The Finance Durham Fund backs specialist marketing company The Social Co.

The Finance Durham Fund backs specialist marketing company The Social Co.

Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”), one of the UK’s leading private equity firms, has invested a six-figure funding package in The Social Co (“SOCO”), through the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham.

The Social Co has an award-winning team of social media experts and creatives and will use the funding to expand the team and accelerate its expansion strategy across the wider group. SOCO Group delivers high-level social media marketing campaigns to brands operating in the UK with an international footprint, providing all services in-house through an integrated setup.

Based in Durham, and run by entrepreneurs Kane Haig and James Ogilvie, SOCO has grown to a team of 40 staff based at its Durham office. The business delivers its comprehensive range of services for its impressive and growing client base, across a range of sectors, from fashion and apparel to sports and financial services. SOCO already boasts a client base of well-known brands including Newcastle United Football Club, Hays Travel & Monument bank. SOCO’s strong reputation is built on its ability to create high-impact campaigns across major platforms such as Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat and X.

The UK advertising market continues to demonstrate strong momentum, with total spend forecast to exceed £40 billion this year (Advertising Association/ WARC Expenditure Report). Social media continues to influence a substantial and growing proportion of consumer purchasing decisions. SOCO utilises its strong creative capabilities to deliver campaigns for exciting, high growth brands who are looking to increase their brand visibility and engagement.

The investment from the Maven-managed Finance Durham Fund will support the next phase of SOCO’s growth, enabling the team to expand its sales capabilities to help continue to expand its client base, and build on the strong momentum the business has established both in the North East and further afield.

Kane Haig, Co-founder of The Social Co, said: “Securing this investment marks a pivotal moment for The Social Co. and our wider group. We’re incredibly excited about the opportunities it creates for us to accelerate growth, expand our capabilities and deliver even greater value to our clients. This funding gives us the platform to scale faster than ever before, and the next few years will be transformative for both ourselves and our clients. We would like to thank Maven and Business Durham for their support and are already seeing great benefits from working closely with them to help us achieve our goals.”

Rebecca MacDermid, Investment Manager at Maven, said: “SOCO is a great example of an ambitious North East business with real creative flair and commercial drive. Kane and James have built an impressive agency that’s delivering outstanding work for big-name clients and is continuing to attract opportunities on a global scale. This funding will help them grow further and strengthen the team as they look to secure more long-term contracts and expand their client base. We look forward to working with them to help drive the business forward.”

Cllr Joe Quinn, Durham County Council cabinet member for Resources, Investments and Assets, said: “We’re delighted that Finance Durham is supporting The Social Co to continue their growth here in Durham. With their award-winning team of social media experts and creatives, they represent the kind of innovative, ambitious business we want to see thrive in our county. Supporting companies like The Social Co demonstrates our dedication to driving Durham’s economic growth—by empowering local businesses, opening up new opportunities for our residents, and positioning the county as the premier destination for business in the North East.”

The Finance Durham Fund is part of Durham County Councils strategy to deliver economic growth across County Durham by supporting local ambitious and entrepreneurial businesses who need access to the funding they require to grow. The Fund provides flexible equity, debt or mezzanine funding packages from £150,000 to £2 million for early stage and established businesses, investing across all sectors.