Arete has invested as part of a multi-million pound deal.

Vivify provides a digital platform where under-utilised school, leisure and community venues can be listed for hire to maximise social activity and generate much-needed revenue for community groups.

The investment comes at a time where the importance of social interaction and physical health are becoming more vital than ever for UK communities as national lockdown restrictions ease. Drawing on the experience of Arete’s senior team members, the company will look to expand operations across the UK and significantly grow its base of partner venues.   

Founded in 2020 by Russell Teale, Alaine Swis and Andy Mellor and chaired by Richard Millman, the Vivify management team has many years of experience working in the leisure and hospitality industries and is passionate about promoting health and wellbeing in the UK’s diverse communities.   

Simon Lord, joint managing partner at Arete said:

“We really believe in Vivify’s vision and think that demand for its services will be a vital lifeline to community entities in the coming months and years. The Vivify platform helps schools and venues to engage and build relationships with people in their community. With feelings of loneliness and mental health problems at an all-time high, this engagement can have a hugely positive impact on the wellbeing of people across the UK. Through Vivify, schools and venues can play a more significant role in their communities, bringing people together for sport and leisure.

“It’s exciting for us to work with an entrepreneurial management team who have developed technical differentiation via Vivify’s booking platform to put local community venues right at the heart of its business model. The social and health benefits sit naturally alongside the economic benefits to community venues and the surrounding area. We are looking forward to adding value to Vivify with our existing knowledge of scaling similar types of businesses and helping them to gain a bigger foothold in the market.”

Russell Teale, managing director at Vivify said:

“The investment from Arete will allow Vivify to raise awareness of its platform among many more under-utilised venues up and down the UK, enabling more people to get involved in social and physical activities – at a time where it has never been so important. 

“Vivify has huge potential in the UK market. In fact, recent statistics from Sport England show that for every £1 spent on community sport and physical activity, nearly £4 is generated in return for the English economy and society at large. We’re providing a vital service that has the potential to unlock additional revenue for the UK economy in the near future – particularly given that over a third of the UK’s sports facilities alone are currently behind school gates. As a result, Arete’s investment will have a huge multiplier effect for the UK’s economic and social future.”

The transaction was led by Simon Lord and Jamie Newall at Arete; Matt Noon and Elan Iorwerth of Hill Dickinson (legal advisers); Neil Robinson and Rob Dawes of Grant Thornton (financial due diligence), and Dan Harris of PwC (tax). Michael Murphy from Weightmans advised Vivify.