Arksen announces turnkey Series A £6m funding round against backdrop of strong traction and positive momentum in global exploration market

Arksen, the pioneering adventure lifestyle brand, today announces the launch of an equity funding round seeking to raise £6m amongst institutional and retail investors.

The company was founded in 2018 by Jasper Smith, a highly accomplished entrepreneur who has spent a lifetime adventuring at sea and on land and whose vision is to create a global adventure brand that is in lockstep with a world in transition and engineers its products to embrace the principles of a circular economy. Arksen has become an international adventure brand centred around inspiring and empowering the next-generation of explorers and conservationists as they seek how best to explore, protect and nurture the planet with appropriate limits.

Initially rooted around its core marine offering, Arksen has developed three key complementary business pillars – Marine, Automotive and Apparel. The company reported revenues of £10.5m in FY 2022 and has a forward order pipeline of over £100m. 21 of its premium explorer vessels have been sold to date reflecting strong traction with luxury adventure customers. Arksen’s iconic products – award winning vessels, off-road vehicles and performance wear – are known for their exceptional capabilities enabling exploration of the most spectacular and remote destinations in all conditions. The company has a $840bn addressable market set for buoyant growth of between 52% (ocean adventure and lifestyle) and 215% (global adventure tourism market) by 2030. (Source: Grandviewresearch.com)

Proceeds from the equity funding will be used to accelerate marketing and geographic expansion, for working capital for expanded product development and to increase stock levels to support rapid dealer growth. The company is seeking margin enhancement through more sophisticated customer acquisition technologies and greater direct channel presence, whilst the US and Asia are key markets for development. New product evolution will be enhanced by higher opex and larger teams, and Arksen will begin to hold a limited stock of products for immediate sale instead of making vessels to order.

Commenting on the funding round, Founder and CEO Jasper Smith said: “This comes at a pivotal moment for Arksen. Our successful fund raisings to date and the profile we have built amongst our clearly defined luxury adventure audience are testament to appetite for our iconic products and pioneering engineering, overlaid with our deep commitment to sustainability and innovation. We can see a clear path to creating a sector-leading brand in the global exploration space using our established partners and have a well-defined marketing strategy to 2027 to leverage dynamic growth in our addressable markets.”