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Watch: Digital Wellness Platform ‘Gozo In The House’ Gets £30,000 Investment On Shark Tank Malta

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Entrepreneur and former singer-songwriter Andrea Britton impressed the judges on last night’s episode of Shark Tank Malta, securing an investment of £30,000 (€33,900) in exchange for 30% of her company Gozo In The House.

Britton was initially seeking an investment of £30,000 for 10% of GITH. Her presentation began with the premise that she had first travelled to Gozo on a wellness trip, but found that online access to information about local businesses was difficult.

“There was nothing online that told me about that island. I found nothing that translated what was going on on the island, online.”

Britton’s background in marketing her music and public relations – as well as her observations of a growing European wellness-tourism sector – led her to find an opportunity in this lack of available information. 

“The solution for me was to create a destination portal guide for Gozo with a focus on wellbeing, for inbound and domestic visitors,” she told the Sharks.

GITH is a “Gozo Guide with high vibes” – bringing together a restaurant guide and booking service, a trip planning portal, a repository for events taking place on the island and pivotally, an emphasis on promoting wellness tourism in Gozo. 

“The content is interwoven with themes of wellness, mindfulness and slow-living, three things Gozo is loved for. All of the events I want to bring to the island as a part of this brand will have a theme, a wellbeing theme with events to uplift and energise.”

One of these events has already been planned for September – with 250 tickets sold to visitors from the UK for a five day festival.

Prior to her appearance on STM, Britton had already established affiliations with 69 Gozitan businesses. She shared her vision with the judges.

“There’s a bigger vision for the brand, it’s not just a guide, it’s a digital platform. I want to put a modular portfolio together, not just an e-commerce platform, but also the festival, with experiences, and with GITH wellness. I want to create opportunities for businesses and for locals.”

Although emphasising her desire to increase tourist visits to Gozo – especially during the low-season – Britton explained that GITH is confident about its future, and does not seek to limit itself.

“I will create a key platform for key verticals that will really shine. Gozo is a unique island as you know. We have a really exciting position to do something unique for that island. At the moment we are an unrivalled business model pioneering Gozo’s digital culture. We have no competition, it’s a Gozo-only platform giving high visibility to Gozo businesses.”

Shark Christabelle Camilleri, CEO of the V&C investment group, was quick to note that her Gozitan hotel was not on that list.

“You turned us down! It was early on for this business. In the last year, that’s when our product really started to solidify,” responded Andrea – cool under pressure.

Although each Shark expressed interest in GITH and the In The House brand – potentially for expansion to Mykonos, suggested by Brown’s Pharmacy CEO Alexander Fenech – three of the five dropped out because of concerns that the Gozo market was too small.

Camilleri’s hotel had previously turned GITH away, but the CEO saw sparkling potential in Britton – who was offered £30,000 for 30%. 

“You’re a smart woman who can do a lot of things, and I love that about you,” said Camilleri.

Whilst considering the offer, Britton posited that “part of the deal for me is not just the money, but the mentorship and the ability to open a few doors.

After briefly countering with a request for £50,000, Britton accepted, before embracing her newest investor to the applause of the other Sharks. 

By securing this deal, Britton’s business was the second, in the second episode of season two of Shark Tank Malta, to secure investment.

Do you think GITH could help Gozo grow?

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Pawlu is a journalist interested in Race, Environmental Issues, Music, Migration and Skate Culture. Pawlu loves to swim everyday and believes that cars are an inadequate solution to our earthly woes. You can get in touch at [email protected]

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