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Football innovators Pelly score £355,000 to Level Up

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Three young entrepreneurs have secured their first investment thanks to investments by the Development Bank of Wales and M-SParc’s Angel Network. The investment marks the first major step for Pelly and its platform for managing sporting talent.

Led by lead investor Robert Williams, the syndicate of ten angels has invested £124,500 in Pelly Group Limited, a tech company set up to provide a cutting-edge platform for sports operations management. The investment has been part-matched with a further £124 ,500 from the Development Bank of Wales’ Angel Co-Fund. Private investment completed the round taking the total to £355,000.

Based at M-SParc, Pelly is the brainchild of co-founders Iwan Pritchard, Stephen Hickingbotham, and Tomos Owen, all under the age of 25. Through the M-SParc “Level-Up” accelerator programme, the Pelly team have been mentored by communications consultant Barbara Want, M-SParc Angel Shaun King, as well as receiving guidance from private investor Ian Brookes.

Left to Right: Pryderi ap Rhisiart (M-SParc), Robert Williams (M-SParc Angel), Tom Preene (Development Bank of Wales), Gwenllian D Owen (M-SParc), Stephen Hickinbotham, Tomos Owen, Iwan Pritchard (Pelly); Photo by Ginger Pixie.

Pelly aims to transform sports operations by offering a platform for managing talent and streamlining decision-making. The platform combines artificial intelligence with an intuitive user interface to help sports organisations make data-driven decisions efficiently. Unlike competitors, Pelly’s technology is uniquely data-agnostic, enabling seamless integration of clubs’ internal and third-party data sources into actionable insights. This positions Pelly as the go-to tool for forward-thinking sports organisations aiming to stay ahead in a highly competitive industry.

Co-founder Iwan Pritchard said:

Pelly bridges the gap between data and action. We’ve built a platform that leverages AI to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights for clubs. Our focus is empowering teams to operate with agility, integrating the data they already have, and providing tools that help them win—both on and off the pitch.

We’ve been working closely with M-SParc and local academic institutions to develop our prototype. Over 100 industry professionals have been consulted to date and eight clubs are now testing the product before going to market in early 2025. The support of M-SParc, our advisors and investors is really helping us to accelerate our growth. They’re encouraging us to work smarter while opening doors and providing the working capital that we need to fund our early-stage development. It’s a huge vote of confidence in us, our business model and our potential.

The Football Association of Wales launched their innovation centre in partnership with M-SParc in March 2024, and this investment reflects the sort of football innovation that the partnership aims to accelerate.

M-SParc’s Angel Network was established to back start-up and early-stage businesses in North Wales. The network is focused on mentorship and networks and to date they’ve supported over 14 businesses in the region to grow; however, this marks their first major investment.

Angel investor Robert Williams said:

Our members have a wealth of finance and business experience, having started, scaled, and exited a wide range of businesses. We’ve come together as a group as we all want to see the North Wales economy prosper, and we share a commitment to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs like the team at Pelly to succeed. Indeed, this is a team of bright, young, and ambitious football professionals who know their market, and have already established Pelly as a credible presence within the industry. This funding round now gives them the platform to go to market.

Angel Invest Wales Operations Manager for the Development Bank of Wales Tom Preene added:

Growing Welsh businesses need access to funding, but the guidance and support of experienced business owners as angels is also hugely valuable. The business angel network in Wales is growing, enabling more start-ups, and young entrepreneurs like the team at Pelly to benefit from the backing of investors. It’s a win-win with our match funding then providing additional firepower to help drive growth.

The £8 million Wales Co-Investment Fund provides Welsh businesses with a key source of alternative finance through the encouragement of more active angel investment. The five-year fund supports the creation of angel syndicates and networks across Wales by providing loans and equity up to £250,000 to investors looking for co-investment.

To learn more about the M-SParc Angels, contact Gwenllian.

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Tom Burke

Digital Innovation Manager

tom@m-sparc.com

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Tom used to work at the KFC in his hometown of Colwyn Bay before it mysteriously burned down. He then spent several years “on the lam” in East Germany, where he worked as an animator in Berlin. When the wall fell, Tom came home.

He enjoys climbing and hates ice-skating.