Outdoor gear brand KEA Outdoors is aiming to raise $500,000 in growth capital this month (May 2024) via an equity crowdfunding campaign.

The campaign went live on PledgeMe on April 30 enabling the public to invest in the three-year-old company and join its mission to build an international outdoor gear brand out of Wānaka.

KEA Outdoors founder Matt Butler said the PledgeMe equity crowdfunding approach differs significantly from the company’s three previous Kickstarter campaigns.

“We are a company fully funded through crowdfunding campaigns,” Matt said.

“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.

Equity crowdfunding was first introduced in New Zealand 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,” Matt said.

“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.

The PledgeMe equity crowdfunding campaign is open from April 30 to May 31, 2024.