Investment Secured

upUgo, which is thought to be the UK’s largest SEO company, announced today a successful investment round led by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur, Imran Hakim – who is known in the business world for the award-winning  iTeddy.

Angel investor Luke Sartain heads up upUgo, in addition to three other South-West tech companies – GoRank, Lasso and Hearing Supermarket. The deal with Hakim Group opens new doors for Sartain, and is set to double the value of his companies to a staggering £20 million within the next 12 months.

The investment will accelerate upcoming development projects, support ongoing automation, and allow upUgo to aggressively expand its offering by setting up camp in the Northern hub of digital creativity, Manchester.

Founder and CEO Sartain – who boasts a decade of experience in the digital sphere – says,

“This partnership not only gives our group a newfound stronghold in the North, but will likely allow us to more than double the team in 2021, as well as build new relationships with talented and passionate entrepreneurs.

Although the pandemic has turned the business world upside down, we have successfully formed two new companies which are already trading worldwide and growing exponentially. The world of digital marketing and SEO has moved forward by five years in just five months – we’re excited to see what’s next.”

This partnership between the serial entrepreneurs is on course to add nearly 200 new clients to upUgo’s ever-growing roster, which already includes the likes of W H Smith, Hotel Chocolat, and H Samuel. As a result, the duo is expecting to create around 30 new jobs across the country, within the digital marketing space.

“Luke and the team are able to deliver a broad spectrum of digital services that almost every business relies upon for growth. This has been extremely evident during the pandemic, with many businesses accelerating their plans online”, says Hakim.

He adds, “In a hyper-digital world, we are delighted to invest in this journey to support the growth ambitions of this exciting business”.

Moving through the New Year, Sartain continues to focus his efforts on supporting the global digital economy. Following the expansion on his homeland, he also has plans for a subsequent office in Jersey, and is making continued movements towards international expansion to the United States.

ENDS

For more information, quotes, images – or interview opportunities – please contact Beth Cook, Head of PR & Social at upUgo / beth@upugo.com