Collctiv
Techstars '22Manchester, GB · Founded 2019 · 14 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
Collctiv is a digital platform that enables groups of people to collect money and manage shared expenses for events, travel, fundraising, and other purposes. The service operates across 175 countries and serves individuals organizing group activities.
Also known as Collctiv Ltd
Founders & leadership
Collctiv was founded in 2019 by Amy Whitell and Pete Casson.
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Collctiv is a Manchester-based fintech operating a group payments app and web service. Organisers create a free "Pot", share a unique payment link or QR code through channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, SMS or email, and contributors pay in by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay without creating an account or downloading an app. Funds arrive in the pot instantly and are held separately from the organiser's personal bank account; balances can be spent on gift cards, forwarded to another person, or withdrawn to a bank account.
Pots can be customised with closing dates, fundraising targets, a display of who has already paid, and additional information about the collection; contributors can leave a message with a payment and may remain anonymous. Real-time balance updates and a transaction list support ongoing collections such as sports team kitties. Use cases cited by the company include travel, fundraising, parties, sports, bills, gifts, school and class collections for teacher presents, weddings and grassroots sports teams. Alongside the consumer app, Collctiv references a business platform used by companies, charities and community groups.
The company also publishes free ancillary tools including a sweepstake generator and a Secret Santa generator, and content around PayPal Money Pools. Collctiv Ltd is registered in England and Wales (company number 11783005) with offices at Colony, 5 Piccadilly Place, Manchester.
Founding story
Co-founder Amy Whitell organised a baby shower for a colleague and agreed with co-workers on a £100 group gift, but when collecting the money she had gathered only £20, half of which was her own contribution. Having repeatedly been left out of pocket as an organiser, she approached her co-worker Pete Casson; unable to find an existing digital solution for collecting money from groups, the two founded Collctiv. Whitell serves as CEO and Casson as CTO.
Business model
The core service is free to use: creating pots, collecting and withdrawing funds carry no fee. Collctiv instead asks users to opt in to an optional tip of 2% of the withdrawn amount at the point of withdrawal to fund ongoing development. The company also references a business platform aimed at companies, with no long-term contracts.
Optional user contributions ('tips') of 2% of withdrawn amounts, opted into by the organiser at withdrawal, plus a business platform offering.
Traction
Company-reported figures on its site: 2.4 million users, £268 million processed, 7.1 million transactions and 175 countries (an earlier page version cited 2.2m+ users, £246m processed and 6.5m transactions). Over 3,000 App Store reviews and more than 50,000 Google Play downloads. In 2022 the company reported 400,000 users including 13.5k companies, 16% average monthly growth, and passing $20 million in processed transactions.
Latest developments
The Google Play listing was updated in July 2026 with a maintenance release, and the site continues to publish consumer guides and landing pages such as one aimed at school class collections for teacher gifts.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positions itself as a group-payments specialist for upfront collection from groups; its site markets against PayPal Money Pools. It describes itself as the only British start-up accepted into the New York Techstars accelerator cohort it joined in autumn 2022.
No account creation, app download or bank-detail sharing required for contributors; instant payment via digital wallets; group funds kept separate from the organiser's personal bank account; visibility of who has paid in real time; free collection and withdrawal with an optional tip rather than a mandatory fee; funds spendable as gift cards, onward transfers or bank withdrawals.
Technology
Consumer iOS and Android apps plus a web flow built around shareable payment links and auto-generated QR codes, so contributors can pay without an account or app download. Payments accept card, Apple Pay and Google Pay and are 3D Secure by default; the company cites bank-level SSL encryption. Payment processing is provided by Nuvei and PayPoint Plc, both FCA-regulated, and identity verification of collectors and withdrawers is handled by Persona.
Go-to-market
Distribution is primarily viral and organic: organisers share pot links and QR codes into group chats, and contributors pay without registering. The apps are distributed via the App Store and Google Play, supported by SEO-oriented content (blog guides, sweepstake and Secret Santa generators, PayPal Money Pools pages) and press coverage. The company states it has grown organically since launch.
Consumer organisers arranging group activities and collections — hen and stag parties, group holidays, weddings, birthday and leaving gifts, class and teacher collections by school parents and class reps, grassroots sports teams and shared bills — as well as businesses, charities and community groups collecting money remotely.
Geography
Headquartered in Manchester, England (Colony, 5 Piccadilly Place, M1 3BR), with UK launch in December 2019 and US expansion in autumn 2022. Reported activity in 175 countries; as of 2022 the company cited 88 countries and 63 supported currencies.
History
Founded in 2019, Collctiv launched in the UK in December 2019 (a company blog post refers to a September 2019 launch). By 2022 the company reported roughly 400,000 users including 13.5k companies, an average monthly growth rate of 16%, activity in 88 countries and acceptance of 63 currencies, and it passed $20 million in processed transactions. It expanded to the US in autumn 2022 and was accepted into the Techstars accelerator programme in New York City that same season. The company won a Barclays Regional Winner award for Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021 and appeared on Tally Market's Shining Stars of the Workplace 2023 list.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 5
by search overlap
Companies competing with Collctiv for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsCompany blog reproducing Financial IT coverage states Collctiv has grown on the back of its $1.6 million pre-seed funding investment.
$1.6M source ↗
Collctiv announced it had processed over $20 million (roughly £17.5 million) in transactions, covered by Financial IT and Techblast.
$20M source ↗
Collctiv joined the Techstars Accelerator Program in New York City in autumn 2022, described by the company as the only British start-up accepted.
Collctiv was named Regional Winner for Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year by Barclays.
Collctiv launched its group money collection service in the UK. A company blog post elsewhere refers to a September 2019 launch.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureCompanies House · registry record
View on Companies House ↗- Registered name
- COLLCTIV LTD
- Company number
- 11783005
- Status
- Active
- Company type
- Private limited company
- Incorporated
- 23 Jan 2019
- Registered office
- Colony, 5 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BR
- Nature of business (SIC)
- 58290 — Other software publishing
- Previous names
- BOBFORIT LTD (2019–2019)
- Accounts
- last made up to 31 Jan 2025 · next due 31 Oct 2026
- Confirmation statement
- last made up to 30 Sept 2025 · next due 14 Oct 2026
Current officers · 2
- Peter David Casson — director, appointed 23 Jan 2019
- Amy Elizabeth Newford — director, appointed 23 Jan 2019
Source: Companies House public register · retrieved 24 Jul 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Collctivcollctiv.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Collctiv do?
- UK fintech whose app lets groups pool money via shareable payment links or QR codes without sharing bank details.
- Who founded Collctiv?
- Collctiv was founded by Amy Whitell, Pete Casson in 2019.
- Who are Collctiv's investors?
- Collctiv's investors include GC Angels, Techstars.
- Where is Collctiv headquartered?
- Collctiv is headquartered in Manchester, GB.