Trinity Capital Inc (NASDAQ:TRIN) announced a £25 million growth capital commitment to Motorway, the United Kingdom online marketplace for used cars. The funding is designated to help broaden Motorway’s marketplace footprint and deepen its dealer partnerships across the UK while directing resources toward product innovation and improvements in customer experience.
Motorway’s platform facilitates direct connections between independent car sellers and a verified network of more than 7,500 car dealers. By linking sellers directly to dealers, the marketplace removes traditional intermediary layers from the used-car supply chain and is designed to increase efficiency for both sellers and dealers.
Craig Fox, Managing Director - Europe at Trinity Capital, characterized Motorway as "redefining the way cars are sold in the UK by putting simplicity, speed, and value at the core of each transaction." Motorway’s chief financial officer, Liz Kistruck, said the strategic partnership with Trinity Capital will support the company’s ability to scale efficiently and pursue sustainable profitability.
Cafferty & Company served as the sole adviser to Motorway on the transaction. For Trinity Capital, the commitment to Motorway is an addition to a portfolio that has, since the firm’s founding in 2008, deployed more than $5.1 billion across over 445 investments.
The capital infusion is explicitly targeted at expanding the marketplace and dealer relationships across the UK. Motorway’s stated priorities for the funding include product development and customer experience enhancements, which align with the platform’s operational model of matching independent sellers directly with verified dealers.
The transaction highlights continued investor interest in platforms that streamline existing supply chains and seek scalability through improved technology and dealer network density. The involvement of a growth-capital provider and a sole adviser on the deal underscores a structured approach to scaling the marketplace while pursuing profitability objectives.
Key points
- Trinity Capital has committed £25 million in growth capital to Motorway to expand its UK marketplace and dealer partnerships.
- Motorway connects independent car sellers directly with a network of more than 7,500 verified dealers, removing traditional intermediaries in the used-car supply chain.
- The funding will prioritize product innovation and customer experience improvements as Motorway seeks efficient scaling and sustainable profitability; Cafferty & Company was the sole adviser on the transaction.
Risks and uncertainties
- Execution risk: Motorway must convert the capital into tangible product and customer experience improvements to achieve efficient scaling; this affects the online automotive marketplace sector.
- Profitability risk: Reaching sustainable profitability depends on effective deployment of growth capital and scaling dealer partnerships across the UK, which impacts both Motorway and investors in the consumer automotive marketplace space.
Information in this report is limited to details provided on the transaction and statements from Trinity Capital and Motorway leadership. No additional valuation, timing, or operational metrics were disclosed in the transaction announcement.