Bregal Milestone Bets Big on CoreGo to Power Europe's Live Events

LONDON – April 29, 2026 – In a move set to reshape the technological backbone of Europe's live event industry, private equity firm Bregal Milestone has announced a majority strategic growth investment in CoreGo Oy, a Finnish company at the forefront of integrated event technology. The deal injects significant capital into a firm that has become a critical, if unseen, partner for some of the continent's largest and most demanding live experiences.

CoreGo, founded in Helsinki in 2015, has rapidly distinguished itself with a comprehensive platform that handles the complex web of payments, access control, and data analytics for mass gatherings. The investment from Bregal Milestone, a leading software-focused private equity firm, is designed to accelerate CoreGo’s expansion across Europe, enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities, and solidify its position as the infrastructure of choice for festivals, sports events, and major venues.

A New Standard for Mega-Events

At the heart of CoreGo's success is an integrated system that solves one of the biggest headaches for event organizers: reliability. While many providers offer piecemeal solutions for ticketing or payments, CoreGo delivers a unified operating system, CoreGo Cloud, that combines open-loop payments, access control, private network infrastructure, and real-time data into a single, cohesive platform. This allows organizers to manage everything from a fan's entry scan to their food and merchandise purchases through one seamless system.

The company’s most significant differentiator is its proprietary in-house private network capability, a feature it claims is unique among pure-play event technology providers in Europe. In environments where thousands of simultaneous digital transactions can cripple public cellular networks, CoreGo deploys its own network to guarantee zero-downtime operations. This capability was recently stress-tested at the monumental Adele in Munich concert series, which saw more than 730,000 fans attend 10 shows, and at Secto Rally Finland, the largest annual event in the Nordics. For organizers of these mega-events, this level of reliability is not a luxury but a necessity for ensuring smooth operations and maximizing revenue.

This technology supports an open-loop payment system, allowing attendees to use their everyday contactless credit cards, debit cards, or mobile payment apps. This eliminates the friction of event-specific wristbands or tokens, a closed-loop model that is rapidly falling out of favor with consumers who demand convenience and simplicity.

Riding the Wave of Cashless Adoption

The timing of Bregal Milestone's investment is strategic, capitalizing on a profound shift in consumer behavior and technological adoption across Europe. The European market for cashless event payments, valued at USD 1.4 billion in 2024, is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.3% through 2033. This growth is fueled by widespread smartphone penetration and a strong consumer preference for secure, contactless transactions.

While Northern European countries have been early adopters, the trend is accelerating across the continent, including in Southern European nations, driven by regulatory support for digital payments and the sheer convenience they offer. CoreGo, with its established presence in the Nordics and the DACH region, is perfectly positioned to capture this expanding market. Its platform addresses the core needs of a modern event: speed, security, and a frictionless attendee experience.

“CoreGo has become the infrastructure of choice for many of Europe’s most demanding live events,” said Cyrus Shey, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Bregal Milestone, in the official announcement. “Its customer retention and ability to operate at scale demonstrate the strength of its offering. With open-loop payments still in the early stages of adoption across European live events, CoreGo is exceptionally well-positioned to lead that shift.”

The Strategic Bet on Profitable Growth

For Bregal Milestone, the investment is a classic example of its strategy: backing a high-growth, profitable, market-leading software company. CoreGo is not a speculative startup; it is a proven business with remarkable financial metrics. In fiscal year 2025, the company reported profitable revenue growth of over 98% year-on-year, coupled with impressive gross margins exceeding 85% and a strong base of recurring revenue.

This financial performance, achieved while the company was bootstrapped by its founders, demonstrates a robust and scalable business model. The partnership keeps the original leadership team in place, with founder and CEO Hannu Elomaa and CTO Nikoteemu Väänänen continuing to steer the company's vision.

“We built CoreGo from the ground up – bootstrapped and with a clear focus on technology that performs in the most demanding live environments,” said Elomaa. “Partnering with Bregal Milestone gives us the backing and expertise to take it further – into new markets and the next generation of our platform.” The investment provides not just capital, but the operational expertise of a seasoned private equity firm to help navigate the complexities of rapid international expansion and product development.

The Future is AI-Driven and Integrated

Looking ahead, the infusion of capital will be directed toward ambitious technological advancements, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. CoreGo is already piloting its “CoreGo Insight” platform, which uses AI to analyze real-time event data. This allows organizers to predict sales hotspots, optimize staff deployment to reduce queues, and manage inventory more effectively.

With Bregal Milestone’s backing, CoreGo plans to deepen these AI capabilities, moving toward a future where event management is not just reactive but predictive. Future iterations could offer personalized recommendations to attendees, guide them to less crowded food stalls, or provide them with targeted offers, all while adhering to strict GDPR privacy standards. This data-driven approach promises to unlock new levels of operational efficiency for organizers and create a more personalized and enjoyable experience for fans.

The investment solidifies CoreGo's ambition to set a new industry standard, moving beyond simple cashless transactions to offer a truly intelligent and integrated platform. As the live event industry continues its post-pandemic resurgence, the demand for robust, scalable, and data-rich technological solutions is greater than ever, placing CoreGo in a prime position to power the next generation of live experiences.