Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Business

Valla raises £2m as venture capital backs boom in employment rights claims

by June 4, 2025
June 4, 2025
Valla raises £2m as venture capital backs boom in employment rights claims

A legal tech startup helping workers represent themselves in employment disputes has secured £2 million in fresh funding, as investors prepare for a likely surge in workplace grievances under the Labour government’s incoming reforms.

Valla, the Edinburgh-based platform founded in 2022, has been backed by venture capital firms Ada Ventures, Active Partners and Portfolio Ventures, alongside social justice think tank the Resolution Foundation. The startup’s services are designed to support employees earning the UK’s median wage (£37,000) or less who face challenges such as unfair dismissal, withheld pay or workplace discrimination.

Co-founder and CEO Danae Shell (pictured) said the funding would be used to expand Valla’s suite of low-cost legal tools in anticipation of a significant uptick in employee claims from autumn 2026, when Labour’s new employment rights are expected to come into force.

A key driver behind the expected rise in cases is Labour’s pledge to make unfair dismissal rights available from the first day of employment — a significant shift from the current two-year qualifying period.

“Right now, there’s a widespread belief that if you’ve worked for a company for less than two years, you can be sacked for any reason,” said Shell. “That’s not legally true, but the change to day-one rights will help correct that misconception — and crucially, give more people the confidence to act when they feel something isn’t right.”

Valla’s services include everything from drafting grievance letters to preparing tribunal applications, with pricing designed to be accessible. A letter costs £10, a full tribunal form review is £100, and support through to settlement typically comes in at around £200. Taking a case all the way to a tribunal ruling costs roughly £500 — a fraction of the legal fees charged by most solicitors.

Shell added that most cases do not end up in court: “The majority of our users settle directly with their employer — but they feel empowered knowing their rights and being prepared.”

Shell is also a member of the national user group for employment tribunals in England and Wales, where government agencies including Acas and tribunal staff themselves have expressed concern about rising case volumes. According to minutes from the group’s most recent meeting in January, civil servants expect the changes to “significantly impact” caseloads by next year.

Cases already face severe delays: new tribunal claims lodged today are not expected to be heard until 2027, with initial hearings taking six to eight months to schedule. Shell believes this reinforces the need for alternative forms of access to justice.

“Employees often struggle to get legal help that is affordable or timely,” she said. “Law firms are priced out of reach — if you’re owed £3,000 in unpaid wages, and legal fees are likely to exceed that, it’s simply not worth it for most people.”

Valla has already helped over 12,000 users access guidance or services since its launch. As well as legal support, the company has built online communities to allow claimants to connect with others going through similar processes, helping to ease the emotional toll of often drawn-out disputes.

With union membership and legal aid in decline, Shell sees an urgent need to rebalance the playing field between employers — who often have access to HR teams or legal advice via trade bodies — and employees, who may be isolated or under-informed.

Investors appear to agree. Valla’s model of scalable legal support, using both technology and community-based support systems, offers a potential template for how employment disputes might be handled more affordably in future.

With the Labour government poised to implement its promised New Deal for Working People, Shell says demand is only going to rise. “We’re building infrastructure for a world in which more people will feel able to ask: ‘Was that legal? Can I do something about it?’ And the answer, increasingly, will be yes.”

Read more:
Valla raises £2m as venture capital backs boom in employment rights claims

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
TikTok launches SME council to elevate small business voices and boost digital growth
next post
Winter fuel payment U-turn in place this year, but key details remain unclear

You may also like

How to Create a Payment Gateway That Boosts...

October 21, 2024

UK Companies Slash Hiring Plans Following Reeves’s Tax...

November 25, 2024

Property developers prepare for green belt ‘gold rush’...

July 15, 2024

UK’s largest pub group Stonegate struggles to refinance...

April 10, 2024

Last orders called on takeaway pints as Home...

August 7, 2023

The Crucial Role of Criminal Record Checks for...

February 8, 2024

Brompton’s profit plunges to less than the price...

January 3, 2025

Vijay Eswaran on the African Resurgence: A Continent...

April 24, 2024

Wilko stores set for return to the high...

October 27, 2023

Meet the Company Disrupting the UK Wood Fuel...

April 26, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • TIMELINE: Inside the evolving relationship between Trump and Musk from first term to this week’s fallout

      June 7, 2025
    • Deadly drone wars are already here and the US is horribly unprepared

      June 7, 2025
    • Week Ahead: NIFTY’s Behavior Against This Level Crucial As The Index Looks At Potential Resumption Of An Upmove

      June 7, 2025
    • FLASHBACK: Musk accused Trump, GOP leaders of not wanting to cut spending — here’s where they said they would

      June 7, 2025
    • ‘Right down the line’: Medicaid reform in ‘big, beautiful bill’ divides lawmakers by party

      June 7, 2025
    • FAST distribution and IA

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,562)
    • Stocks (3,135)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved