Manchester-headquartered social media company, KOMI Group, has secured a ‘significant’ investment from BGF.
Led by founder and CEO Andrew Trotman and MD Sam Lenehan, KOMI will use the money to continue to fund growth opportunities.
As part of the deal KOMI Group’s original founders Ryan Williams and Matthew Thomas will be stepping away to pursue other interests.
Founded in 2015, KOMI has grown to 80+ staff and boasts a community of over 40 million followers across 12 brands.
Housing some of the UK’s leading social brands that generate over 2 billion views per month, KOMI also provides clients with the expertise, skill and flexibility its employees have developed over years of building communities and reach for themselves.
The business partners with household names such as TikTok, Disney, DPD, AO.com, wejo and content creator Arron Crascall, working with content creators, brands, media agencies and production houses to drive social media strategies that deliver against a business’ objectives. In addition, it licences expertly curated content utilised by the world’s biggest media outlets and supporting influencers’ content generation.
Andrew Trotman, CEO and co-founder, KOMI, said: “The business has experienced huge progress and considerable growth over the past few years, and we believe we have a significant opportunity to scale by working with more brands and individuals who could benefit from our creativity and reach.
“To do that, it’s crucial that we continue to invest in our people and emerging platforms, so we retain the innovative approach and commercial results KOMI is known for.
“Whilst this is fantastic news, it is also sad to say farewell to my fellow co-founders, Ryan and Matt. We understand their decision to step away and thank them for their hard work and commitment to KOMI’s growth over the last seven years.
“We would not be where we are today if not for them, and I am excited to see where their future endeavours take them.”
Rhys Davenport, who led the deal for BGF with investor Courtney Walker, said: “KOMI is an exciting, creative and high growth business, that operates in a market which has huge potential both in the UK and internationally. KOMI’s existing platform is highly scalable, both organically and through M&A, with a disruptive offering and approach to market.
“With Andrew and Sam at the helm, we’re backing an ambitious and capable management team to expand a business already delivering world-class creative for brands, people and publishers.”
BGF was set up in 2011 and has invested more than £3bn in more than 460 companies, making it the most active investor in the UK.