Mati Energy Continues To Innovate Following Fundraise

09 Aug 2017

Mati, Llc, maker of the leading healthy energy beverage, continues to disrupt the energy drink category with impressive triple digit growth, distribution gains and an upcoming branding refresh that will be supported with an additional $2.55 million in Series a financing. This close comes shortly after the $2.5M close in April. “We thought we had completed our financing this year but there was so much interest and excitement from investors who saw the opportunity after our last close, we decided to expand the round. With the $5 million raised this year, we will be able to expand our footprint to much more of the Southeast,” said Tatiana Birgisson, founder and CEO of Mati Energy and inventor of the proprietary brewing method at the heart of Mati’s ability to extract more nutrients from the natural ingredients.

Mati Series A2 Financing:

“In the most recent close, several current investors re-upped their investment in Mati and we were able to attract a number of new investors including the North Carolina Venture Capital Multiplier Fund managed by Hatteras Venture Partners, Carolina Angel Network, and Harbright Ventures, along with some additional angel investors and internationally known athletes and celebrities who will open doors for Mati in the coming years as we continue to build a global brand,” said Birgisson. The investment in this round brings total outside equity funding since launch to over $8 million. As part of this financing expansion, serially successful entrepreneur and investor David W. Allen will join the board. “Dave is one of those rare executives who has run and successfully exited a VC-backed startup in addition to running large businesses for the likes of PepsiCo and Del Monte. I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say that we are beyond excited to have Dave on board,” said Birgisson. Experienced tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Rob Soni will also join the board and serve as Chairman. “I have been watching Mati for a few years and seen its tremendous organic growth and popularity. In my due diligence, I heard time and time again how Mati consumers did not feel guilty about drinking a Mati like they do with all the other energy drinks. I was super-impressed with the team and of course Mati’s innovation in brewing, a process which had been largely unchanged for centuries, is nothing short of miraculous. I believe that Mati represents the next generation of energy drink - healthy, natural, delicious, with no added sugar and low calories - and we will disrupt this market globally.”

Accelerating Growth @ Mati:

Mati continues to accelerate the pace of expansion. By the end of 2017, Mati will have tripled its total store count and doubled its shelf presence, after increasing from 3 to 6 flavors, over the last year. The latest raise will allow Mati to increase marketing investment to support these retail launches and continue building brand awareness with consumers who are looking for a healthy alternative in the energy drink category. Birgisson added that “this injection of capital, our largest to date, gives them the ability to take our marketing to the next level with an exciting brand experience and increased consumer interactions. We have been building momentum in the Southeast and can’t wait for more consumers to experience Mati as we expand distribution.” Also on the horizon for Mati is a packaging refresh and flavor optimization coming this fall, both in response to consumer feedback. Mati has seen success with its current branding, but their expanding consumer base told them there was an opportunity to more clearly communicate the product differentiation in a crowded category.

According to Birgisson, “our new can design highlights our clean label and real fruit juice ingredients. We believe our new look and optimized flavors will attract more consumers to try Mati for the first time. We can’t wait for consumers to see the new cans on shelves and to buy more Mati. This is one big step closer to bringing a no compromise energy drink experience to every consumer and I couldn’t be more excited.” It has been a short two years since Mati won Google Demo Day, a competition where top regional startups pitch to high profile investors at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Mati beat out eleven tech firms to be the only non tech and first female-run company to win. Since then, Birgisson was named in Inc. Magazine’s coveted 30 Under 30 list (2016), Triangle Business Journal’s Best Places to Work-Small Business (2016), Forbes 30 under 30 (2017), Wral’s Top Startup Executive Leader (2017), and earlier this summer, was named a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer.

Source: Mati Energy