Raven spreads its wings after securing £300,000 funding from business angels

12/02/2019
From left - Ian Kerr and David Fletcher
From left - Ian Kerr and David Fletcher

Investors have pumped £300,000 into the company behind operations and issue management software used at the Ryder Cup and European Athletics Championships.

The funding for Glasgow-based Raven Controls is coming from business angels David Fletcher, Malcolm Jones and Clark Wilson.

The cash will be used to create up to five jobs at the company, adding to the teams in house development capability in addition to growing Raven’s sales and marketing.

Raven was founded in 2016 by Ian Kerr, who served with the police for ten years in counter terrorism planning before becoming a security consultant at several international stadia and venues.

Mr Kerr spotted a gap in the market for software that streamlines the process of recording and responding to security incidents in venues and arenas.

Raven’s technology allows staff at events to log incidents on mobile phones or tablet computers instead of using traditional methods such as paper and pen or spreadsheets, which are time consuming and prone to human error.

Raven is a spin-out from ID Resilience, which has carried out security and readiness testing and exercises for clients including the SEC, English Football League, European Tour and the Rugby World Cup 2015.

Mr Kerr said: “This investment will allow us to grow our in-house development team by hiring software engineers, including Scotland’s top PHP developer talent.

“Over the course of the year ahead, we aim to recruit a further five members of staff to grow our team.

“Taking on these members of staff will allow us to continue to grow our events business in the UK and in continental Europe during the coming months.

“We are also looking at international opportunities further afield, including the football world cup in Qatar, and are very much looking forward to attending the Stadium Managers Association in Miami, USA.”

Raven’s team includes a retired police chief superintendent and counter terrorist planning experts who were involved in planning events such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Olympics 2012 and several T in the Park music festivals.

The company recently moved into its new home at Red Tree Magenta, a £9 million Grade A office building in the Clyde Gateway development between the River Clyde and M74 motorway in Glasgow.

Mr Fletcher added: “The world is awash with data, but the secret is to be able to translate it into meaningful information.

“Being able to log incidents and analyse that data is essential for keeping people safe, especially in large crowds.

“That’s exactly what Raven’s software can do, and it has myriad uses at sporting stadiums, music venues, airports and many other locations.

“There are plenty of exciting opportunities ahead for Raven and myself, Malcolm and Clark are excited about joining Ian and his team on this journey.”

Last year Raven won £65,000 from Scottish EDGE, the UK’s largest business funding competition.

It also hired Gavin Dutch as its non-executive chief technology officer.

In 2007, Dutch founded Kotikan, which became Scotland’s largest mobile app development company and created apps for Skyscanner, Standard Life and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, before being bought by online fantasy sports unicorn FanDuel in 2015.

[yikes-mailchimp form=”2″ title=”1″ description=”1″]

The Latest Stories

Investment Fund for Scotland commits £5 million to support growth of smaller businesses
New co-presidents appointed to CISI Scotland committee
Ten winners crowned at 10th Young Professionals Green Energy Awards
Legal pioneer to be honoured at conference