New investment in Obbi Club strengthens operational assurance in the global leisure and hospitality sectors

A Northern Ireland-centric group has today announced a majority strategic investment in Obbi Club – the complete governance platform for premium and multi-site sports clubs worldwide.

In the context of rising insurance premiums and tougher audits, private clubs are under pressure to deliver a smarter, safer member experience. With Obbi, they are better placed to manage immediate and emerging risks while simultaneously delivering efficiency gains and enhancing employee satisfaction.

The investor group is led by Paul McElvaney, founder of global workplace learning provider Learning Pool, headquartered in Derry, Northern Ireland.

“Clubs and resorts are incredibly strong communities, but many still rely on fragmented manual systems plus an annual inspection to spot and deal with problems,” he says. “What makes Obbi different is that we’re the only platform to automatically connect what team members are doing every day – the checks they complete, the training they finish, the incidents they report – to the specific compliance obligations those activities satisfy. You don’t have to pull a report when the auditor or insurer call, it’s already there.”

This investment enables the next phase of Obbi’s growth, including accelerated development of AI-centric platform features such as onboarding automation, a live policy governance engine, and real-time intelligence on cross-site compliance standards and risks.

From these and the wider commitment, the expanded Obbi team will work closely with customers and prospects to raise the bar in operational assurance, internal and external compliance, proactive safety management and personalized training.

“Obbi was born from an unmet need in the hospitality industry,” said Founder, Gareth Macklin, who remains actively involved in the business. “Operators needed a solution to better satisfy regulators, auditors, insurers, staff and customers, while also improving margins and enabling membership growth. We already work with some of the world’s most revered brands, and I look forward to extending our reach around the globe.”

The transaction is supported by Techstart Ventures and M&A advisory firm Beltrae Partners, with legal services from Tughans LLP and Millar McCall Wylie.

About Obbi Club

Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Obbi Club is the complete governance platform for premium and multi-site sports clubs worldwide, with customers including Roehampton Multi-Sports Club, Avalon Yacht Club, Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club, and Cottesmore Country Club.

Media Enquiries:

Catherine Rooney

catherine@obbi.club

www.obbi.club