Gresham House Ventures Invests £5 Million in RetailTech Super-App Proximity Insight

Backing a New Era of Retail Technology

Gresham House Ventures, a growth equity investor specialising in software and digitally driven businesses, has invested £5 million in Proximity Insight (PI) — the retail tech innovator behind a powerful new Super-App designed for modern store teams.

This marks the first institutional investment for PI and forms part of a £5.5 million funding round alongside existing private investors. The deal also represents the first combined investment across Gresham House’s Baronsmead and Mobeus VCTs.

Revolutionising Clienteling with the Retail Super-App

Proximity Insight delivers a next-generation Retail Super-App that helps store teams build meaningful, personalised relationships with customers. Co-founded by Salesforce experts Kris Moyse and Matt Lacey, and led by retail veteran Cathy McCabe, the company has created a rich clienteling platform built for every stage of the customer journey.

McCabe, previously VP of Customer & Payments at Burberry and CIO at Jaeger, now leads the business as CEO and co-founder. Under her leadership, PI is redefining how brands use technology to drive loyalty, personalisation, and in-store productivity.

What Makes It ‘Super’?

The PI app gives store teams real-time access to customer profiles, including preferences, trends, and purchase history. With this insight, associates can communicate, serve, and transact — all from a single, unified tool.

This end-to-end omnichannel capability makes PI’s solution a true Super-App, helping retailers connect more deeply with their customers both in-store and online.

PI is also the only retail solution natively built on the Salesforce platform. It seamlessly integrates with Salesforce products while also connecting with leading CRM and commerce tools.

Fast-Growing Business with Global Reach

Following a year of exceptional growth — with revenues up over 100% year-on-year — PI now serves over 20 brands across 25 countries, including leading names in fashion, beauty, jewellery, electronics, and homeware.

Notable clients include Selfridges, John Lewis, David Jones, Lafayette 148, Orlebar Brown, Rodd & Gunn, and more.

Fueling International Expansion

The investment from Gresham House Ventures will support PI’s expansion plans across North America, boost sales and marketing efforts, and drive further innovation of its SaaS platform.

Gresham House will also offer strategic support, including access to its extensive retail and tech sector network. Joe Krancki, Investment Director at Gresham House Ventures and the lead on this deal, will join the Proximity Insight board.

Proven Impact for Retailers

Retailers using the PI Super-App are already seeing strong results:

• 60–70% open rates on outreach messages

• 30–40% increase in average transaction value

• 25–30% conversion rates

• 5–10% uplift in sales per store

• Significant improvements in customer data capture

Investor and Founder Perspectives

Joe Krancki, Investment Director at Gresham House Ventures:

“Despite the enthusiasm surrounding e-commerce, the after-effects of the pandemic have clearly shown us that stores still have a vital role to play. But stores must embrace digital tools to meet the expectations of today’s customers.

PI’s strong performance, strategic alignment with Salesforce, and Cathy’s outstanding leadership position the company perfectly for global scale. We’re excited to support their next phase of growth.”

Cathy McCabe, CEO & Co-Founder of Proximity Insight:

“From day one, Gresham House Ventures shared our belief in technology’s role in shaping the future of retail. Their deep expertise in scaling software companies will be instrumental as we expand globally and continue building meaningful digital experiences for customers.

This partnership marks a significant milestone for our team — and a major vote of confidence in our vision, platform, and people.”

About Gresham House Ventures and Gresham House

Gresham House Ventures is a growth equity investor specialised in scaling businesses with business models driven by technology, customer insight or service excellence. Our team aims to work with ambitious management teams who want the support of a flexible long-term investor bringing capital, insight and expertise. Gresham House Asset Management is the FCA authorised operating business of Gresham House plc, a London Stock Exchange-quoted specialist alternative asset manager. Gresham House is committed to operating responsibly and sustainably, taking the long view in delivering sustainable investment solutions.

About Proximity Insight

PI offers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) cloud-based retail app for global omni-channel retailers to build long-term relationships with customers by capturing data around their preferences, behaviours, and purchases. The solution delivers feature rich ‘clienteling’ and omnichannel services including appointment booking, events, live chat, video chat alongside transact capability such as basket, payments, and checkout. Proximity Insight global customers include brands such as Selfridges, John Lewis, David Jones, Orlebar Brown, MCM Worldwide, Rodd & Gunn, Lafayette 148, DAFC and Cambridge Satchels Company.

Learn more at www.proximityinsight.com.

To learn about the Proximity Insight Super-App and to request a demo, click here.