Visa Start-Up to Create Leeds Tech Jobs After Funding

VisaDoc, whose platform automates business-travel visas, will establish a team in Leeds after securing six-figure backing from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance

A fast-growing business-travel start-up is coming to Leeds, in a boost for Leeds tech jobs. VisaDoc, whose platform automates the visa application process for corporate travellers, has secured a six-figure investment from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, and says it will establish a team in the city as it scales. The UK company, launched only in March, is riding what it calls overwhelming demand ahead of a much larger funding round planned for next year. The investment comes from the same Northern Powerhouse fund backing a string of other Leeds deals.

Why This Matters For Leeds

A funded, fast-scaling start-up choosing the city for a new operation means skilled roles and another growing employer putting down roots. It also reflects the pull of Leeds’ digital cluster and talent pool for companies headquartered elsewhere. If VisaDoc scales as planned, an early team in Leeds could become a much larger presence over time.

What the Funding Means for Leeds Tech Jobs

The investment comes from NPIF II – Mercia Equity Finance, managed by Mercia Ventures as part of the £660m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, the British Business Bank programme that also backed Leeds businesses Nutral Solutions and Xentra. VisaDoc says the money will let it expand its team and roll the platform out to more customers, and that a team will be established in Leeds as part of that growth. The company has not yet put a number on the roles or a timeline. The British Business Bank framed the deal as stimulating job creation and regional growth in the North, the core purpose of a fund that provides loans and equity to smaller businesses that might otherwise struggle to raise finance. It is a modest but welcome addition to the pipeline of companies choosing to build in the city.

“There is nothing like this on the market currently and we have had overwhelming demand. The funding will enable us to expand the team and roll it out to more customers as we start to scale the business.”

— James Tomlin, CEO, VisaDoc

The Business Behind the Deal

VisaDoc was founded by James Tomlin and Oleh Voronko, who previously held senior roles at a US-based multinational providing manual visa services, and launched its platform in March. It automates what has traditionally been a fragmented, manual process, creating and validating visa applications across more than 190 destinations while giving employers visibility over compliance and staff travel patterns. The company says it has already been adopted by more than 100 global enterprises, naming Toyota, Anglo American, RELX and the Civil Aviation Authority among them. The timing fits a wider trend, as many countries tighten visa requirements and demand grows for tools that reduce compliance risk. For now, the Leeds tech jobs the investment creates are the local headline, with the scale of the team to become clearer as VisaDoc grows.