Wed 10th Mar 2021 - Swingers heads to US as it closes $20m funding round to support expansion Swingers heads to US as it closes $20m funding round to support expansion: Street food and crazy golf concept Swingers is to expand into the US following the closure of a $20m funding round. Swingers, which operates two sites in London – in the City and the West End – will open venues in Washington DC and New York. The $20m raised in follow-on funding from backers Cain International will support a robust opening pipeline in the US, to follow the Washington DC and New York locations. The Washington DC site will open in Dupont Circle on 11 June, with its fourth location coming shortly after in New York City’s Flatiron District. Swingers Dupont Circle is inspired by the quintessentially English country golf clubs of the 1920s and will feature a clubhouse, five cocktail bars and some of Washington DC’s most respected street food vendors. Swingers Dupont Circle will also feature immersive, multi-sensory, whimsical elements providing guests aged over 21 “with a theatrical and high-end entertainment experience”. Swingers chief executive and co-founder Matt Grech-Smith said: “What started out as a five-month pop-up in a London warehouse in 2014, has since grown into two permanent venues in London, and an exciting development pipeline to come. Having spent a few years getting our blueprint for our immersive, competitive experience right, bringing it to the States was a natural next chapter and one we think will capture the imagination and sense of fun of DC and New York City. We’re thrilled to put a stake in the ground in two of the US’s most influential cities, known for their electric nightlife, diverse culture and prominent hospitality industries.” Jonathan Goldstein, chief executive at Cain International, added: “We remain hugely confident in the ongoing appeal of unique experiential leisure concepts, as well as in Jeremy [Simmonds], Matt and their team as they look to continue the growth trajectory the Swingers brand has been on since Cain’s initial investment in 2018. There is an exciting pipeline of opportunities for the team ahead and we are thrilled to both bring the concept to a new market and reopen the very popular sites in London.” In response to covid-19 restrictions in the US, Swingers will follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to ensure the health and safety for all Swingers’ patrons and staff. In November, Grech-Smith told Propel that Swingers had a handful of leases signed and in progress in the US.