Liverpool-based marketing agency Ph.Creative is planning to double in size after securing a £500,000 investment from The North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures.
The investment will support Ph.Creative’s growth strategy to expand staff numbers from 24 to over 40 by the end of 2013 and to become one of the UK’s leading digital agencies.
Established in 2004 by Bryan Adams, Ph.Creative is an award-winning agency whose customers include Dulux Decorator Centres, Bibby, Nationwide, Mastercard and Michelin. The company is accredited by Google and is the official Google North West partner for its Getting British Business Online project, which aims to help businesses that are not using digital media effectively.
As part of the investment deal, the company has appointed Steve Turnock as its Non-Executive Chairman. Steve has been involved in two private equity-backed businesses, TrainStation and Practice Plan, both of which achieved real scale by adopting innovative marketing initiatives.
Commenting on the investment, Bryan Adams, Managing Director of Ph.Creative, said: “Following substantial growth in 2012, we felt the time was right to seek this significant investment and securing it is a vital step forward for us. We’ve made headway in attracting and retaining both national and international clients over the last 12 months but the new team members will help to further strengthen the depth and understanding within the agency, enabling us to deliver even more of these big projects.
“We’ve identified a number of specific opportunities which we believe will have an immediate impact on our business and are excited to see what they year ahead has in store.”
Will Clark and Lisa Ward from Enterprise Ventures worked on the funding.
Will Clark, Investment Director, commented: “Ph.Creative is a young, fast-growing company with an impressive client base and a track record for implementing projects in a smooth and efficient manner. This investment will support the company’s growth plans and help create high-value jobs at a time when funding for small firms is extremely difficult to find.”
Melanie Yeomans and Ward Hadaway acted as legal advisers for the Fund with Denise Walker from Brabners acting for the company.