Orka Technology Group

Orka Technology Group, launched in 2016 as Broadstone by James Doyle, Nick Groves and Tom Pickersgill, built a platform for temporary shift workers in security, cleaning and facilities management. Orka Works let workers find and apply for shifts and pass background checks, Orka Pay gave early access to half their earnings after a shift and Orka Check stored vetting data; customers included G4S, ISS and OCS. It raised from Maven and the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, announced a £29m round in 2021 that mixed Sonovate debt with Future Fund equity, and took £3m from Praetura Ventures in 2022. Growth with large customers stalled as the economy slowed and new capital became harder to raise; a co-founder resigned as a director in late 2023. On 15 March 2024 Lisa Moxon and Christopher Barrett of Dow Schofield Watts were appointed administrators of Orka Works Ltd and Orka Pay Ltd, with 24 jobs at risk. The companies were dissolved in June 2026.

Dow Schofield Watts Business Recovery was appointed to Orka Works Ltd and Orka Pay Ltd on 15 March 2024 with 24 jobs at risk; no buyer for the business was reported. Orka Works Ltd and the holding company Orka Technology Group Ltd were both dissolved on 20 June 2026.

Headline rounds can flatter: Orka's £29m 2021 raise was largely a debt facility to fund worker pay advances, not equity runway. When enterprise customers slowed and follow-on capital dried up in 2023, a business with 24 staff and three products had little to fall back on.