PingGo secures investment and a place in technology incubator Seed Haus 

PingGo , a media engagement platform for high growth companies, has secured investment of £30,000 from Seed Haus and a six month residency at the pre-seed tech incubator.

The funding will be used to accelerate development of PingGo’s media search engine and grow its international customer base. The company said it will use its time in the accelerator to access the depth of experience, skills and knowledge of the SeedHaus Partners, refine the existing product and prepare for its first funding round.

“This opportunity puts us in a powerful position to flourish,” said founder and chief executive Sarah Lee. “Everything about Seed Haus is geared towards nurturing early stage startups and giving them the space and light they need to grow. As a solo founder I am particularly grateful for the environment this creates for me.”

Seed Haus, co-founded by Calum Forsyth, the chief executive, and Robin Knox, the chairman, fills a gap in the startup ecosystem and represents one of the only Scotland-based organisations built on private equity that supports startups at the pre-seed stage.

“Seed Haus invests in talented founders with deep domain expertise,” said Forsyth. “Sarah is an expert in her field, an accomplished business owner, and has a fantastic product already in the hands of users. We are thrilled to be working with the PingGo team and look forward to growing the business together.”

Since late 2017, the number of applications to join the six month Seed Haus programme has peaked at over 230. Ultimately, only three successful applicants were selected for investment from this round of applications, following a strict recruitment process.

Based in Edinburgh, PingGo has plans to recruit four members of staff over the next 12 months and is now focused on preparing for launch of a news ‘match-making’ service which will pair press releases with key influencers in the media writing on a specific subject.

The company provides users with press release writing, news planning and media engagement tools. PingGo works by asking the user first to choose a press release and then to answer questions about their company – what it does and why it matters.

PingGo was launched in 2017 in response to a move towards the automation of business processes and a lack of affordable PR services. With customers in the UK, Europe and the US, PingGo helps companies to build reputation, create credibility and increase brand visibility in mainstream business media.

The company provides users with press release writing, news planning and media engagement tools. PingGo works by asking the user first to choose a press release and then to answer questions about their company – what it does and why it matters.

The software then processes the answers and formats them into a press release for the user to edit and share with colleagues before sign-off. The user is then invited to build a media list of journalists writing about their industry and to engage one to one with them “forging the critical relationships that will result in sustained media coverage for the company as it grows”.