Wed 7th Feb 2024 - Big Fang Collective secures £5.5m funding for further UK expansion Big Fang Collective secures £5.5m funding for further UK expansion, eyes three new major cities for 2024 launches: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Golf Fang brand, has secures £5.5m in funding for further UK expansion and is eyeing three new major cities for 2024 launches. The group, which also operates in-house pizzeria Nothing Cheezy and immersive karaoke concept Big Fang Karaoke, both of which launched within its Liverpool venue in 2023, secured the funding from alternative lender ThinCats. Founded in 2016 by Kip Piper and Dan Bolger, Big Fang Collective has grown from its original Ghetto Golf experience in Cains Brewery, Liverpool, to become a multi-venue group with six indoor sites across the UK, employing more than 260 people. Each of its venues in Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Glasgow and Cardiff offer a combination of crazy golf, bespoke art, DJs and signature cocktails. The business said: “Following a successful year in 2023, including the launch of our all-new Big Fang Karaoke concept and first in-house food brand, Nothing Cheezy, we are excited to further accelerate our venue growth plans with the support of ThinCats and our investors, Imbiba. We now have heads of terms signed across three major cities and a strong pipeline for the coming year. With the right people, property and funding now in place, we are set to make 2024 our best year yet.” Mike Dinnell, director of business development at ThinCats, added: “It is fantastic to be involved with a business like Big Fang, which clearly has a strategy to grow its brand across the UK. The management team has an ambitious vision and is really pushing the boundaries of the crazy golf experience. I am excited to see its continued growth and to be on this journey with it.” In September last year, Big Fang Collective said it was planning six new sites by 2025, with Chris Morgan leading the charge after returning to the business as chief executive. Morgan, who was previously managing director of the business until 2022, replaced Natasha Waterfield and will oversee a pipeline of openings that will include a site in Nottingham.