the travel search engine company Skyscanner, and Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson, co-founder of the Boda Bar Group, have invested in Swurf, an Edinburgh-based startup.
The business recently hired its first director from outside of Scotland, who will concentrate on expanding operations in England.
Nikki Gibson, who had spent several years working in events, sales, and marketing, launched Swurf in Edinburgh in 2021 after noticing a niche in the market as more individuals began working remotely during the pandemic.
The software links people to locations like hotels, pubs, and restaurants where they can work, network, and cooperate.
More than 2,500 people have downloaded the Swurf app and there are already more than 100 hosts. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester, and Leeds are just a few of the UK locations where users and hosts can be found. Leeds will join the group at the end of July.
“Getting investment from Gareth and Anna represents a major step forward for Swurf as we continue to expand quickly. It’s great that successful investors and entrepreneurs of their calibre have chosen to support Swurf and have bought into our ambitious plans. Until now I have funded the business myself, as well as receiving a Scottish Government Digital Boost Grant earlier this year to further develop my app with a focus on more engagement for users and hosts. I came up with the idea of Swurf while working from home in Edinburgh during the pandemic. I realised people wanted somewhere they could go to work and connect with others, away from their own four walls, and venues were looking for new ways to bring in clients and generate business. The Swurf model has worked well and we continue to sign up new hosts and users across the UK as we build up our community, with an eye on global expansion. Our vision is to have a virtual network of international Swurfers.”Nikki Gibson, founder, Swurf
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