Architecture firm set to triple in size after smashing crowdfunding target

Construction and structure concept of Engineer or architect meeting for project working with partner and engineering tools on model building and blueprint in working site.

The UK’s fastest-growing home architecture firm HOKO has passed its £500,000 fundraising target.

More than 300 investors have already backed the award-winning £15 million valued firm to become the undisputed brand name for UK residential architecture.

Founder Danny Campbell, who was this week announced as an ambassador for Scottish mental health charity See Me, is now set to begin a recruitment drive to triple HOKO’s total staff number to more than 100, including 30 new architects across the UK.

The success of the campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube is the latest milestone for the fast-growing company which recently received £50,000 of Scottish Edge funding and has passed annual revenue of more than £1m since December last year.

Now, more than 10 investors are set to receive “the world’s most expensive brick” – a limited-edition, custom-made blue HOKO brick available to anyone who invests more than £25,000.

Described as ‘Uber for architecture’, HOKO has already attracted backing from world-class investors Donald Wilson, Graham Campbell and Warren Gee, who see the firm’s potential to be a world leader in its field and now sit on its board.

Danny, who was recently recognised at the 2021 Great British Entrepreneur of the Year awards, said: “This is going to accelerate our growth tremendously. We are grateful to every single investor for putting their money where their mouth is and joining us on our journey to provide the perfect client experience to homeowners around the world.

“We have a clear purpose and unlimited ambition. The next few years are going to be incredibly exciting. The residential architecture industry is completely broken and we’re now in a position to fix it on a global scale. “

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when RIBA research showed that most architecture firms cut back on new hires, HOKO expanded across the UK this year, opening new studios run by project architects in Inverness, Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham and two in London.

The firm offers clients a smooth, single-transaction project experience which makes use of cutting-edge technology including virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to support the high-end design, build and filling of spaces that transform their homes.

Danny Campbell added: “We have developed a process that allows for a high-volume of small projects to be delivered to a high-calibre. This is thanks to backing our team of talented architects with a strong and skilled backroom team.

“Small projects are ignored by most big firms – but we believe that needs to change. The architecture industry is scared of us, but we don’t care about that. All we care about is making homeowners happier in their homes.”

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