Adventure travel scale-up Much Better Adventures raises £5m from Gresham House Ventures

Gresham House Ventures, a growth investor specialising in tech-enabled businesses across software, healthcare, and consumer has committed a £5m investment into Much Better Adventures (MBA), an online travel company specialising in active outdoor adventure holidays.

MBA was established by co-founders Alex Narracott, Guy Bowden and Sam Bruce to capitalise on the rising demand for socially responsible adventure travel, especially solo travellers looking for an experience different from “fly and flop”. Partnering with handpicked local operators, MBA’s platform provides exclusive, solo-friendly and expert-led trips worldwide.

In a highly fragmented, competitive and fast-growing sector, MBA has delivered strong organic growth and built a loyal global following. Revenues have grown 11x since 2019 (pre-Covid) and tripled in the past two years alone, underlining the growing demand for the company’s curated, high-quality experiences. MBA has welcomed adventurers from over 100 countries, reflecting its universal appeal.

MBA is a B Corp-certified business dedicated to advancing sustainable practices in the travel industry. The business model is designed to maximise support for regional economies in which it operates by collaborating with local businesses funding conservation projects, and reducing its carbon footprint.

MBA is the third travel company to join Gresham House Venture’s portfolio, which already includes tailor-made holiday expert TravelLocal and staycation holiday provider Caledonian Leisure. The investment will enable MBA to enhance its go-to-market strategy, increase platform automation, expand its offering across new destinations and activities, and increase its international presence to take advantage of the worldwide market opportunity.

The deal, led by Greg Blin and supported by Hamza Rafiq, marks the first institutional investment for MBA, and continues a busy period of dealmaking for Gresham House Ventures. Recent deals include a €4.25m investment into accessibility data platform Mobility Mojo, a £5.5m investment into cybersecurity business OnSecurity and a £6.3m investment into data governance and cyber incident management leaders ActiveNav and Actfore.

Cavendish, the full-service investment bank for growth and investment companies, were the advisers to Much Better Adventures on this deal.

MBA has developed a distinctive proposition which appeals to consumers seeking out sustainable, active travel experiences. With a trusted reputation and consumer-centric approach, we believe the business is well-placed to continue on its impressive trajectory and capitalise on an attractive global market opportunity. We are very excited to be backing Alex Narracott (CEO) and his team and supporting their international expansion plans over the coming years.

Greg Blin, Partner at Gresham House Ventures

We started Much Better Adventures in the French Alps, inspired by our shared passion for the outdoors and a belief that travel could be a force for good. From those early days, we’ve been driven by a bold vision: to create the world’s leading platform for active, sustainable adventure travel. Today, we’re proud to have built a global community of adventurers who seek extraordinary experiences - and care about having a positive impact in the process. With Gresham House’s support, we’re excited to accelerate our international growth, expand into new destinations, and bring our model for adventure to even more people around the world—while continuing to protect the wild places that inspire us.

Alex Narracott, Co-founder & CEO

🔗

Find your next adventure