Led · Series A · May 2019

Nexba produces a range of more than 20 sugar-free beverages, including flavoured sparkling waters, soft drinks, flavoured tonic waters, kombucha and probiotic drinks. The products are sweetened with stevia leaf extract and erythritol. Founded in 2010 by Troy Douglas and Drew Bilbe, Nexba secured supermarket distribution with Coles and launched in the UK via Sainbury’s at the end of 2018. The company says it has moved from startup to scale-up and plans to use the Series A to support international expansion, targeting additional large markets such as the US. Financially, gross revenues grew 148% to $6.2 million in FY2018 and management forecast revenues of $12.5 million for FY2019; the customer base rose 202% year‑on‑year to 460,000 Australian households. The business also highlights strong direct online sales alongside its retail partnerships.

Led · Equity · Oct 2015

CriticalArc is a safety software startup that provides cloud- and mobile-based tools to help organisations proactively manage security, safety and emergencies. Its platform is reported to be in use by over 70 organisations across the Asia-Pacific, the UK, Europe and the Middle East. The company completed an equity crowdfunding campaign through VentureCrowd, raising capital from external investors. The round brought in nearly $1 million from 11 investors in exchange for an 8.3% stake. The article highlights the campaign as another validation of equity crowdfunding in Australia, according to VentureCrowd founder Jeremy Colless. No additional operational or revenue metrics were disclosed in the article. CriticalArc has developed SafeZone, a security and communication app that enables users to call for help and report incidents in open spaces such as university campuses. The company was co-founded by Jahmai Lay and Glenn Farrant and was incubated by the University of Wollongong’s StartPad. Customers include Curtin University, the University of Wollongong and the University of Newcastle (Australia). According to reports, CriticalArc raised $1M in funding to support growth. The company intends to use the funds to expand adoption of SafeZone in the UK and US. The raise was backed by Commercialisation Australia and private investors including Hunter Angels Trust and Sydney Angels.