Growth hacking might be a buzz term in tech.
But it’s a new job title at Mati Energy too and it’s helping the Durham startup ascend the list of top selling energy drinks on Amazon and win fans across the U.S.
Those efforts, matched by $2.1 million in funding—$1 million from a converted note secured in the spring combined with $1.1 million from new investors—primes Mati for more market penetration in the Southeast, the launch of three new drink flavors in November and shelf space at new major retail chains across the country.
The new money brings Mati’s total venture capital raised above $3.4 million.
Birgisson declined to share the names of her new angel investors, but said at least one has invested in other beverage brands. Five Duke angels participated in the Duke Angel Network’s investment, and it’s matched in some part by funding from the Duke Innovation Fund.
Mati is the seventh reported investment by the year-old network that funds Duke-affiliated companies. The angels have also funded Durham startups Baebies, SoloPro and Testive.
Besides her investors, Birgisson looks to advisor Lauren Whitehurst (her mentor during the Soar Triangle program) and her management team for support tackling the challenges and managing the hard-to-predict but continued growth.
And to keep the buzz going while the big decisions are ironed out, there’s her resident growth hacker.
