Harrogate and London-based fintech Grateful has raised £1.5 million ($2m) in seed funding from Calculus Capital to accelerate development of its automated tip pooling and tronc platform for frontline workers.
Founded in 2022 by Mason Potter (CEO), Jarrod Potter (Chair), and Damian Guy (CPTO), Grateful aims to solve one of hospitality’s most persistent problems: the complex and opaque distribution of tips in a cashless economy. The startup’s software automates tip pooling, compliance, and payments, giving employers transparency while helping staff receive earnings faster and more fairly.
The founders’ inspiration came from their experience in the United States, where structured tip management proved to boost morale and retention. In the UK, they saw operators “drowning in admin” — using sprawling Excel sheets to manage tronc systems while facing rising National Insurance costs and new legal obligations.
Potter said the service sector’s outdated tipping systems were “failing both workers and employers.”
“Frontline workers are the backbone of the service economy, yet they remain under-served by outdated systems that make tipping opaque, distribution slow, and compliance a headache for employers,” he said. “With the shift to a cashless society and the new Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act, fair and transparent digital tipping has become essential.”
The new legislation, introduced in 2024, mandates that all tips must go directly and transparently to workers, sparking demand for compliant, automated solutions like Grateful.
Grateful’s technology integrates digital tipping, tronc management, and worker money tools in one system, reducing manual work for businesses while giving staff real-time visibility into their gratuities. The platform has grown 400% year-on-year, with over 50,000 users and partnerships with leading hospitality tech providers including Toast, EposNow, Deputy, and PayCaptain.
The £1.5 million investment will fund Grateful’s next growth phase — developing AI-powered financial tools, enhancing compliance functionality, and expanding into new markets.
Alexander Crawford, Co-head of Investments at Calculus Capital, said: “Grateful’s platform brings fairness, transparency and compliance, in a cost-efficient way, to a space that has historically lacked all three. With new legislation driving change, Grateful is perfectly positioned to lead the way in ensuring every hospitality worker gets the tips they deserve.”
Potter added that Calculus’s backing would help scale the business internationally: “Their support gives us the firepower to build a platform that not only solves compliance for businesses but empowers workers all over the world by giving them greater ownership and transparency over their hard-earned tips.”
Grateful’s goal is to become the category leader in frontline worker pay and benefits, helping employers improve retention and morale while streamlining compliance. “Our mission is simple,” Potter said. “To make Grateful synonymous with gratitude for the gig economy — and transform how frontline workers are rewarded in the modern era.”
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Grateful secures £1.5m to transform tipping for frontline workers