Developed by long-standing Harbottle clients, Steven and Dave Jolliffe (the founders of Topgolf and Puttshack) and led by CEO Andrew O’Brien, Poolhouse is a new social entertainment venue concept reimagining pool.
The concept combines the game of pool with cutting edge technology to create a new immersive experience, offering guests of all skill levels an engaging experience through a diverse library of interactive pool games together with a world class food and beverage offering. Poolhouse’s first venue is set to open in Liverpool Street, London, early in 2026 and they are in discussions to expand to open further venues in the Middle East, North America, Southeast Asia and Europe.
Poolhouse raised $34 million in its seed funding round from a number of venture capital firms and strategic investors from across the globe. The round was led by Sharp Alpha, a U.S. leisure-focused venture capital investor, and DMG Ventures, DMGT’s consumer venture capital fund. Other investors in the round included Emerging Fund, (investors in F1 Arcade, Flight Club and Batbox), David Blitzer (owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils), Simon Sports (a co-owner of Ipswich Town F.C.) and Active Partners (an early investor in Soho House). Signature Hospitality Group, one of Australia’s largest hospitality brand operators, has also taken an equity stake and signed a franchise agreement with Poolhouse.
On working with Harbottle & Lewis, Poolhouse CEO Andrew O’Brien commented:
“The Harbottle team did an outstanding job guiding us through the many inevitable complexities associated with a funding round of this size. Three things stood out for Poolhouse in particular: i) their pragmatic approach to resolving several more complex elements of the process, ii) superb communication within the team working with us – they were always in sync, and iii) great work rate, with many (very) late nights spent driving time sensitive tasks to punctual conclusions.”
Corporate partner Tom Macleod and managing associate Rosie Marston led the transaction, with support from corporate associates Elizabeth Compton and Jake Jacobson, and other departments across the firm. Commercial/sports partner Bob Mitchell led the licensing aspects of the transaction with support from senior associate Mike Jones.
Commenting on the transaction, Tom Macleod said:
“We are delighted to have supported the Poolhouse team on their $34m investment round, which paths the way for the launch of their first venue for this transformative new pool concept. We advised Poolhouse from its inception, providing advice on its corporate structure, licensing arrangements, employment and incentivisation matters, as well as running the investment transaction itself. This further demonstrates the breadth of H&L’s offering to emerging companies and our ability to advise on complex, high value venture capital transactions.”
