Ex-rugby player’s CBD wellness brand passes £1m crowdfunding target in "just a few hours"

The ex-rugby international founder of nootropics producer Puresport claims that the wellness brand is ready to go global after raising more than £1.3m in just five hours through a celebrity-backed crowdfunding campaign.

Puresport is now live to the public and has secured backing from more than 300 investors including Scotland Rugby internationals Jonny Gray, Greig Laidlaw and Finn Russell, who have invested a combined total of more than £80k.

The investment will allow the £12m-valued firm to press ahead with plans to expand into the US and Australian e-commerce markets in the coming months, having launched in New Zealand, the native country of founder and ex rugby pro Grayson Hart, earlier this week.

To celebrate the milestone, the producer launched a two-day pop-up store on London’s Oxford Street, giving shoppers and fitness fanatics alike the chance to sample its exclusive range of supplements.

Puresport is set to ramp up its focus on the mainstream UK retail market just a few months after it became one of the first CBD producers to gain approval for legal sale in the country, following the introduction of “stringent” Food Standards Agency regulation.

As well as growth of the brand, the funds will also be invested in “product innovation”. In the past 12 months, Puresport has expanded its remit beyond CBD to other natural wellness base products, including mushrooms.

Grayson Hart, Puresport’s founder and CEO, said: “To raise £1m through crowdfunding is massive, to do so in just a few hours is mind blowing. The community we have built around Puresport truly trusts and believes in what we produce and what we stand for, and we are all stoked to have them along for the ride as investors now too.

“What began as a means of providing a safe and natural pain management alternative has mushroomed into a holistic wellness movement that is now established in mainstream markets and we’re in the perfect position to feed that appetite.

“It’s no secret that we want to be sold in major stores like Selfridges and Harrods, and this investment will help us on our road to achieving it. We are also ready to replicate the success we’ve enjoyed in ecommerce in the UK overseas, starting with the US, Australia, and New Zealand where the audience is ready and target growth potential huge.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

• Add me on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date
• And follow Bdaily on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Submit press releases to editor@bdaily.co.uk for consideration.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →