Major Impact Investors
We’re looking to create the community, environmental and cultural capital that the world needs now and into the future.
This is a catalytic investment in place-making. The retreat centre will become a shared space for humans, for communities and for non-human stakeholders. In a time of growing uncertainty, place-based, local and regenerative projects like this are a way forwards.
We are now calling out for Stage 3 (development) investment.
This is already an extraordinary project."
Major Investor Criteria
This is a unique and extraordinary local project, and will take visionary investors to come together to develop it.
Please consider these criteria:
- Sophisticated Investor status
- Ready to move beyond profit-centric thinking and include environmental, social and community returns in the assessment
- Motivated to be part of the solution in the local climate and biodiversity crisis
- Called to leave a positive legacy in South Australia
- Able to commit to long term (10 years+) stable investment, towards a planned exit point.
Sounds like you? Please read on.
Investment Snapshot
We are open to a variety of investment pathways (equity, loan, syndicated loan, crowd loan). Our key challenge is to keep the cost of money low so that business risk can be minimised, the community can buy out / pay back investors within a 10 year timeframe, and future profit can be redistributed back into the deep care of communities and land.
$6-8M Property Development
Your introduced funds go directly into the development and construction of the wellness facility. This includes accomodation for 24 people (day only events to 75 people), large multi-purpose studio, commercial kitchen, dining, pool and sauna.
The design by senior architect Felicity Gartelmann is sensitive to place, purpose and cost. Planning approval is currently in with Yankalilla Council.
The Land
The land is 107 hectares of breathtaking ocean views, positioned on the ridge above Myponga Beach, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kaurna Land. The location is a comfortable 60 minutes drive for guests from Adelaide CBD and Adelaide Airport
45 hectares of this land is being revegetated, from degraded grazing land to native grassland. This huge landcare project is funded by Native Vegetation Council and underway with partners BioR, Seeding Natives, and Human.Kind Studios.
$2.4M already invested
Our four seed investors have secured the land, architectural concepts and design, site surveying and services consultation, and major fencing upgrades. It is their generosity that has allowed us define this project for future investors.
All Major Investors are engaged with concessionary, patient, and catalytic investment principles.
The land and future asset are part of the security for future investors.
Clear business model
The operating business is a separate entity to the development entity within The Circular Initiative ecosystem.
Professionally managed, this operating entity will generate revenue of $1.6-1.9M per year by business to business hire of the facility for multi-day experiences. Hiring will typically include accomodation and catering.
Human.Kind Studios alone will be a major client with around 10 weeks per year of hire for retreats that are currently run interstate and overseas. Other SA facilitators will run their own retreats that will include general health and wellness, women’s health, family health, cultural learning, arts practice, spiritual ecology, leadership trainings, and the occasional community celebrations.
The business model is sound, balancing community accessibility with financial viability across a range of possible futures.
Highly connected, Low Risk
This is not an ordinary commercially motivated startup. The strength of this regenerative project is derived from deep and broad community relationships which make up The Circular Initiative ecosystem.
Human.Kind Studios: key industry partner, founded and operated by fellow TCI investors (Triton and Tessa). Human.Kind is the established leader in wellness, mindfulness, and retreat delivery in Adelaide.
South Australian facilitators: over 30 facilitators from wellness to corporate leadership put their hand up and helped co-design the facility. They confirm the unmet demand for experience-rich spaces in South Australia.
Community investors: over 150 people (largely from the engaged Human.Kind community) have expressed their interest in investing in the community-owned operating entity. We have run 3 co-design sessions with community and the excitement is real.
Landcare team: volunteers who make the revegetation effort possible. We’ve had over 120 individuals lend a hand over the last 3 years.
community Buy-Back
The community owned operating entity will be formed once development funding is secure. It will be a company limited by guarantee, with a broad membership base of community members to support diverse perspective and shared meaning-making in complex times.
Major private equity investors will be bought out by the community-backed operating business. In this way the land, facility, and mission can be held in commons for generations to come without the risk of private ownership distortions.
The target timeframe for completion of this buyout is 10 years.
Project Timeline
Stage 1:
2021. Seed investor call out on concept. Seed investors engaged.
2022. Land purchased, Planet A company formed
State 2:
2023. NVC landcare grant secured, community engagement, landcare effort began.
Stage 3:
2023. Architectural concept and costing, initial business viability assessment.
2024 (Dec). Planning Approval submitted to council. Approval pending.
—-> 2025 Major investors call out to $6-8M fund, full architectural design documentation. <—-
2026 Commence construction. Operating company startup.
2027 Building completion and operations commence.
find out more
This project can’t start without you. But a clear community exit plan helps you rest assured that this project and legacy will stand on its own feet once you’re gone.
This is a high level orientation to the project. If you would like to register your interest, please contact us here or reach out via hello@thecircular.au
The People behind this project
We’re a group who care about people and the environment. This is a project that goes beyond the individual and is about a collective future together. Our group has a wide range of experience and works together well, and we want to add the right new faces to this page.