Wānaka company calls for crowdfunding
Innovative Wānaka based outdoor gear brand KEA Outdoors is aiming to raise $500k in growth capital this month via an equity crowdfunding campaign.
The campaign – which went live on PledgeMe late in April – enables the public to invest in the three-year-old company and join its mission to build a world-renowned outdoor gear brand out of New Zealand.
The campaign has raised more than $166,000 so far.
KEA Outdoors founder Matt Butler Image supplied
KEA Outdoors founder Matt Butler says the PledgeMe equity crowdfunding approach differs significantly from the company’s three previous Kickstarter campaigns.
“We are a company fully funded through crowdfunding campaigns,” Butler says.
“To date, we have raised more than $700,000 from product-focused Kickstarter campaigns and sold 18,000 items to more than 8,000 customers.
“This equity crowdfunding approach enables us to double down on our success to date and invest into product development and brand building in our key markets.”
Since the company’s inception in 2021, KEA Outdoors has expanded internationally with distribution warehouses in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and China, and has shipped to more than 50 countries.
KEA Outdoors launched its first product the KEA KIT V1 – a compact outdoor survival kit for storing first aid equipment and outdoor tools – via Kickstarter in 2021 and raised more than $300,000 in 35 days.
It remains the second-most funded design crowdfunding campaign in NZ.
Equity crowdfunding was first introduced in NZ 10 years ago, with the launch of FMA-licensed platforms such as Snowball Effect and PledgeMe.
The financing approach allows the public to directly invest in private companies without using traditional brokering services.
“Equity crowdfunding has become more popular for consumer-facing brands, especially direct-to-consumer businesses,” Butler says. “It allows a company to give back to loyal customers by enabling them to have ownership in the company.”
This is KEA Outdoors’ first capital raise and new investors can buy shares for a minimum investment of $1000 through the PledgeMe crowdfunding campaign.
This will then allow investors to access a range of exclusive offers such as lifetime product discounts, special investor events and being the first to test out new products.
The PledgeMe equity crowdfunding campaign is open from April 30 to May 31, 2024.
