Melbourne-based investment firm Tauro Capital Partners has successfully raised $1.6m for Farmbuy Pty Ltd, the owner of Australia’s largest online portal for rural and lifestyle properties, Farmbuy.com. The platform, founded in 2009 by CEO Philip Sondhu, currently lists over 16,000 properties worth a total of AUD5.6bn ($4.1bn) and is used by around 420 real estate offices across Australia. Sondhu says the funds will be used to convert listings into paying subscribers and acquire more properties for the platform. The recent round of funding was only offered to a “small targeted investor audience”
Tauro on a roll
Tappr, a third-party contactless payment system provider, has raised $420,000 in capital with the help of Tauro Capital Partners. With Tappr, businesses can receive contactless payments from customers through smartphones and tablets. Founder Brett Hales initially invested $18,000 in the company and later received a research and development grant from the Australian Tax Office. Tauro Capital helped connect Tappr to angel investors, who invested a total of $420,000 in the company. In addition to Tappr, Tauro Capital recently closed deals with Elevate Australasia, BuyMyPlace, and Askin Performance Panels. Askin Performance Panels completed a $21 million debt and equity refinancing deal through Tauro, while Elevate Australasia raised $1 million and BuyMyPlace secured $1 million in funding.
Tauro Capital Partners an early adopter of crowdfunding
In approximately 80 transactions, Tauro Capital has successfully raised almost $85 million. The founder, Ward, established Tauro Capital Partners in 2007 after working as a partner at another Melbourne-based corporate advisory firm for five years. The company specializes in providing advice to unlisted companies, especially startups focused on internet, software, and transaction processing that need to raise funds.
Tauro Capital has developed a network of high net worth investors who bring not only capital but also expertise to the table, as well as a database of more than 20,000 smaller passive investors. As an early adopter of crowdfunding in Australia, Tauro has won the gold medal for raising the most capital on the Australian Small Scale Offerings Board, the leading crowdfunding platform in Australia, for consecutive years.
