The money will be used to support the company’s plan to become a leader in the online brand communities and research panels sectors by investing in new technology and staff recruitment. The investment follows new client wins from the likes of HSBC, Eon and Mecca.

Verve founder and majority shareholder Andrew Cooper (pictured) said: “It’s great to have a ‘war chest’ which we can selectively invest in to ensure Verve is without doubt the leading player in communities and panels for research.”