Humanitix, an online ticketing platform for events and not-for-profit firm out of Australia, has chosen the Scottish capital of Edinburgh as its new UK headquarters amid global expansion.

With a “good, not greed” ethos, the business dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees made on its platform to charities. It’s donated over £8.5 million to date since its launch in Australia in 2016.

Looking to the UK as its next growth destination, the Humanitix team were looking for a “lively city with a strong culture and expert talent” to support the growth of the business.

The firm is locating to the Scottish capital after receiving support from Scottish Enterprise to come to Scotland, including a £325,000 grant, as well as assistance from the Scottish Government-funded International Social Enterprise Observatory (ISEO).

Founders Adam McCurdie and Josh Ross have been friends since high school and describe themselves as social entrepreneurs. McCurdie is now based in Edinburgh to launch Humanitix UK.

“It’s incredibly exciting to bring Humanitix to the UK and base ourselves in Scotland,” he said. “We’ve already had such an overwhelming reception to the Humanitix platform here in the UK and can’t wait to see more event hosts making use of Humanitix to sell their tickets and see real local social impact as a result.”

The firm’s digital platform offers lower booking fees than the larger competitors, whilst using these booking fees to support social initiatives across the world, such as children’s education in developing nations.

Early successes resulted in growth funding being provided by the Atlassian Foundation and New South Wales government and the company became the fastest-growing ticketing platform in Australia and New Zealand.

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Reuben Aitken is the managing director of Scottish Enterprise’s international arm. His team in Australia worked with Humanitix to bring the UK headquarters to Scotland.

He said: “Scotland continues to punch well above its weight in attracting inward investment and a company like Humanitix choosing to base their UK operation here is a real vote of confidence.

“At Scottish Enterprise, we are all about backing ambition. The boldness and innovation of Humanitix, combined with their ethical approach, is how you really go about disrupting an industry and we’re excited to see that happening from their Edinburgh HQ.”

Simon Smith, executive director of CEIS, a social enterprise development agency that manages the ISEO, also commented:

“Humanitix represents exactly the kind of innovation, purpose and partnership that our economy is built to support – where profit is reinvested to drive real change.

“At ISEO we are proud to have supported this journey alongside Scottish Development International and the Scottish Government – a Team Scotland approach that positions Scotland as a world class destination for international social enterprise expansion.”

The Scottish Government’s deputy first minister, Kate Forbes, attended the launch of the new headquarters.