Digital games venue Poolhouse secures £40m for international expansion

Topgolf and Puttshack co-founders and brothers Dave and Steve Jolliffe have secured £40m in the latest funding round for their competitive socialising concept Poolhouse.

The firm said fresh investment from Bluestone Equity Partners “will fund the global expansion of Poolhouse’s proprietary technology platform, BillyQ, and the continued rollout of its premium, tech-enabled venues”.

The investment comes after Poolhouse opened its first London site in London’s Liverpool Street earlier this year following investment from firms including US venture capital investor Sharp Alpha. The concept centres around digital games of pool using technology developed in partnership with computer vision firm Hawk-Eye.

The injection of fresh capital will see Poolhouse expand its concept internationally, with openings in Australia already under way and further expansion into the US in the pipeline.

Poolhouse said that in the longer term, BillyQ would be rolled out “into hotels, traditional pool halls, casinos, bars and other hospitality venues, and, over time, into the home”.

Bluestone’s founder Bobby Sharma described its investment in Poolhouse as “a compelling opportunity to back exceptional operators in one of the largest global participatory sports categories, representing a multibillion-dollar market, and to help build a category leader across venues, licensing and the home.”

Steve Jolliffe said: “We set out to build Poolhouse because we saw the same opportunity in pool that we once saw in golf: a beloved, mass-participation game that could be transformed through technology, design and a better player experience.

“Bluestone is the ideal partner for this next phase. Their portfolio of complementary sports, media, and entertainment businesses, combined with their global network and institutional approach, will accelerate our ambition to build a worldwide platform powering pool anywhere it’s played.”