Published: 14 May 2026
Edinburgh-based entertainment technology company Esk Film Services has secured a £2.6 million funding round led by Maven Capital Partners — capital that will fuel international expansion, grow its proprietary hardware platform, and extend a client roster that already includes Netflix, Paramount and BAFTA.
The round, confirmed earlier this week by TheBusinessDesk Scotland, was provided by the Maven VCTs and the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Scotland (IFS), which is also managed by Maven. It marks one of the more distinctive Scottish funding stories of 2026 — backing a business that sits at the intersection of intellectual property licensing, live entertainment and bespoke audio-visual technology.
What Esk actually does
Co-founded in April 2022 by CEO Sam Weatherstone, Esk specialises in licensing iconic intellectual property from rightsholders and transforming it into large-scale live entertainment formats — the so-called “film in concert” and orchestral experience market that has grown rapidly worldwide.
But Esk’s commercial moat is not solely creative. The company has developed a proprietary media control system — combining bespoke hardware and software — that delivers reliably synchronised audio-visual playback in medium-to-large venues. That technical layer, paired with global touring partnerships, has positioned the firm at the front of a fast-growing international market segment.
“We started Esk with a deep appreciation of live performance and immersive experiences, and a recognition that audiences have a huge appetite for in person, communal ways to enjoy the stories, creators and worlds they love — and to discover new ones,” Weatherstone said.
“This investment from Maven and the British Business Bank is a massive vote of confidence in the company and our approach, and we look forward to building out our capabilities even further with their support.”
Where the money is going
The £2.6m will be deployed across three areas: business development and marketing expansion to support international reach, growth of the company’s IP licensing portfolio, and continued development of the proprietary hardware offering.
Esk was advised on the transaction by Henderson Loggie, whose corporate finance team has been increasingly visible across mid-market Scottish growth-stage deals. The firm separately confirmed its advisory role on 12 May 2026.
Rod Mathers, head of corporate finance at Henderson Loggie, framed the deal as a milestone for IP-led businesses in the UK’s creative economy. “Esk is a standout example of the kind of IP-rich, globally scalable creative business that investors increasingly want to back,” Mathers said. “The team has built a compelling international proposition, underpinned by strong partnerships, proprietary technology and a clear strategy for long-term value creation.
“Our role was to help translate that ambition into the financial clarity and investment readiness required for institutional capital. We’re delighted to have supported the business through this milestone and to see further momentum behind growth-stage investment in the UK’s creative economy.”
Weatherstone, in turn, praised the Henderson Loggie team for helping “communicate the value and scalability of the model with precise detail.”
The Scottish corporate finance picture
The Esk round adds to a busy run of Scottish growth-stage activity — coming in the same fortnight as the Investment Fund for Scotland’s broader Q1 deployment, and against the backdrop of a 70% year-on-year surge in new Scottish tech incorporations reported by RSM UK earlier this month.
For Edinburgh specifically, Esk’s success points to a growing strand of the city’s creative-technology ecosystem that does not fit easily into either pure “tech” or pure “creative” buckets — and which may benefit from increasing focus from both investors and policymakers.
The Investment Fund for Scotland, a British Business Bank programme managed by Maven, is designed to back high-growth innovative Scottish businesses. Esk represents one of its more visible 2026 deployments in the creative-technology space.
