Wisr CEO Anthony Nantes will also be joining as an adviser to the CEO.

Co-founded by Ben Williamson and Rhys Davis in 2017, Fresh Equities combines proprietary technology and what the company says are “the best strategies used by large investment houses to empower both investors and companies”. 

Fresh says it has given at-home investors access to a range of opportunities normally reserved for large funds - from ASX 100 companies such as NAB through to high growth ASX300 companies such as Wisr and Zip Co Limited - and has also supported a wide range of small-cap and micro-cap listed stock.

Fresh also says it has worked on over 1,000 transactions, providing companies access to a combined total of $450 million, and has seen its bid volume grow 15x in two years.   

Fresh says the funds will also be used to expand the company’s technological capabilities, introducing features to the platform that help small-cap company leaders understand and interact with investors directly to help grow their market capitalisation - and will also be used to establish an underwriting business, giving the comany the ability to underwrite transactions for emerging and growth companies, “de-risking these typically high risk underwritings”.

“On reflection we entered the market at the perfect time -- when investors were getting frustrated by the traditional, closed room approach to raising capital, and when companies were looking for innovative ways to connect directly with their shareholder base.” Ben Williamson, CEO and co-founder Fresh Equities said.

“Hundreds of thousands of new investors have entered the market over the last two years through existing and emerging trading platforms. Meanwhile, existing investors increasingly want access to more opportunities. This fragmentation of investor attention means companies need to think differently to connect with their investors.

“Fresh also addresses the need from ASX-listed company leaders for a deep, transparent, and tech-powered means of raising capital. With these funds, we will be expanding our already considerable proprietary data pool and technology to help match investors with companies. In fact some executives that have used us asked to come onto the register; it's a fantastic vote of confidence in Fresh,” Williamson concluded.

Founder and CEO of Wisr, Anthony Nantes said: “Ben and Rhys are the exact type of early stage founders that are fantastic to support. They approach building a successful, high growth company in the right way and are avid learners, passionate about the space they are in and the change that Fresh Equities can make in the industry. They’ve built a great platform, with impressive metrics to date, and with this capital injection, I’m excited to see what they will go on to build in the coming years.”

Ben Armstrong and Quentin Wallace, Co-founders of Archangel Ventures: "As long supporters of Fresh, Archangel Ventures was delighted to have the opportunity to lead the latest round and once again back a fantastic team. Fresh brings order and ethics to the chaos of listed fundraising in Australia using smart technology to unlock an unloved corner of the fintech universe for investors." 

Kylie Frazer, Co-founder of Flying Fox Ventures: “Fresh Equities continues to impress with its focussed leadership team and willingness to experiment.”