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The UK’s biggest independent podcast group is launching its own venture capital arm, City AM can reveal, as it reinvests the fruits of its success by building stakes in other media startups.
The Kennington-based business, which was co-founded by former BBC presenter Gary Lineker and produces The Rest is History, The Rest is Entertainment and The Rest is Money, is setting up Goalhanger Ventures, a unit aimed at investing in “creator-led media businesses.”
The new entity has already struck its first two deals – one an equity investment into Invisible Media, the economics and business-based video platform behind The Invisible Hand Youtube channel, and a commercial partnership with Backyard Cricket, the video-based cricket content brand founded in Yorkshire.
It follows the launch of the company’s own startup incubator programme, The Accelerator, in January to offer mentorship to early-stage digital talent.
Jack Davenport, co-founder of Goalhanger, said: “Goalhanger Ventures is about giving exceptional creator-led businesses the infrastructure to grow without losing what made them special in the first place.
“Invisible Media and Backyard Cricket are very different propositions, but they both have that rare combination of editorial clarity, audience trust and genuine momentum. Our role is to help them scale thoughtfully, commercially and creatively, while protecting the independence, personality and quality that their communities already respond to.”
Goalhanger completes external fundraise
Among the directors of the Goalhanger’s venture unit is Greg Bettinelli, partner at investment firm The Chernin Group, which invested in the podcast business in January, in signs the venture unit may also seek to attract external funding.
The move marks the latest step in Goalhanger’s growth, which has ballooned in popularity since it capitalised on shifting media consumption habits during the coronavirus pandemic with the launch of what is now its most popular podcast, The Rest is History.
The group has also shifted its focus away from an advertising-based model towards paid-for subscriptions and events. In January Goalhanger surpassed a quarter of a million paid subscribers for the first time, with subscriptions thought to generate north of £15m for the company annually. In 2025 alone, the firm’s programmes were streamed over 750m times.
Gary Lineker, who co-presents The Rest is Football, continues to control a 33 per cent stake in the business, company filings indicate. Lineker struck a deal with Netflix in December which will see the US streaming giant carry The Rest is Football on its platform during the World Cup.
