FY2021 was the year equity crowdfunding in Australia stopped being a curiosity and started looking like infrastructure. Money flowed into fintech, food and the first wave of medicinal-cannabis companies, and several of the year's biggest campaigns ran all the way to their caps. Here are the ten largest Birchal raises that closed in the 2021 financial year (1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021), ranked by total raised.
1. Thrive (Thriday) — $3,000,000 from 533 investors. The small-business banking and accounting platform topped the year, running its raise to its $3 million cap.
2. Coinstash — $2,635,387 from 1,567 investors. The Australian crypto exchange drew one of the year's biggest crowds - more than 1,500 investors - as retail interest in digital assets peaked.
3. Unhedged — $2,269,203 from 959 investors. The fintech investing platform turned strong retail appetite into a multi-million-dollar round.
4. Montu — $1,999,648 from 1,177 investors. The first of several appearances on these lists for the medicinal-cannabis group, hitting a $2 million raise.
5. Bunsters — $1,873,448 from 1,603 investors. The cult WA hot-sauce brand pulled the largest crowd of the year - more than 1,600 investors - proof that a loyal product following converts.
6. Bubble Tea Club — $1,550,520 from 1,344 investors. At-home bubble-tea kits found a big community of backers during the lockdown-era DTC boom.
7. LITT Global — $1,483,326 from 713 investors. The social technology venture rounded out a strong year for consumer-facing tech.
8. Compass Lifestyle Cannabis — $1,247,815 from 999 investors. An early mover in medicinal-cannabis healthcare, drawing close to a thousand investors.
9. Nourish Foods — $1,208,494 from 589 investors. A food-and-beverage raise that comfortably cleared the million-dollar mark.
10. Good Earth Dairy — $1,198,855 from 480 investors. The Western Australian dairy producer made the first of two appearances across FY2021 and FY2022.
The throughline of FY2021: community-led brands and emerging fintech could now raise serious capital from the crowd, with several campaigns oversubscribed to their caps.
Explore current and past campaigns on Birchal.
This article is general information only and is not financial advice or an offer of securities. Past campaign performance is not indicative of future results. Investing in early-stage companies involves significant risk, including the loss of your investment. Always read the relevant CSF offer document and the general CSF risk warning before investing.
