UK extreme sports brand Ruroc, who have created the world’s first integrated ski helmet, goggle and mask, are beginning their second crowdfunding round with Crowd2Fund.

Ruroc are looking for £400,000 of equity investment to design and launch a road and motor certified helmet, alongside a number of other new products. Since their last crowdfunding campaign, Ruroc has expanded, offshored production to China and trebled its staff count; all leading to an impressive turnover in 2015 and close to £1.5 million in sales.

Established in 2010, Ruroc have already made a significant stamp on the market with their helmets being used by over 30,000 people, and have cultivated a strong social media following.

Their last crowdfunding campaign was a £150,000 revenue loan, this year the company have made the decision to raise funds by selling equity; partly due to a recent ownership structure change and a new focus on long term development.

Managing Director Dan Rees commented:

“The [crowdfunded] loan raise was perfect for where we were. We’d just completed stage one of our MBO and acquired the majority stake in Ruroc; we needed to stabilise the business and understand exactly how we were going to take it from £1 million to £10 million.

“Now we have our road map and a product release plan for the next five years we know exactly what we are going to need not just financially but also internally.”

Additionally, the company received several enquiries from private equity funds off after the high-profile crowdfunded debt raise. The vote to leave the European Union in June also weighed on the decision to raise further funds:

“We are determined to make the most of the opportunities which Brexit brings for a UK export company like ours. We are partnering with Crowd2Fund to allow us to raise finance and extend our investor team to meet the demands of an increasing global customer base online.”

Conversely, Ruroc’s fortune have initially increased post Brexit, due to their products becoming more attractive due to fluctuations in sterling currency rates making their products more competitively price in the market place.

It is planned that the funds will be used to develop and launch an innovative road/motor certified helmet in 2017. The company have already hit 50% of their target, and Rees hopes that the campaign will reach the attention of a number of industry experts.

For more information on how to get involved, visit their campaign page on Crowd2Fund.

16/08/2016