Killing Kittens, the UK-based intercourse occasion organiser partly backed by the federal government, is elevating funds to gasoline its world growth and develop new ventures, together with a everlasting venue, cruise ship occasions, and a homosexual male-focused enterprise.
KK Group, working below the Killing Kittens model, is aiming to satisfy the rising demand for “meaningful in-person connections” as society shifts again in the direction of social gatherings. The corporate plans to “scale globally and unify a premium adult market that currently lacks a true leader”.
Having beforehand hosted occasions in New York, Killing Kittens will relaunch its companies within the metropolis subsequent yr, with extra plans to introduce occasions in Los Angeles, Lisbon, Venice, and Paris.
Co-founder Emma Sayle is in search of to lift new capital from retail buyers by a crowdfunding marketing campaign on Seedrs, focusing on a valuation of £10.5 million. The funds will assist the subsequent part of the corporate’s development technique.
The presentation additionally revealed that KK Group, the Enterprise Champion Awards development enterprise of the yr, is in discussions for added debt financing and has explored strategic growth alternatives with mergers and acquisitions financiers.
The corporate identifies the “sex-positive space” as extremely fragmented, with quite a few smaller platforms like Feeld, Pure, and HUD competing for market share. Sayle confirmed the fundraising plans, expressing a want to create “a big, open-minded ecosystem for your whole adult life”.
Killing Kittens has already launched a relationship app referred to as Wax, reportedly utilized by “hundreds of thousands” of individuals as a social media platform. KK Group estimates the area of interest “sexscape” section of the relationship market to be value round $345 million.
With over 250,000 members and greater than 12,000 annual occasion attendees, the corporate at present generates nearly 90% of its income from the UK. This home focus has spurred new ambitions for world growth.
Based in 2005, Killing Kittens is venturing into cruise ship occasions, with its inaugural voyage deliberate for 2026. The cruise has already generated £350,000 in room revenues inside the first eight weeks of gross sales.
The group can be in search of its first devoted venue in London to host occasions, aiming to scale back prices and create new income streams. Moreover, it has lately launched KK Homme, a enterprise catering to homosexual and bisexual males.
The investor presentation highlighted that KK Group is “a prime acquisition target for larger companies looking to diversify their portfolios”. The corporate can be contemplating a public itemizing on a smaller change like AIM to supply future exit alternatives for buyers.
In 2022, it was revealed that Killing Kittens grew to become part-owned by the UK authorities by the Future Fund—a scheme designed to assist fast-growing, tech-focused British start-ups through the pandemic. The Future Fund nonetheless holds roughly a 1.5% stake within the firm.
The Future Fund has had combined outcomes, with 286 of the 1,192 backed companies declared bancrupt as of 30 September 2024, leading to a £241 million loss for the federal government. Nevertheless, it has additionally generated £76 million from 74 company exits.
