Olympic triathlon champions the Brownlee brothers are investing in sports brand Huub as it launches a new £250,000 fundraising campaign.
The Derby-based company is planning to target international growth and expand its product range by raising new capital on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube.
Huub makes clothing and accessories such as wetsuits, triathlon suits, cycle wear, goggles and rucksacks.
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, who won triathlon medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, have become the first to put their names to the funding round.
They have worked with Huub since 2013 after founder Dean Jackson asked them to try one of his wetsuits and now have their own Huub 'Brownlee' range.
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The 海角视频 triathlon apparel and accessories market is valued at £60 million.
Huub says it wants to tap into a recent boom in outdoor and endurance sport which has been boosted by the temporary closure of gyms during the coronavirus lockdown.
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Wetsuit sales among its female customers are up by 68 per cent in 2020 while cycling product sales have climbed by 681 per cent over lockdown, the company claims.
In 2019, it posted revenue of £4.8 million and has enjoyed sales growth of around 32 per cent over the past four years.
Mr Jackson, who launched the company as a wetsuit specialist in 2011, said: "This crowdfunding campaign is designed to help accelerate the growth we are experiencing on so many fronts and, I believe, offers a really exciting opportunity for those in the endurance sport community and beyond to invest in a brand that is on a steep upwards trajectory.
"With both the Brownlee brothers already onboard, investors know they will be in the good company of two of Britain's most successful Olympic athletes.
"Alistair and Jonny have been pivotal in our trajectory to get to where we are now and their feedback from an athletic standpoint will continue to be fundamental in producing the best products for our customers.
"We are at a really exciting stage of our growth, with new categories performing incredibly strongly and our product range across the board continuing to appeal to professional and amateur athletes alike."
Alistair Brownlee added: "We've had a really positive working relationship with Huub for several years now.
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"As a brand, they are genuinely interested in listening to and incorporating athlete feedback into their products and into the business to make improvements.
"We therefore look forward to this next chapter of working with them, in this different capacity as investors and with a slightly different seat at the table."