Co-founder of Purplebricks’ parent company Strike quits
Alexander Gosling has left his role as a director and president of Strike bringing to an end his 18-year involvement with the firm.
One of the co-founders of Purplebricks’ parent company Strike has quit the agency.
Alexander Gosling set up Strike’s predecessor HouseSimple with his wife Sophie in 2006, becoming the firm’s CEO.
Just a year later, HouseSimple gained widespread publicity as one of the first ‘online agents’ to sell a £3m+ property.
Unclear
It is unclear why he has left Strike, with a spokesperson only saying: “We thank Alex for his hard work over many years. He is moving on to pursue other business interests and we wish him the best of luck.”
Last week, Strike revealed it made a loss of £19.7 million in the year before it bought Purplebricks.
Accounts for the hybrid firm show it struggled in the 12 months to the end of March last year, blaming interest rate rises and the disastrous Mini Budget.
No sale, no fee
Gosling had taken up the role of company president in 2018, and last year the same position of the newly-formed company when Strike bought Purplebricks for £1.
He remains CEO of energy firm Lumo, and technology outfit Maxify.
In 2018, HouseSimple launched its no sale, no fee offering, and current CEO Sam Mitchell joined the company.
Major investors including former Carphone Warehouse CEO Andrew Harrison, come aboard around the same time.
Changed name
The firm changed its name to Strike in 2021, and raised a further £10 million from existing investors.
In 2022, Strike launched its service nationally and was able to fund a huge expansion of its business through an £11 million investment by VC funds, gathered by Gosling, including cash from Freston Ventures, Tosca fund, SPW One and Channel 4.
