09 August 2012
The South West Angel and Investor Network (SWAIN) are delighted to announce an investment from their angels of £75k into Bath based Vibe Energy Gum.
Vibe Energy Gum is an exciting new product that’s a first for the UK, not only is it completely sugar free but also works five times faster than an energy drink or cup of coffee. Each piece of sugar free gum has been infused with an array of energy boosting ingredients including caffeine, ginseng and guarana; making it much healthier than the average sugar filled energy drink, plus it leaves your breath minty fresh.
Every tube of Vibe Energy Gum holds the same amount of caffeine as five cans of the leading energy drink*. It’s the ideal pick-me-up for not only sports enthusiasts but also an energy booster for those burning the candle at both ends, getting though a long work shift or even a party night on the town.
When asked why the company decided to go for business angel investment and how they found it, David Wright, Sales Director said,
“Angel Investment seemed to be far more accessible than VC investment and we were keen to access experience along with investment. The process of raising finance was actually quite fun most of the time and gave us the opportunity to meet many inspirational people. However, sometimes you can have too much attention and the piecing together the right (and interested) assortment of investors was hard work; the expression “herding cats” comes to mind. However, the Angels who we went with in the end have meant that we now have a really strong investment team.”
When asked about their recent achievements and plans going forward, David Webb, Brand and Marketing Manager said,
“We have just completed our re-branding of the product and our first launch in Bristol is taking place right now! Our new website is launched;
www.vibegum.com and we are looking to continue our expansion from selling in New Zealand to selling also in Australia. We aim to have our product selling nationwide in 10 to 20 countries within the next 5 years.”
Philip Tellwright, Managing Director of SWAIN said,
“Vibe should do well as they have a unique product, knowledgeable and enthusiastic founders and experienced SWAIN investors on board. I look forward to seeing them succeed.”
Vibe is available in Convenience, Tobacco, and News stores, Extreme Sports Shops in the SW and NW of England and from their website. For more information on Vibe, please contact David Webb,
david.webb@vibegum.com.