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Valloop Launches employee ownership platform to empower workers to own the company they work for 

11 April 2025 Comments Off on Valloop Launches employee ownership platform to empower workers to own the company they work for 

Valloop has launched its Employee Ownership Platform, which offers an alternative route for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to sell their business and transition ownership. With the capacity to support 20,000 businesses*, the platform can help create 1 million employee-owners, catalysing a powerful wave of social and economic empowerment. 

The online platform helps make employee ownership more accessible, equipping business owners and leadership teams with expert guidance, business funding and the digital infrastructure to transfer ownership. By helping to remove some of the traditional barriers to exit – such as high upfront fees, legacy loss and limited buyer options – Valloop is opening the door to a future where employees become owners and businesses remain resilient pillars of their communities. 

“It’s no longer about exclusive ownership and soleless business acquisitions, times have changed and it’s about giving hard working employees agency and a share in the wealth,” said Stephen Greenwood, Global CEO at Valloop.  

Baroness Sharon Bowles, Valloop NED added “We’re enabling employees to step into ownership, to share in the value they’ve helped create and most of all give them a voice. It’s beyond Fintech it’s far more inclusive – it’s Soctech (Social Impact Technology).” 

Why now? 

The UK is in the midst of a profound economic shift. The so-called Silver Tsunami – with over 330,000 UK SME owners aged 55 and above driving a surge in business exits. These SMEs represent one-third of all UK private sector employment, making succession planning not just a business issue but a national economic priority**. 

At the same time, the Great Wealth Transition is underway. Over the next 20 to 30 years, an estimated £5.5 trillion in wealth will be passed down from the baby boomer generation. If poorly managed, this transition risks consolidating ownership and excluding the workers and communities who helped build that value. 

Valloop’s platform offers a unique and timely solution, keeping ownership local, ensuring business continuity and redistributing wealth through employee ownership. 

The Valloop Exchange Platform delivers: 

     

      • Smooth, low-friction business exits with minimal upfront fees 

       

        • Legacy protection, preserving values, teams and missions 

         

          • Access to business capital to empower employees buy the company 

           

            • End-to-end guidance to help every step of the transition 

          By enabling the transition of 20,000 SMEs, Valloop is helping retiring owners find and exit on fair terms and empowering a new generation of employee-owners – helping to create broader wealth distribution, community resilience and purpose-driven leadership. 

          ENDs 

          Media Contact: Emma Williamson, Marketing Director: [email protected]

          Interviews or comments available with: 

             

              • Stephen Greenwood, Global CEO of Valloop, is the driving force behind the employee ownership platform movement. With over three decades of experience in SME finance, investment and business transformation. 

               

                • Baroness Sharon Bowles, esteemed voice in employee ownership, Chair of the Ownership Dividend Report and NED of the London Stock Exchange 

              Some of the statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. Such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties. Various factors may cause the actual events or results to be materially different from those anticipated by such statements. The Valloop Group does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will The Valloop Group be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or for any related damages. 

              *We have secured £30bn re-insurance capacity, to support 20,000 SME transitions, creating 1million owners. This is based on the average SME being worth £6m and having 50 employees. 

              **https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance. https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/adhocs/007917smallandmediumsizedenterprisessmebyageofbusinessandbroadindustrygroup 

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