Shoreditch motorbike club Bike Shed raises investment racing its way towards LA expansion

Bike Shed Moto Co, has officially launched its second venue and first US location in Los Angeles through the support of funding that includes a contribution from private equity firm Growthdeck.

Since 2011, Bike Shed Moto Co has existed at the heart of moto-culture and the creative spirit, community and lifestyle that surrounds it with its signature success coming from its community-driven flagship destination venue located in the heart of Shoreditch, London.

Over the years, Bike Shed has continued to capitalise on the location’s popularity, with its events attracting ever larger audiences and its online merchandise sales continuing to increase. Ever since putting on its first custom motorcycle show in 2013, Bike Shed events have experienced impressive growth year after year.

Bike Shed Moto Co is led by husband and wife co-founders Dutch and Vikki van Someren. Dutch spent 28 years in the media industry, including leadership roles at MTV, the BBC and WPP, while Vikki is a former Commercial Director at HarperCollins and has also held senior roles at Virgin Media, EMAP and Ministry of Sound.

Building off the success of its flagship London destination, Bike Shed Moto Co utilised funds raised from multiple investors such as Growthdeck to expand its business internationally this spring by developing its second location and first US destination venue in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District.

Bike Shed aims to continue expanding globally in the coming years, with further sites planned for the US, Europe and Asia. Bike Shed will also use the capital raised to build on the success of the e-commerce side of its business, with plans to rapidly expand its online retail platform.

Charles Williams, investment director at Growthdeck, comments: “We’re delighted to back the expansion of one of London’s coolest businesses into a global brand. Bike Shed has been a huge success in London and there is no reason why that can’t be replicated in Los Angeles and beyond.”

“As well as being an enormously influential part of motorcycle culture in the UK, Bike Shed has also become a very profitable enterprise. The quality of the company’s leadership is extremely high and they have proven their concept well in London. The next stage of their growth is going to be a very exciting one.”