This article was written by Chris Pettit, CEO, Revving
Revving announces today (13th February) a landmark £107 million investment that will provide a vital injection of £1.8 billion in capital UK advertising technology (Adtech), that could have a 4.8x multiplier effect, generating an £8.6 billion boost to the UK economy.
Payment issues are crippling our vital sector
The UK’s Affiliate and Partner Marketing sector is an exciting digital and creative powerhouse, generating £21 billion in online sales, supporting over two million jobs and driving global creativity with competitiveness. Yet, beneath the surface of our incredible and vibrant industry lies a crippling issue of extended payment terms. Today, it’s commonplace to see these stretching to 120 days or more, creating a stranglehold on cash flow, hindering growth and stifling innovation.
This crippling issue within the Adtech ecosystem is pervasive, it is rippling through the entire supply chain, impacting all players; from large publisher partners to small SME affiliates and everyone in between. Critically, it is putting UK PLC at a distinct disadvantage against our better-capitalised US counterparts.
It affects all players but particularly young UK affiliate and publisher businesses, who are unfairly disadvantaged and struggling to continue business under this funding bottleneck that threatens their very survival. This is only being further entrenched by the major players/platform holders like Google and Meta.
We saw last week that the Bank of England halved its projection for 2025 growth and we know that it is betting big on the digital economy to deliver. Indeed, there is a huge expectation for UK digital business to thrive. However, alone we cannot tackle or resolve this critical systemic issue without addressing these pain points around financial constraints that more and more threaten the future vitality of our industry.
UK Adtech is an incredible hotbed of digital entrepreneurship that deserves far greater support. A dramatic redress of our sector payment terms is required, including a complete rethink of the current approach that will remove all financial barriers to innovation and growth, and in the immediate term, a fresh look at how the industry is financed, how technology can support this, and how we can deliver a strategic, robust platform that delivers the financial bandwidth to all players to supercharge growth and competition.
A Watershed Moment: Landmark investment in UK Adtech & sector growth
We are excited to announce today that Revving has secured an incredible funding round led by one of the world’s leading asset managers, DWS, to address this very issue head on. Our £107 million investment will deliver a substantial injection of funds into UK Adtech, the Affiliate and Partner Marketing space and the wider digital economy, just when it needs it the most.
This is a watershed moment for the UK Affiliate landscape and it’s worth also noting that this deal represents an exciting evolution in private credit… a move in the right direction for financial institutions that can only deliver greater opportunity to all players.
Revving isn’t just offering another invoice factoring solution, it is reinventing the game. Revving has built from the ground up a sophisticated platform that integrates seamlessly with digital platforms and marketplaces, capturing sales data and providing instant access to revenue ahead of invoice creation. Not only this but our innovative financial model ensures a level playing field by driving the credit risk upstream to the larger players.
This tech-driven, automated process bypasses traditional bottlenecks, putting revenue directly into the hands of adtech businesses when they need it most.
It’s precisely the kind of targeted investment the industry desperately needs, and one that traditional financial institutions have largely overlooked. It signals a huge vote of confidence from investors, not only in our approach but also the sector.
Through an innovative financial model and by leveraging granular data from direct integrations with digital marketplaces, Revving can provide a level of funding flexibility previously unseen in the sector – placing earned revenues into the hands of affiliate players faster than anyone else.
This will allow businesses to not only manage their cash flow more effectively but also gain valuable insights into supplier credit, payment risk, and overall payment performance. This transparency empowers better financial planning and risk management, creating a more stable and predictable environment for growth.
The impact is already being felt. Clients like Genie Shopping are reporting record-breaking results thanks to faster access to commissions, enabling them to reinvest in campaigns and drive even better outcomes. Partnerships with major players like Awin further validate Revving’s approach and its potential to transform the industry.
Over the next three years, Revving will fund up to £1.8 billion to UK digital businesses. The IAB estimates that this vital injection of capital could have a 4.8x multiplier effect, generating a £8.6 billion boost to the UK economy.
Revving’s £107 million investment isn’t just good news for the company: it’s a watershed moment for the entire UK adtech sector. It signals a renewed focus on paving the way for greater innovation, increased competitiveness, and ultimately, a stronger digital economy. This is more than just a financial boost – it will create a catalyst for growth, empowering UK adtech businesses to continue to thrive and drive competition on the global stage.
Revving captures sales data at source to provide instant access to advances against revenues. Revving is also a founding member of the APMA.
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