Good causes ticketing firm opens in Edinburgh – Daily Business

Australian ticketing platform Humanitix, which donates all of its profits from booking fees to charity, is creating 30 jobs in Edinburgh.

Since launching in Australia in 2016 the company has given more than £8.5million to good causes. A US base opened in Denver, Colorado in 2022.

The move comes amid growing concern over the cost of concert tickets and profiteering by some organisations and individuals.

The company has received a £325,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise for its Edinburgh office, as well as assistance from the Scottish Government funded International Social Enterprise Observatory (ISEO).

In 2018 Humanitix won the Google Impact Challenge and became fastest-growing ticketing platform in Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s directors include John Eales, regarded as one of Australia’s greatest rugby players.

Co-founder Adam McCurdie, who set up the business with long-time friend Josh Ross, is 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 attended the Edinburgh launch and welcomed a “values-led organisation” choosing Scotland as a base to grow.

“Attracting inward investment is critical to economic growth and creating high quality jobs,” she said. “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.”

Reuben Aitken, managing director of Scottish Enterprise’s international arm, worked with his team in Australia to bring the Humanitix’s 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.

Simon Smith, Executive Director of CEIS, a social enterprise development agency, 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.”