Customer rewards business to take on more staff following £650k investment

A Manchester-based customer rewards platform has raised £650,000 in an investment round led by Daresbury-based DSW Ventures.

Propello has developed a white-label SaaS platform which offers customers a fully branded, yet quick to implement, ‘plug-and-play’ solution.

The platform enables customers to easily build their own rewards and partnership programmes, increasing value provided to their own end customers and reducing churn.

Propello has already built an impressive customer base including HelloFresh, JD Gyms and British Business Bank.

The business was founded by CEO Mark Camp and COO George Charlesworth after spinning out of integrated marketing agency Workhouse in 2020.

The investment will allow the company to build a team of nearly 30 people by the end of 2023.

Mark Camp said: “DSW have been incredibly generous and supportive with their time and advice since we founded the business.

“As a result, we have been able to hold off raising until we found our product market fit, and felt that DSW, along with our co-angel investors, were exactly the right combination to execute our growth plans.

“We’re excited to take Propello forward with their backing, with significant investment already under way in both the platform and team.”

Propello will be the 10th company to join DSW Ventures’ growing portfolio.

Ellie Boardman, investment manager at DSW Ventures, said: “We have got to know and admire Propello over a period of three years which demonstrates our commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams we invest in.”

She said the deal was oversubscribed by DSW investors, and added: “Mark and George are extremely talented founders and have created what we believe to be a truly fresh and differentiated product.”

Weightmans acted as legal adviser to DSW Ventures on the deal, with Hill Dickinson and UHY advising Propello.