July founders pour $2 million into Memobottle for a 20% stake
July's two cofounders personally bought a fifth of bottle maker Memobottle for two million dollars, valuing it at ten million, and will join its board.
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Founder, July · angel in 2 deals
Every published round Richard Li took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memobottle | Unnamed stage | 12 Oct 2026 | $2m | Participant | inforcapital.com, SmartCompany, AFR Technology | |
| Memobottle | Secondary | 12 Oct 2026 | $2m | Buyer | industryevents.com, Startup Daily |
Companies Richard Li has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memobottle | 12 Oct 2026 | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Richard Li, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Richard Li has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Richard Li did.
Stories naming Richard Li. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
July's two cofounders personally bought a fifth of bottle maker Memobottle for two million dollars, valuing it at ten million, and will join its board.
Also industryevents.com
The founders of luggage brand July have each bought a 20 percent personal stake in Melbourne drink bottle maker memobottle, valuing the startup at $10 million as it enters a growth phase.
Profile of luggage brand July, built by Melbourne founders Athan Didaskalou and Richard Li with backing including Lachlan Murdoch, covering its pandemic pivot, Olympic team supply deal and retail expansion.
Victorian luggage retailer July has hired Joanne Smith away from Little Birdie as its first chief financial officer, after its leadership team completed LaunchVic's 30×30 scaleup program.
Kogan.com has bought collapsed online furniture seller Brosa out of administration for $1.5 million, promising to fulfil customer orders, while the piece recalls Brosa's earlier venture raises and Kogan's past distressed-brand purchases.
Furniture ecommerce firm Brosa has entered voluntary administration with KordaMentha appointed and seeking buyers, after earlier venture raises from AirTree, Bailador and BMY Group.
Profile of luggage brand July, whose founders rebuilt after a 95% revenue drop in 2020; the article recalls an early $250,000 angel investment and notes over $10 million raised to date.
Melbourne luggage brand July will supply cases for Australia's 2022 Commonwealth Games team, after a similar Winter Olympics deal. The profile recalls its $10.5 million raise and pandemic-era revenue slump.
SmartCompany's year-end roundup profiles nine businesses that scaled rapidly in 2019, including Shebah's record equity crowdfunding and follow-up round, July's Strandbags-led raise, and Louis Mittoni's revival of the Toys 'R' Us brand.
Melbourne luggage maker July has secured a Series A led by accessories retailer Strandbags, which contributed equity and debt, to fund product development and expansion into Asia-Pacific markets.
Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany