Australian ticketing platform Humanitix is opening headquarters in Edinburgh as it seeks to bring its “good, not greed” ethos to the UK.
The company is locating in Edinburgh after receiving support from Scottish Enterprise to come to Scotland, including a £325,000 grant, as well as assistance from the Scottish Government funded International Social Enterprise Observatory (ISEO).
Humanitix said it dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity and has donated over £8.5 million to date.
Launched in Australia in 2016, Humanitix opened a US base in Denver, Colorado, in 2022 and then looked to the UK as its next growth destination.
“The Humantiix team were looking for a lively city with a strong culture and expert talent to support the growth of the business and they are now breaking into the UK event ticketing market with the creation of 30 jobs in Edinburgh city centre,” said Scottish Enterprise.
Founders Adam McCurdie and Josh Ross have been friends since high school and describe themselves as social entrepreneurs.
McCurdie is now based in Edinburgh to launch Humanitix UK.
He said: “It’s incredibly exciting to bring Humanitix to the UK and base ourselves in Scotland.
“We’ve already had such an overwhelming reception to the Humanitix platform here in the UK and can’t wait to see more event hosts making use of Humanitix to sell their tickets and see real local social impact as a result.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “I am delighted to see such a values-led organisation as Humanitix choose Scotland as a base to grow its international reach, demonstrating Scotland’s appeal as a word class destination for impact driven international businesses.
“Attracting inward investment is critical to economic growth and creating high quality jobs. The arrival of Humanitix sends a strong signal that Scotland is not only open for social enterprise investment but setting a global standard for how impact businesses can thrive.”
Scottish Enterprise said the company’s core activities are the provision of software and related activities for online ticketing platforms, offering lower booking fees than the larger competitors, whilst using these booking fees to support social initiatives across the world, such as children’s education in developing nations.
Early successes resulted in growth funding being provided by the Atlassian Foundation and New South Wales government and the company became the fastest-growing ticketing platform in Australia and New Zealand.
Reuben Aitken is the Managing Director of Scottish Enterprise’s international arm. His team in Australia worked with Humanitix to bring the UK headquarters to Scotland.
He said: “Scotland continues to punch well above its weight in attracting inward investment and a company like Humanitix choosing to base their UK operation here is a real vote of confidence.
“At Scottish Enterprise, we are all about backing ambition. The boldness and innovation of Humanitix, combined with their ethical approach, is how you really go about disrupting an industry and we’re excited to see that happening from their Edinburgh HQ.”
Simon Smith, Executive Director of CEIS, a social enterprise development agency that manages the ISEO, said:“Humanitix represents exactly the kind of innovation, purpose and partnership that our economy is built to support – where profit is reinvested to drive real change.
“At ISEO we are proud to have supported this journey alongside Scottish Development International and the Scottish Government – a Team Scotland approach that positions Scotland as a world class destination for international social enterprise expansion”