givestar secures $12m to scale modern fundraising platform in UK and US
UK‑based fundraising platform givestar has raised $12 million in growth funding led by Mercia, with participation from Love Ventures, marking the largest investment in the company’s history and one of the biggest rounds completed by a UK fundraising technology startup.
Founded to address the decline in cash‑based charitable giving, givestar initially enabled smartphones to act as contactless donation points. The company has since evolved into a full fundraising platform connecting charities, fundraisers, donors and events, supporting digital campaigns, event fundraising, supporter engagement and charity stewardship.
The platform has attracted nearly 800,000 user accounts and facilitated more than $70 million in donations for over 4,000 charities. According to the company, 76% of users are under 35, aligning with its mission to help charities reach the next generation of donors.
givestar has become a key partner for major UK participation events, including RunThrough, Tough Mudder UK, Spartan UK, Ultra Events and Ultra X, spanning hundreds of races and helping charities recruit new fundraisers.
Co‑founder Tom Montague said the company was built on a simple insight: “Young people hadn’t stopped caring about causes, they’d just stopped carrying cash. So we put the collection tin on the phone.”
“We’re building the technology layer that connects those worlds, creating a community that makes giving and fundraising more engaging and ultimately powers modern fundraising. This investment gives us the firepower to take that ambition much further, particularly in the US,” he added.
The company has already established significant US distribution, partnering with more than 70 events, including Bay to Breakers, the Las Vegas Marathon and the Portland Marathon. Earlier this year, givestar was appointed Official US Fundraising Partner to Spartan and Tough Mudder, bringing its technology to hundreds of thousands of participants annually.
Mercia Ventures investor Hugo Lough said: “What stood out to us about givestar was not only the technology the team has built, but the network they are creating around it. By partnering with some of the biggest participation events in the UK and establishing an early foothold across more than 70 events in the US, they are embedding fundraising into the places where it naturally begins.”
The new funding will support UK and US expansion, accelerate product development, grow the team, and advance givestar’s mission to modernise how charities engage supporters and raise funds.
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