Medley Experience

Taking the ‘Medley Experience’ to a Whole New Level

Linked Finance, Ireland’s leading ‘Crowd Lending’ company, are delighted to announce they are currently raising €25,000 to finance the expansion of Medley, the private dining and venue hire business run by celebrity chef Andrew Rudd. The funds will be used for the fit out of Medley’s new premises on Fleet Street, Dublin 2, which is due to open in the coming months. Significant areas of future growth for the business include corporate events, same-sex weddings and private functions.

Formerly located on Drury Street, the move marks an exciting new chapter for Medley as it expands its business to cater for increased demand among private and corporate clients. The company has an extensive and growing client base, having in recent times worked with some of Ireland’s leading companies including Microsoft, British Airways, Bank of Ireland, RTE, Airbnb, Sotheby’s and KPMG.

Medley has earned a reputation for its commitment to excellence since its inception in 2012. Driven by Andrew’s hands-on approach to the business and his lifelong passion for food, the company has grown steadily each year, delivering creative and individually designed events and dining experiences for clients – including corporate dinners, weddings, parties, tasting evenings and cookery demonstrations.

The Linked Finance funding will be used, along Medley’s own funds, to complete the fit out and building works for the new, larger venue. Spread over two floors, the venue provides greater flexibility in terms of usage of space including separate reception areas and additional amenities. The premises will also incorporate a ground floor coffee shop and bistro, capitalising on daytime business on Fleet Street in Dublin’s busy city centre.

Andrew Rudd says: “We’ve gone from strength to strength since launching back in 2012, building up a strong and loyal customer base – providing a service that stands out from crowd. Key to our success is the time and effort we put into creating memorable experiences for our clients tailored to their specific requirements. This has paid off through repeat business and referrals which means we’re seeing increased demand across all areas of our busy. Now is the time for us to invest further and capitalise on the growing opportunities.”

Commenting on the funding currently being raised for Medley, Peter O’Mahony, CEO of Linked Finance said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Andrew and his team. Medley is a great example of how a company with a strong business model backed up by a team of hard-working and passionate professionals can achieve tremendous results. This type of drive and commitment shown by SMEs across the country is the very backbone of our economy.”

He added: “SMEs in Ireland are clearly now in growth mode and the economy needs these businesses to thrive as we recover fully.  A key part of that recovery is access to reliable credit on good terms and available quickly.  While banks are the traditional source of funds, businesses need a quicker turnaround and easier process than what the banks usually offer. Peer-to-peer lending bridges that gap and brings the added advantage of creating a community of active investors in Ireland’s recovery.”

Linked Finance’s peer-to-peer lending platform brings together SMEs and members of the public who are looking to lend to businesses at a competitive interest rate return. With over 10,000 members registered to lend on the platform and over 50 new lenders joining each day, Linked Finance is quickly becoming a major force in SME finance in Ireland. Most of the loans facilitated have been significantly over-subscribed by bids from lenders, which total over €10m to date – reflecting the high level of demand to lend to the Irish SME sector.