Sydney-based smart drinks dispenser start-up Refilled has raised $1.3 million at the closing of its latest seed round.
The new funding will enable Refilled to manufacture 100 refiller stations within the next 12 months as part of its ongoing mission to “unbottle the Australian drinks industry” and save 100 million single-use plastic bottles from landfill by 2030. In addition, the funding will be utilised to grow the team and continue to develop its product.
The lead investor for this round is Melt Ventures, an impact VC firm that supports several successful Australian hardware start-ups such as Endua, MGA Thermal and Allegro, and recently announced an advanced manufacturing fund. Other investors in this round include Envato co-founders, Cyan Ta’eed and Collis Ta’eed, who both offer start-up experience.
“We all know we need to reduce our impact on the planet,” Melt Ventures founder and managing partner, Trent Bagnall, said. “We also know changing consumer’s habits is hard without practical solutions that are easily adopted. Producing plastic bottles for water and beverages just doesn’t make sense.
“Refilled’s approach will save millions of plastic bottles from entering landfill and the environment while providing consumers with an enhanced and personalised experience,” Bagnall added. “Melt Ventures invests in these practical companies having a massive impact on the world.”
Refillers can be installed in shared spaces such as offices, gyms, co-working spaces and universities as an alternative to selling bottled and canned drinks. Refiller stations offer chilled still and sparkling drinks on tap in hundreds of flavour combinations – with the ability to add optional ‘boosters’ such as caffeine, vitamins, and nootropics.
“Walk for five minutes in any Australian city and you will always find a way to buy a bottled drink, but not always a way to recycle it,” Refilled founder, Ryan Nelson, said. “The best way to reduce waste is to not make it in the first place. We want to unbottle the Australian beverage industry so that drinking options better reflect consumer behaviour and their expectations on plastic pollution.
“Now we have the support needed to grow the team and seriously ramp up local manufacturing,” Nelson added. This investment will help us install 100 Refillers in 2024, eliminate our first 1m bottles next year, and 100m bottles by 2030.”