Brand Fund 1

Investing in companies where building brand will be a defining part of their success. Brand Fund 1 is closed to new investors, with Brand Fund 2 coming soon. We are always interested in meeting, partnering and investing in great founders.

Backing the brands of tomorrow:

AF Drinks

Making the drink for when you aren't drinking.

aglow

Leading the beauty membership movement

Tracksuit

Creating a new common language for brand

About Brand Fund

Brand Fund is a partnership between Previously Unavailable and Icehouse Ventures. We back companies with brand at the heart of their story, growth and business.

So far the fund has an industry-leading return profile. We have a few more investments to still deploy and are excited to continue being behind this great portfolio of companies through potential further investments from Brand Fund 2, which we will begin raising around Q4, 2024.

Current Investments

Making the drink for when you aren’t drinking

‍AF Drinks are leading the non-alcoholic cocktail in a can movement, with incredible ranging in Walmart, Target and across Australasia.

Leading the beauty membership movement

‍Aglow are helping beauty owners have better businesses and lived by turning their clients into members.

Creating the new category of ‘The Brain Drink’

‍Arepa are a leader in brand and science, with an IP and clinical research portfolio supporting their mission to help more people look after their brains.

Accelerating first-home buyers to their deposit, faster

‍Aera offer a range of headstarts and incentives to get people to their deposit and homeownership at life-changing pace.

Dairy alternatives without compromise

‍Andfoods commercialise world-leading science from Massey’s Riddet Institute and have what we think are the best non-dairy options in a number of massive categories.

World-leading home compostable kitchen convenience

‍The world’s first home compostable cling-wrap and now full range of kitchen non-plastic fantastic options. Leading their category in Wholefoods and Target, US wide.

The natural GLP-1 activator that helps you feel full, faster

‍The pre-meal appetite management pills that help your body release its natural signal you’re feeling full. Taking American practitioners by storm as the natural, clinically proven option that works.

The biggest change in sound recording since the shotgun mic

‍The team who led the UAV sound recording market have patented technology allowing every surveilled space to become a site of two-way communication and audio monitoring.

Making people-led health and wellbeing choice possible

‍Until now it’s been too hard and expensive to offer true choice in employee health and benefit redemptions. HealthNow’s simple Mastercard payment platform allows more action now for better long-term outcomes for all.

The rapid research platform that helps you grow great ideas

‍Ideally are changing the way people who make products, software and marketing bring the voice of customer into their development process through fast, affordable and robust insights.

Delivering behaviour-based food brand insights through an engaged community

‍Menuaid helps food-lovers choose recipes to plan their meals and simply shop online or in-store. From this community innovative food brands gain trends, understanding and insights to grow brands shoppers love.

Radically affordable, beautiful, always on brand-tracking

‍Tracksuit are changing how consumer brands work worldwide. They’re creating a new common language for measuring, reporting and making the case for more great brand work.

We love to meet and work with ambitious and interesting founders

If you’re part of a high-growth company where brand will be a defining part of your success we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch

10 Investments • $4-5m Fund • 4x at 175% of Investment • Fund 1.5 years old

Brand Fund 2

If you're interested in backing the brands of tomorrow in technology, B2B SaaS and product, please do get in touch to find out about plans for Brand Fund 2.

Email Simon

Investment committee

James Hurman

FOUNDing partner, previously unavailable

James founded Previously in 2014 after a career in advertising, during which he was named the world's #1 advertising strategist. He is a globally recognized expert in brand strategy and marketing effectiveness, and has brought those skills to bear on dozens of New Zealand startup companies that he has co-founded or advised. He is the author of Future Demand: Why building your brand among tomorrow's customers is the kev to start-up success - a book that has been quickly embraced b the global VC and start-up community.

Simon Pound

Managing PARTNER, Previously Unavailable

Simon is an expert in technology company brand marketing. Prior to joining Previously in 2018, Simon led global brand for Vend, who went on to exit for $500M. With Previously he led the rebranding of Timely, who went on to exit for over $100M. Simon has attracted and led the thinking on many of Previously's portfolio companies. He's also the host of the popular entrepreneur-focused Business is Boring podcast for The Spinoff. Few people have as much insight into the New Zealand start-up community and its successes and learnings as Simon.

Connor Archbold

CO-CEO & Founder, TRACKSUIT

Connor joined Previously in 2020 following a career as a corporate lawyer, then ops leader for globally successful kiwi start-ups Mish Guru and noissue. After running the MVP launch of Tracksuit, he was seconded to be co-CEO of the company. Under his leadership Tracksuit grew to $3.2M in ARR in under 24 months, and has completed one of the most hotly contested VC rounds in recent years. Connor brings unique insight into the commercial and operational aspects of the start-up companies we work with.

Brand Fund 1: Investor Experience

Information

Investors receive immersive two-monthly reports which provide commentary on portfolio companies and key fund metrics, alongside all key company updated received and recent PR.

INVESTOR PORTAL

Investors receive access to an industry leading Investor Portal where they can access granular information and data on portfolio companies, export statements, review company updates and legal docs, and benchmark their portfolio performance against industry averages.

NETWORKING AND EVENTS

Investors are invited to a range of networking, educational, and investment events, hosted both by Previously Unavailable and Icehouse Ventures, including NZ's largest venture investor event 'Showcase' held annually at Spark Arena.

Other ways we assist brands:

Brand Workshops

Start-up and Scale-up Narrative & Positioning Workshops are one-day, in-person workshops for founders and operating teams to define, refine and improve their positioning, messaging and narrative, from New Zealand’s leading Start-up and Scale-up brand & positioning studio.

See our Workshops

Venture Studio

Our Venture Studio creates brands, visual identities and websites that help start-ups grow faster, raise successfully and achieve greater value.

We work as brand partners for ambitious start-ups. In select cases where it works well for everyone we invest our time in return for equity - creating shared goals and incentives for strong brands and relationships.

Venture Studio

Future Demand

Written by James Hurman, Future Demand explores the realities of how start-ups grow beyond their eager early users, providing evidence and insight into how to build your brand among the much larger group of customers who’ll buy from you in the future.

Buy the Book

Contact details

Simon Pound
Previously Unavailable
sp@previously.co
+64 21 376 863

Barnaby Marshall
Icehouse Ventures
‍barnaby@icehouseventures.co.nz
‍+64 21 062 9683

Important Notice and Disclaimer

This is a private investment opportunity, where participation will be limited to investors who are "wholesale investors" as defined by, or otherwise not required to receive disclosure under Part 3 of, the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. Participation in the fund is at the sole discretion of the management of Icehouse Ventures. This document has been prepared and is issued by Icehouse Ventures for distribution in New Zealand to selected prospective investors only. By retaining this document you acknowledge and represent that you are a "wholesale investor" as defined by, or otherwise qualified to invest under, the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013. This document has been compiled solely for information purposes to assist prospective investors to make their own evaluation of Brand Fund 1, and any subsequent decision to invest in the Fund. The information contained in this document is not comprehensive and is selective. This document does not contain all of the information that a prospective investor may require to evaluate a decision to invest in Brand Fund 1 and the risks associated with that investment. In making a decision to invest, prospective investors must rely on their own examination of the information contained in this document as well as such other information as they may consider relevant. Nothing in this document constitutes legal, tax or financial advice. Prospective investors should seek their own professional advice on the consequences of investing in the Fund. No representation is made that any further information will be given, other than as required by law. This document may contain projections, forecasts or other statements or estimates regarding the future prospects or performance of the Fund. Any forward-looking statements are provided for informational purposes and reflect certain assumptions. Actual results may vary. No assurance or representation is made by any person that any projection, forecast or target will be achieved. Accordingly any reliance placed by any prospective investor upon them is a matter for its own commercial judgment. Exclusion of Liability None of Previously Unavailable Limited, Icehouse Ventures Limited, The Icehouse Limited, Icehouse Ventures Nominees Limited, Ice Angels Incorporated Society nor any of their respective shareholders, directors, officers, agents, employees or advisers: gives, or has the authority to give, any representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the accuracy, reliability, adequacy or completeness of the information contained in this document, or any other written or oral information made or to be made available to an prospective investor or its advisers (together Information); has independently verified any of the Information contained in this document; will be responsible for an costs incurred by the recipients of this document in connection with the evaluation of the investment opportunity described in this document; takes any responsibility for, or will accept any liability in respect of, the accuracy, reliability, adequacy or completeness of the Information or for any of the statements or opinions, or for any errors. omissions or misstatements, contained in the Information; and without limitation, gives any representation or warranty as to an of the statements or opinions, or the reasonableness of an forward looking statements regarding the future prospects or performance of the Fund. contained in the Information.