Venturefest South Connection Helps Bournemouth Studio Secure Strategic Funding
A Bournemouth-based games studio has highlighted the important role played by Venturefest South’s Festival of Innovation in building the confidence and connections that helped underpin a major funding milestone.
Ace High Sports, founded by CEO Mike Hawkyard, recently secured a £600,000 funding round, including investment from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, via appointed fund manager The FSE Group, alongside private investors and grant support from the UK Games Content Fund.
Ace High Sports made its first public announcement of the project and funding ambition during Mike Hawkyard’s keynote presentation at the opening of Venturefest South 2024. The response and feedback from the Festival of Innovation audience proved a significant confidence boost at a critical early stage of the company’s development.
“The confidence we gained from the feedback after Venturefest in 2024 massively helped motivate us through our initial development,” said Hawkyard.
Venturefest South also provided an early opportunity to engage with the wider funding ecosystem. Representatives from The FSE Group were first encountered at the showcase event, where Ace High Sports attended a panel discussion featuring the organisation.
Ace High Sports were subsequently selected to exhibit at the 2025 Festival of Innovation through one of event’s funded Innovator spots, which helped to cement relationships and further shine a light on its ambitions.
The funding that has been secured will accelerate Ace High Sports’ growth strategy, enabling them to develop a distinctive portfolio of sports-themed card games, starting with their debut title, Touchdown Poker, scheduled for release later this year. The game blends Texas Hold’em mechanics with the excitement of American football, aiming at a global audience.
Hawkyard said, “This investment is a major step forward to scale the business, grow our team and bring Touchdown Poker to life across multiple platforms. I’ve attended the Venturefest South Festival of Innovation in the past and have always thought it to be a fantastic platform for entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale-ups to connect with potential investors, collaborators and like-minded business leaders.”
Chair of Venturefest South, Ed Gould said, “This success highlights the power of networking and collaboration through the Venturefest South programme, where founders, investors, and innovation leaders come together — not just to share ideas but to create real, impactful business connections that deliver tangible growth and results. We’re thrilled for Mike and his team and proud of Venturefest South’s role as a platform where ideas are validated, confidence is built, and relationships are seeded — often long before investment deals are formally closed.”
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