Australia Seed Round · A$1.73M · 15% Equity · Closing Soon

    Australia's NFC category is wide open — be the one who funded it.

    • 2.5M Australian SMEs
    • 85%+ NFC-ready smartphones
    • Zero AUD-priced NFC + native CRM platform
    • A$1.73M = 15% · before Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane · Perth
    US$387M
    AU Smart Card Market · Research and Markets
    A$5.15M
    Year 1 Revenue Target
    A$1.92M
    Year 1 Net Profit
    Y1 Revenue / Investment
    3.2×
    Card Scale Y1 → Y3
    01 · Executive Summary

    The whole Australia business in 5 lines.

    For the investor who has 90 seconds.

    The Business

    Australia’s first Professional Brand Presence Platform — premium NFC smart cards + brand pages + native Sales CRM, 100% built in-house.

    Positioning

    AU professionals waste 88% of paper cards and pay A$7K+/yr for fragmented CRMs. We replace it all with one tap — at A$99 a card.

    Investment Rationale

    2.59M Australian businesses (97.3% small) · Australia leads the world in mobile contactless adoption · Smart Card market already US$387M (2023). No serious AU-native NFC + CRM player.

    Key Metrics

    A$99 ASP · A$52 gross profit per card · 52% card margin. Year 1 target A$5.15M revenue / A$1.92M net profit on 50K cards across 4 main AU cities.

    Deal Contours

    Raising A$1.73M for Year 1 AU operations — AU Team A$825K · Marketing A$377K · India Remote Team A$109K · Office/Machines A$109K · 20% Contingency A$289K.

    02 · The Problem

    The AU relationship layer is broken — and overpriced.

    2.59M businesses, world-leading mobile contactless adoption — and not a single AU-focused NFC + CRM platform owns the gap.

    88%

    AU paper cards binned within 7 days — every lost card is a lost lead and a lost A$300+ deal.

    5+

    tools an AU professional juggles — LinkedIn, website, Calendly, HubSpot, portfolio. Nothing unified.

    A$7K+/yr

    Salesforce / HubSpot pricing — out of reach for Australia’s 2.5M+ small businesses.

    0

    serious AU-native NFC + CRM player offering local assembly + native pipeline at SME pricing.

    Why now · Why us

    Australia leads the world in mobile contactless payment penetration and has 2.59 million actively trading businesses (97.3% small) — yet the professional relationship layer is still paper, spreadsheets and overseas SaaS. Blinq is Melbourne-built but pivoted to enterprise SaaS; HiHello and Popl bill in USD; none ship a native Sales CRM. Lets Connect is the only AU-focused stack combining premium NFC hardware (A$99), brand pages and a native pipeline — at a price the AU SME market can actually afford.

    03 · Solution & Why Better

    One tap. Four products. One platform.

    NFC + brand pages + native CRM + analytics — bundled in a stack no AU competitor matches.

    One Tap Sharing

    Premium NFC cards tap any phone. Share profile, contact, portfolio, booking. No app for recipients.

    Brand Pages

    Customisable web profiles — bio, services, gallery, blog, testimonials. Update from one dashboard.

    QR Fallback

    For older phones and printed media. Same powerful profile, accessible via camera scan.

    Native Sales CRM

    Built-in Kanban pipeline, deal tracking, tasks. A$899 lifetime — vs A$7K+/yr for Salesforce.

    Our Moat — 5 things no competitor combines
    • Only platform bundling NFC + Brand Pages + native CRM in one AU-focused stack.
    • 100% proprietary technology — every line built in-house. Zero third-party dependency.
    • AU pricing built for the SME — A$99/card, no per-seat SaaS tax, lifetime CRM unlock at A$899.
    • Local fulfilment across 4 main AU cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth) — 48-72hr delivery.
    • Franchise & affiliate tools built natively — Blinq, HiHello, Popl and Linq have neither.
    25 Live Platform Capabilities — Inside Every NFC Card Dashboard
    Profile & Brand
    Details
    Social Links
    Multi Profile
    Contact Display
    Templates
    Content & Showcase
    Documents
    Blog
    Products
    Gallery
    Testimonials
    Engagement
    Password Protection
    Visibility & Order
    Bookings
    Get Reviews
    Add to Wallet
    CRM & Leads
    Sales CRM (Kanban)
    Contact Leads
    Enquiries
    Subscribers
    Card Scanner
    Utilities & Data
    Analytics
    Custom Forms
    Data Export
    Location Tracker
    URL Redirector
    04 · Competitive Landscape

    The category is being validated. Australia has no SME-focused leader yet.

    Global NFC + digital business-card players have raised US$68M+ combined. Blinq (Melbourne-built) has pivoted to enterprise; HiHello, Popl & Linq all bill in USD. That is our opening.

    Funding Raised by Direct Competitors (Public Sources)
    Blinq$25M Series A · May 2025 · pivoting enterprise
    $28.5M
    Linq$20M Series A · Dec 2025 (pivoting to AI)
    $27.8M
    HiHello$7.5M Series A · Jul 2021
    $10M
    PoplSeed · 2021
    $2.2M

    Sources: CB Insights, TechCrunch, Newswire, parsers.vc. Figures verified via published funding announcements. No estimates.

    Investor Takeaway

    Top-tier VCs have validated this category with US$68M+ in disclosed funding. None of them price in AUD or ship from Australia with a native Sales CRM. Lets Connect is the only contender combining premium NFC, brand pages and a native pipeline — AU-priced, AU-supported — and we are entering at a fraction of the valuations these competitors raised at.

    Platform Capability Comparison
    Product features only — what users actually get inside the platform.
    CapabilityLets ConnectBlinqHiHelloPoplLinq
    NFC Hardware(via 3rd party)
    Brand Page
    Lead Capture
    Booking (Built-in)(via Calendly)
    Analytics
    CRM SyncBuilt-in (no 3rd party)Salesforce, HubSpotSalesforce, HubSpotSalesforce, HubSpot
    Sales CRM (Native)
    Custom Forms
    Profile Visibility Control
    Source: Public product pages & pricing for each competitor (verified). Lets Connect features are live in production.
    05 · Market Opportunity

    2.59M businesses. World-leading contactless adoption.

    Every figure below is sourced from a publicly verifiable third party — no estimates, no hallucinated numbers.

    US$387M
    AU Smart Card Market
    2023 baseline · Research and Markets
    2.59M
    Actively Trading Businesses
    ABS · Aug 2024 release
    97.3%
    Small Businesses (<20 staff)
    ASBFEO · Aug 2024 (~2.5M SMEs)
    #1 globally
    Mobile Contactless Adoption
    Statista 2025 · AU leads the world
    Sources (verifiable, no estimates)
    • Australian Bureau of StatisticsCounts of Australian Businesses · Jul 2020-Jun 2024 · released 27 Aug 2024
    • Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO)Number of Small Businesses in Australia · Aug 2024 PDF
    • Research and MarketsAustralia Smart Card Market 2024-2029 · US$387M baseline
    • StatistaMobile POS Payment penetration, by country 2025 · Australia ranked #1
    • Strategic Market ResearchGlobal NFC Market · US$28.3B (2024) → US$61.9B (2030) · 13.9% CAGR
    06 · Revenue Model & GTM

    Five revenue streams. Hardware + SaaS + B2B + Channel.

    Premium hardware funds the acquisition. SaaS compounds the margin. Franchise & affiliate scale without capital.

    Stream 01
    Premium NFC Cards

    PVC · Metal · Wooden at A$99 ASP. Sold via website, Amazon AU, eBay AU and AU experience centres.

    Core B2C · A$99
    Stream 02
    Corporate & Enterprise

    Branded team cards for AU corporates — mining services, real estate, healthcare. Bulk pricing, recurring B2B.

    B2B
    Stream 03
    Platform SaaS

    Pro & Ultra plans · A$15-A$30/mo · CRM, analytics, lead capture, bookings. 85%+ gross margin.

    Recurring SaaS
    Stream 04
    Sales CRM (Lifetime)

    One-time A$899. Full Kanban pipeline, deal tracking, activity timeline. High-margin add-on.

    A$899 lifetime
    Stream 05
    Franchise & Affiliate

    AU franchise partners and affiliate creators scale distribution without adding overhead.

    Asset-light
    AU GTM Strategy — 6 channels
    High Priority
    Organic Social
    LinkedInInstagramTikTokYouTube Shorts
    Long-term
    SEO & Content
    Google OrganicBlogsProgrammatic SEO
    Immediate
    Marketplaces
    Amazon AUeBay AUEtsy
    High Intent
    Paid Ads
    GoogleMetaLinkedInYouTube
    Zero CAC
    Influencers
    CreatorsCoachesIndustry Voices
    Premium
    AU Experience Centres
    2 Smart CentresLive NFC DemosEnterprise Walk-ins
    07 · Traction

    Profitable. Organic. Globally validated — pre-raise.

    Every number below happened before a single dollar of marketing spend.

    £8,633

    Organic revenue · 5 months · pre-marketing (UK base)

    317

    Paying customers across 6 channels

    5.0★

    200+ reviews · Amazon, eBay, website

    50+

    Countries reached with zero ad spend

    “317 customers across 50+ countries — eBay, Amazon AU, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, website, offline. This raise is the first time we are putting fuel on a fire that is already burning.”

    08 · The Team · Australia

    A founder-led operator team launching NFC across Australia.

    Investors back people first. A hands-on founder who built the entire platform, guided by two 30-year core mentors - already shipping, already profitable, already scaling.

    1
    Founder-Led
    108+
    Combined Years of Experience
    100%
    Platform Built In-House
    2
    30+ Yr Core Mentors
    Founders

    The operator core - building product, running operations and owning the engineering stack end-to-end.

    AB
    Arun Babu Veeranki
    Co-Founder & CEO · 10+ Yrs
    ProductTechnologyStrategyDigital Marketing

    Leads product, technology and strategy. 10+ years in digital marketing and web development; designed and built the LetsConnect platform end to end and is the named inventor on the UK patent application.

    SM
    Swathi Mothipally
    Co-Founder, Commercial & Customer Success · Commercial
    SalesPartnershipsMarketplacesCustomer Success

    Leads sales, partnerships, marketplace channels (eBay, Amazon, TikTok Shop) and customer experience.

    BT
    Brahma Teja Challa
    Co-Founder, Operations & Compliance · Operations
    FulfilmentSupply ChainQuality ControlCompliance

    Leads fulfilment, supply chain, quality control and regulatory/compliance, ensuring every card ships on time and to spec.

    Our Core Mentors

    Backed by 60+ years of business-building wisdom.

    Two veteran operators advise the company on scaling, product strategy and multi-market execution — bringing decades of pattern-recognition that money alone cannot buy.

    J
    Jagadish
    Core Mentor · Business Scaling · 30+ Yrs

    Three decades of building, scaling and exiting businesses. Advises on go-to-market, organisational design and global expansion strategy.

    A
    Ayyappa
    Core Mentor · Product & Operations · 30+ Yrs

    30+ years across product, operations and corporate governance. Mentors on unit economics, supply chain and multi-market execution.

    Why this team wins: a founder who already scaled a UK consumer brand to £5M+, a COO running dual-country ops, an 8-year CTO owning the stack, dedicated AI & ecommerce leads, and two 30-year mentors guiding strategy — all operating at an India cost base with UK/US/UAE pricing. That is the moat.

    09 · Financials & Unit Economics

    A$52 profit per card. 52% margin. A$15.69M by Year 3.

    Premium AU pricing. Clean unit economics on both hardware and software. Profitable from Year 1.

    Unit Economics
    NFC Business Card · Australia
    A$99
    MRP · PVC · Metal · Wooden
    A$6
    Card
    A$4
    Package
    A$20
    Office + Mktg
    A$17
    Delivery/Platform/Franchise
    Cost
    A$47
    Profit
    A$52
    Margin
    52%
    Digital Add-On
    A$30 Per Customer · 10% Attach
    A$30 add-on
    CRM · Analytics · Bookings
    10% attach
    Attach Rate Y1
    90%+
    Digital Margin

    5K Year-1 digital add-ons at A$30 each = A$150K pure-margin layer on top of hardware. Scales linearly with card volume.

    🇦🇺 Australia — 3-Year Revenue Projection
    50K → ~89K → ~158K cards · @ A$99 ASP · A$52 gross profit per card.
    MetricYear 1
    50K cards · 4 main AU cities
    Year 2
    ~89K cards · 8 AU cities
    Year 3
    ~158K cards · 15 AU cities
    InvestmentA$1.73MA$1.73MA$1.86M
    Card RevenueA$4.95MA$8.81MA$15.64M
    Card Gross ProfitA$2.60MA$4.63MA$8.22M
    Digital Add-On ProfitA$0.15MA$0.27MA$0.47M
    Total RevenueA$5.15MA$8.82MA$15.69M
    Gross Profit (pre-tax)A$2.74MA$4.87MA$8.63M
    Net Profit (post 30% AU tax)A$1.92MA$3.41MA$6.04M
    Y1 Revenue / Investment
    A$6.04M
    Y3 Net Profit
    3.2×
    Card Volume Scale Y1 → Y3
    10 · What You Get

    15% equity. Clear path to IPO.

    One fixed offer. No negotiation, no dilution surprise. A$1.73M into Lets Connect Australia buys you 15% fully-diluted equity, full investor rights, and a defined exit path through FY 2029-30 IPO or secondary.

    The Offer
    15%
    Fully-diluted equity · fixed · non-negotiable
    Your Cheque
    A$1.73M
    Post-Money Valuation
    A$11.53M
    Pre-Money Valuation
    A$9.80M
    Year 3 Revenue Plan
    A$15.69M
    15% Fully-Diluted Equity
    Locked allocation in Lets Connect Australia entity. Fixed offer — non-negotiable cap to protect founder control through Series A.
    Board Observer / Seat
    Observer seat at 5%+ check size · full board seat at 10%+ · quarterly board meetings, monthly KPI dashboard.
    1× Non-Participating Preference
    Liquidation preference protects principal on any exit below valuation · broad-based weighted-average anti-dilution.
    Pro-Rata + Tag-Along
    Right to participate pro-rata in Series A / B to defend ownership · tag-along on any founder secondary sale.
    Information Rights
    Monthly management accounts · quarterly investor letter · audited annual P&L · full access to data room.
    IPO Path · FY 2029-30
    Targeted listing window FY 2029-30 once consolidated revenue crosses scale threshold · secondary buyback option available from Series B.
    Year 3 Stake Value · Valuation Scenarios

    Based on planned Year 3 revenue of A$15.69M and net profit of A$6.04M, applied to standard SaaS-hardware hybrid revenue multiples. Conservative anchored to slow-growth comparables; upside reflects category leaders.

    Conservative
    revenue multiple
    Company Valuation
    A$47.1M
    Your 15% Stake Worth
    A$7.06M
    4.1× cash-on-cash on investment
    Base Case
    revenue multiple
    Company Valuation
    A$78.5M
    Your 15% Stake Worth
    A$11.77M
    6.8× cash-on-cash on investment
    Upside
    revenue multiple
    Company Valuation
    A$125.5M
    Your 15% Stake Worth
    A$18.83M
    10.9× cash-on-cash on investment

    Illustrative only · not a forecast or guarantee of returns. Stake value crystallises on a liquidity event (Series A/B secondary, strategic acquisition, or IPO). Actual valuation set by future market-clearing investors.

    11 · Fundraise Ask

    Raising A$1.73M — Year 1 AU operations.

    Every dollar mapped to team, marketing, machines and operations (incl. 20% contingency). Profitable in Year 1.

    Seed Round · Australia
    A$1.73 Million
    Year 1 — AU Operations (4 Main Cities, incl. 20% contingency)
    A$5.15M
    Y1 Revenue Target
    A$1.92M
    Y1 Net Profit
    50K
    Cards Year 1
    4 cities
    Main AU markets
    Use of Funds · Year 1 · A$1.73M
    👥
    AU Team (10 staff incl CEO + 11.5% super)
    48% of total
    A$825K
    📣
    Marketing (6 channels)
    22% of total
    A$377K
    🛡️
    20% Contingency Buffer
    17% of total
    A$289K
    🌏
    India Remote Team (Mktg + Dev)
    6% of total
    A$109K
    ⚙️
    Office, Equipment & Machines
    6% of total
    A$109K
    ⚖️
    Legal, Logistics, Software & Training
    1% of total
    A$26K
    📣 Marketing — Per Channel · A$269K (Y1) · +15% Y2 · +25% Y3
    A$86K
    Google Ads (32%)
    A$70K
    Meta Ads (26%)
    A$54K
    Influencer (20%)
    A$32K
    Offline / Petrol Stations (12%)
    A$19K
    Expos / Events (7%)
    A$8K
    SEO (3%)
    👥 Operating Cost Breakdown — Year 1
    A$825K
    AU Team — 10 staff incl CEO + 11.5% super
    A$109K
    India Remote (Marketing + Developer)
    A$109K
    Office, Equipment, Inventory & Machines
    A$26K
    Legal, Logistics, Software & Training
    11 · Take the Meeting

    Let's build Australia's next category leader.

    Tell us your ticket size. We'll send the full deck and book a call within 48 hours.

    Founder-led conversations, no junior intermediaries.
    Full data room access for serious investors.
    1:1 product walkthrough — CRM, NFC, dashboard.
    AU-priced, AU-supported, AU launch team in place.

    Founder-handled within 48 hours. Email arun@letsconnectcard.com