Valla Funding News -UK -Based Startup Valla Raises £2M Funding In Seed Round

Founded by CEO Danae Shell, Valla addresses a major issue: each year, 12.4 million UK workers face breaches of employment law but can't afford traditional legal help, according to the Resolution Foundation.

Valla’s platform makes the legal process easier by helping users gather evidence, create documents, and access expert support at fixed, affordable prices—removing the high costs and complexity of typical legal services.

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Shell started Valla after seeing how often people quit their jobs due to legal issues they couldn’t afford to fight—even when they had decent incomes.

“Having previously democratised financial advice and accounting services through technology, I knew we could transform legal services in the same way.

Our premise was simple: if we can build apps that handle tax returns on your phone, we can create something that empowers you to navigate your own legal challenges.”

Valla’s platform helps people handle their own employment law cases.

Users can collect evidence, create legal documents, and get guidance from real legal experts who coach them through each step of the process.

For example, someone might start by using Valla to track a workplace issue, then write their Tribunal claim on the platform, and later purchase a coaching package to prepare for their hearing.

Shell explained: “The GenAI engine in our platform acts as a legal secretary in the background — it does everything from briefing the coach on the case, taking notes and actions during any calls, and picking up all the admin and reminders as the case progresses.“

Valla also helps people working in startups—“that’s how we got started,” says Shell. “We noticed issues in the startup world and soon saw they were common everywhere.”

The seed round was led by Ada Ventures, with support from Active Partners and Portfolio Ventures. Techstart Ventures, which led Valla’s first funding round, and the Resolution Foundation have both increased their investment.

The investment comes at a key time, as Parliament is discussing the Employment Rights Bill, showing a growing focus on better worker protections across the UK.

Shell says the bill could fix one of the biggest problems workers face—having to wait two years before they're protected from unfair dismissal.

“Unfortunately, the bill will do nothing to make legal support for enforcing that right any easier, which is why our platform is so important -- more people will need good quality, affordable support, which makes Valla even more relevant.”

Since its launch, Valla has helped over 12,000 workers file complaints, reach settlements, and handle the Tribunal process with confidence.

Demand for Valla’s affordable services has more than doubled each year. Prices start at just £10 for a template and go up to £250 for three hours of expert support.

Shell asserts that “I'll know we've been successful in the next year when we see the second-order impact of our service — not only will many more people have used Valla, but also unions are recruiting more members, and Tribunals are able to spend less time on cases as the quality of claims improves."

"We'll know we've succeeded when we start seeing the impact of a better informed, better supported workforce in the UK.”

The company was recently awarded £75,000 by Innovate UK, recognising Shell’s innovative work in making legal support more accessible.

According to Check Warner, Founding Partner at Ada Ventures: "Valla exemplifies precisely the kind of game-changing vision we're passionate about supporting.

They've spotted a vast, overlooked market and used emerging technology to create an innovative new solution that was impossible even a few years ago.

As AI reshapes traditional legal billing models, Valla's transparent, accessible approach perfectly positions them to become the definitive platform for workplace rights."

According to Shell, Valla has already started working with unions, noting, “it's a natural partnership -- they have increasing demand for legal support, and we have worker-centric tools and services that make that support much more affordable.

Working with Valla will ultimately help unions recruit more members, growing their bargaining power and impact.”

"Valla is a great example of how technology and delivery model innovation can open huge new markets in traditional industries like legal," Shell added.

"We’re building new types of services for individuals who would otherwise fall through the gaps in the current system."

About Valla

Founded in 2020, Valla aims to make legal support affordable for everyone. The platform helps people take their employer to tribunal—even if they can’t afford a lawyer.