Manchester tech company Chatloop – which once promised to “revolutionise” social media – is facing a series of employment tribunal claims from former employees who say they are owed around £250,000 amid allegations about workplace culture.
Founded by Andrew Barlow, who strongly denies any wrongdoing, Chatloop set out to change how users shared content online, allowing people to “loop” friends into any website. The company raised £2.1m in seed funding, became one of the few UK apps to be awarded default browser status by Apple, and in 2023 was named on Prolific North’s Tech Companies to Watch list.
Earlier this year it was named in the GM Rising Stars of Business – Ones to Watch list but now some former staff claim the company has failed to meet some of its most basic obligations. Tribunal documents show that:
- One employee secured a judgment in June for unfair dismissal and breach of contract relating to redundancy, notice and holiday pay. A remedy hearing is scheduled for October to determine how much the claimant is owed.
- Another former employee won a separate tribunal in May for unfair dismissal and £13,955.65 in unpaid wages, commission and holiday pay. According to the judgment, Chatloop “failed to present a valid response” to the claims.
- Another tribunal is due to be heard in September according to documents seen by Prolific North. According to sources familiar with the case, it is believed to involve several former employees who say they were not paid over two months and are seeking unpaid wages, notice, holiday pay and interest.
Other ex-staff members not part of the September hearing are also understood to be awaiting tribunal dates, according to sources.
Founder Andrew Barlow – a well-known figure in the Manchester tech scene and co-founder of AppLearn – categorically denies any allegation of inappropriate behaviour and insists employment matters are being dealt with through the proper legal and governance processes. He said he was not aware of any tribunal hearing in September – although at the time of publication Prolific North has confirmed that the case is still listed with the Manchester Employment Tribunal Service.
In a statement to Prolific North, he said Chatloop is continuing to grow despite admitting challenges. “Like many businesses, we are facing the toughest market conditions in over 15 years,” he said. “Despite this, we have built an incredible company that continues to grow and deliver real impact for our customers every day.
“We are not perfect, and we continually learn from challenges to improve our processes and ways of working. We are proud of our team and the culture we are building, and we are excited about the success and momentum in front of us.”
Beyond the tribunals, one former staff member has alleged a challenging workplace environment, something Mr Barlow strongly denies. Prolific North has seen 11 reviews posted on Glassdoor this year, 10 of which gave the company the lowest one star rating. Several reviews cite unpaid wages and a ‘toxic’ workplace, though one review in April was positive giving the company a top 5 star rating. Prior to 2025, all the reviews on Glassdoor praised the company, with several singling out company leadership for praise.
Mr Barlow, in correspondence with Prolific North, said some former Chatloop staff and associates had been “issued formal legal warnings for circulating false, misleading and defamatory information, and for conduct involving serious breaches of company, employee and shareholder data.” At the time of publication, Mr Barlow had not provided evidence of any ongoing legal process or copies of the formal warnings.
At the same time, Chatloop appears to still be recruiting. As of Thursday (August 28), Chatloop’s website was still advertising for a finance manager and a customer success specialist. Both roles were listed as being based at the company’s Ancoats workspace, which is owned by workspace company Huckletree.
However, Companies House records show that Chatloop moved its registered office to Barcroft Street, Bury, in July. Prolific North has approached Huckletree for comment.
