The Lost Estate, creator of world-class, immersive live arts experiences blending music, theatre, and hospitality, today announces the completion of its first-ever private investment round.
Based on the size of the equity stake and the scale of capital committed, the round implies a valuation for The Lost Estate approaching £10 million. While the precise terms remain confidential, the transaction underscores the company’s strong performance and investor confidence in its long-term growth and financial performance. The valuation reflects not only The Lost Estate’s proven commercial model in immersive culture, but also its expanding pipeline of projects and the strength of its creative and operational leadership. This marks a major milestone in The Lost Estate’s journey from a bootstrapped creative startup to one of the UK’s most ambitious independent arts companies.
This performance has made The Lost Estate an increasingly attractive proposition for investors, and its first funding round comes at a pivotal and exciting moment in the company’s growth. The company has grown over 500% in the past three years and is on course to hit £20m in revenue in the current financial year, supported by a 30-person head office team and a freelance and part-time workforce of more than 200 across its two sites in West Kensington and Peckham.
The private investment is led by Mark “Fish” Fisher, one of the founders of Merlin Entertainments, who has served as Non-Executive Director of The Lost Estate since January 2025. Over a 25-year career with Merlin, Fisher played a pivotal role in scaling the company from a UK-based operator into one of the world’s leading location-based entertainment groups, overseeing the growth of global brands including LEGOLAND and Madame Tussauds. As Merlin’s Chief Development Officer, he led international expansion, creative development and site strategy across multiple continents – experience that aligns directly with The Lost Estate’s ambitions to scale its unique model of immersive culture.
Joining him are a group of private investors, including Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King and former Managing Director of Merlin’s Midway Attractions brand. At Merlin, Mackenzie oversaw more than 100 attractions worldwide, managing destinations such as the London Eye and Madame Tussauds, before taking the helm at Greene King in 2019. There, he has led one of the UK’s most recognisable hospitality groups through a period of transformation, bringing a deep understanding of large-scale consumer operations and brand-driven guest experience and hospitality innovation.
Together, Fish and Nick bring extensive and complementary expertise in global entertainment, hospitality, and brand building – and share The Lost Estate’s vision to redefine the future of live cultural experiences within the experiential hospitality category.
The milestone marks another decisive step in The Lost Estate’s evolution as a highly ambitious and fast-growing company.
Demonstrating its commitment to large-scale expansion, the funds will enable The Lost Estate to further realise its long-term growth plans – supporting expansion across the UK and into the US over the next five years. Alongside this, the company will invest in developing a new brand platform, launching in 2026, and in building out its internal marketing technology stack to strengthen audience insight and operational capability.
Current TLE experiences include: New York Jazz Age experience, 58th Street (playing at its Peckham site) and seasonal A Christmas Carol experience, The Great Christmas Feast (playing for its 8th consecutive year at its West Kensington site). 2026 plans include the Q1 launch of a brand-new Parisian Cabaret experience, Chat Noir!, a new late-night experience at 58th Street and a Q4 Manchester launch.
Eddy Hackett, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of The Lost Estate, said: “From the moment I met Fish, it was clear that his exceptional experience, insight, and extensive professional network would be invaluable to The Lost Estate. Our partnership deepened when he joined as a Non-Executive Director, and I’m thrilled that our relationship has now evolved further with Fish becoming an investor in TLE, alongside his long-time friend and former Merlin Entertainments MD, Nick Mackenzie.
Nick and Fish are an extraordinary fit for The Lost Estate: inspiring leaders at the forefront of the entertainment and hospitality industries, and passionate champions of our mission to unite immersive arts and commerce in defining the experiential hospitality category. I’m delighted to welcome them both as investors and to thank them for their commitment as we continue building unforgettable worlds – reaching more people, more often, in more places.”
Mark “Fish” Fisher, Investor and Non-Executive Director of The Lost Estate, said:“The Lost Estate represents the very best of British creative entrepreneurship – a company that has built something genuinely new in live culture. Eddy, Rowan, Will and the team have created a model that fuses art and entertainment in a way audiences love. It’s a particular pleasure to be co-investing with my good friend Nick. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together as a team. I couldn’t be prouder to support TLE as it scales its vision.”
Nick Mackenzie, Investor, said: “What The Lost Estate is doing sits right at the intersection of culture, hospitality, and experience – it’s fresh, it’s exciting, and it’s got huge potential. I’m delighted to be joining the journey at this stage, as they build one of the most distinctive entertainment brands in the UK.”
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