A Norfolk ski holiday company entered liquidation owing more than £220,000.
Ski Yodl Ltd, trading as Yodl and based in Norwich, appointed liquidators last month.
The company was founded by Oliver Dannatt, who was Sir Richard Branson’s former ski instructor, and his business partner Simon Latarche.
Mr Dannatt is the son of Lord Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, and Lady Philippa Dannatt, the Lord‑Lieutenant of Norfolk.
Yodl entered liquidation with no recoverable assets, leaving creditors facing an estimated £222,967 shortfall while shareholders’ investment is expected to be wiped out, according to the company’s statement of affairs.
The largest of its 11 creditors, IT consultancy firm ValueLabs (UK) Ltd, is owed £130,000, followed by HMRC, which is owed more than £36,600 in PAYE and National Insurance Contributions (NIC).
Yodl’s statement also showed the company had 43 ordinary-share entries with £1.395 million of called-up ordinary share capital - 3.79 million shares, each called up at their £0.3677 nominal value.
Peter Davies and co-founders Mr Dannatt and Mr Latarche were the company's three biggest shareholders.
British investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, John Ruddy and Jamie Minors were also listed among its shareholders.
Yodl specialised in self-catered chalets and apartments across Europe's major Alpine resorts.
Its app, described as a "pocket concierge", helps customers with ski passes, ski hire, airport transfers and lessons, as well as to find bars, restaurants and nightlife.
In 2021, Yodl launched a £750,000 fundraising round to finance its expansion plans after the pandemic.
Norfolk TV presenter Jake Humphrey pledged his support, committing to invest in the crowdfund.
The firm secured seed funding in early 2020, allowing it to launch the platform in Verbier, only for Covid to hit six weeks later.
It went on to raise £770,000 in crowdfunding through Crowdcube in January 2021, from 450 investors.
It was forced to pause again when the Omicron variant hit Europe in late 2021, but after France reopened its borders in January 2022, the business took £500,000 in three months.
Mr Dannatt previously worked as an in-house ski instructor at the Lodge, Sir Richard’s mountain retreat in Verbier, Switzerland, where he taught the Virgin founder for four years.
His other famous pupils included former Chelsea footballer Gianluca Vialli, chef Jamie Oliver and model Claudia Schiffer.
Mr Dannatt - who formerly worked as a shipping broker at London firm Icap - first had the idea for Yodl when returning to London with his wife Chloe in 2012.
Ski Yodl Ltd appointed liquidator Richard Cacho of RCM Advisory Limited on July 22.
As of that date, operations by the company will no longer be protected by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
A notice from ABTA said: “We are sorry to inform you that former ABTA member, Ski Yodl Ltd, is subject to a voluntary winding-up order and appointed a liquidator for that purpose on 22 July 2026.”
Although no ABTA-protected package holidays were booked at the time of liquidation, accommodation-only holidays may be affected.
Customers who paid by credit or debit card are advised to contact their card issuer for assistance with obtaining a refund by ABTA.
Other customers who paid by bank transfer will need to register a claim with the appointed liquidator, RCM Advisory.
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