Pakt

Pakt is raising a Crowd SAFE at a $9 million valuation with a 20% discount. Overall, this is a very fair price, particularly compared to other consumer goods companies on crowdfunding sites. Pakt has solid traction with strong year-over-year revenue growth and reportedly almost $5 million in lifetime sales. The company clearly has a strong community (built by previous Kickstarter rounds) with avid interest in its products. Moreover, a 20% discount on this already reasonable valuation makes Pakt an even better deal for investors. That’s why Pakt’s price rating is its highest across all five metrics.

Pakt is addressing a decent-sized market, given that a large portion of people require some sort of luggage to travel or commute to work. The global luggage market was valued at $28.05 billion in 2018. It is projected to grow to almost $58 billion by 2026 at a CAGR of 9.45%. 

But that figure represents Pakt’s total addressable market, which is very different from its obtainable market. Pakt’s products are quite expensive — between $200 and $300 — which is likely more than the average traveler is looking to spend. Pakt’s products also mostly cater to minimalist travelers with a more active lifestyle. The bags are small, not meant for long trips that require a lot of clothing or gear. This design reduces Pakt’s obtainable market size significantly even before considering the strong competition in the luggage space. Therefore, Pakt’s market rating is only middle of the road.

Pakt is led by founder and CEO Malcom Fontier, who has a strong background in industrial and product design. He graduated with a BFA in industrial design from Rochester Institute of Technology, then worked for several years in industrial design roles before launching his own companies. Fontier has almost 20 years of experience at the helm of product design studios, designer accessories, and tech companies. One of his previous companies, BikeMinds, was an app for motorcyclists. 

Pakt has five other employees, including heads of creativity, community, operations, marketing, and design. Most members of the Pakt team have a few years of professional experience from other jobs but aren’t deeply skilled within their roles. Lead Designer Marie Thompson is the exception with eight years of experience as a product designer in bag and luggage roles, including at L.L.Bean. 

Overall, Pakt’s founder has strong experience in product design but a bit less experience as a successful entrepreneur and direct-to-consumer brand owner. The rest of the Pakt team doesn’t have deep experience in complementary fields. As a result, the company’s team score is its lowest across all five metrics.

Pakt’s primary source of differentiation appears to be thoughtful product design and high-quality materials. This approach results in bags that are beautiful, functional, and beloved by a cult following of minimalist travelers and nomads. There’s good evidence that this makes Pakt distinct from competitors. Reviews of Pakt bags are very positive, and the company has a strong presence on social media that is a testament to its passionate community. 

It’s worth nothing, though, that there are many design-focused companies creating stylish, functional luggage and bags. Away is perhaps the most prominent example. Its bags are also full of savvy features and appeal to a minimalist millennial aesthetic. Smaller competitors include Cotopaxi (for more outdoorsy travelers), Dagne Dover (for women and busy moms), and Baggu (for more day-to-day functional bags). 

There’s a great deal of competition in this space, and while Pakt seems to fulfill a specific niche of minimalist, functional bags for travel, many other companies could quickly infringe on Pakt’s market share. Thoughtful designs and high-quality materials aren’t the differentiators they once were in this industry. As a result, Pakt’s differentiation rating is slightly below average.

Pakt is performing quite well for a company of its size. Its annual revenues are large and growing. In 2019, Pakt generated almost $600,000 in net sales, which jumped to almost $1.9 million in 2020. That’s a huge increase, particularly for a travel-focused company during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s easy to imagine that there might be even stronger demand for Pakt products this year. It’s worth noting that there’s a discrepancy between the revenue Pakt reports on Republic and the data in its Form C filing. On Republic, Pakt lists 2020 revenues of $1.4 million, while its Form C lists $1.89 million. 

The company is also running quite efficiently. Monthly burn is low, and Pakt actually turned a profit in 2020. Again, this is confusing because in the Republic discussion forum, employees say Pakt is working toward profitability, while profitability seems to have been achieved in 2020 based on the Form C.  

While there are inconsistencies between Pakt’s reported performance on Republic and its Form C, the Form C actually seems to paint an even rosier picture of Pakt’s performance, one that indicates the company is in a strong position to continue growing efficiently. Therefore, Pakt’s performance rating is strong.

Overall, Pakt isn’t a particularly risky investment. The company has good traction and positive revenue growth. The main sources of risk are Pakt’s team and funding. While Pakt is led by an experienced founder, he seems to have multiple projects, and the rest of the Pakt team doesn’t have strong expertise in anything besides product design. Fontier is also a solo founder, and if anything were to happen to him, the company would be left in dire straits. Pakt is built on strong design, but in order to scale, the company will need to be strong in finance, distribution, and more. Since Pakt is raising its first round of outside capital (with the exception of Kickstarter and loans), that increases risk for investors in this round.

Pakt is operating in a very competitive space where consumers are inundated with all sorts of ads for the latest beautiful, functional bag. While the company’s focus on product design is admirable, that focus is not necessarily a differentiator in a landscape of many product-focused companies. Pakt will likely need to compete on distribution, partnerships, marketing strategy, or other areas of business to really gain an edge in the luggage industry, and it’s not clear that the current team is set up to succeed in those areas. While Pakt has a loyal following of superfans, it’s too soon to tell whether the company will continue growing and achieve more mainstream success. It’s also odd that Pakt lists lower revenues and a lack of profitability on its Republic page, though its Form C indicates higher revenues and profitability. Investors might question the accuracy of Pakt’s raise materials.

Pakt stands out as a prime investment opportunity. First, and perhaps most importantly, the investment terms are fantastic. Pakt has generated millions in lifetime revenue, including almost $2 million in the last year alone, so a $9 million valuation is much more fair than that of most other consumer goods businesses. Terms are only made more favorable with a 20% discount on the Crowd SAFE, which gives investors an even better deal if Pakt continues to grow.

There are many positive signals that growth will continue, given Pakt’s strong performance thus far. The company has a devoted community of customers who are passionate about the Pakt brand. And its financial performance is remarkable. Pakt grew revenues by more than three times between 2019 and 2020 — very impressive for a travel-focused company during a global pandemic. In addition, Pakt is apparently profitable with a net income of more than $82,000 last year. (This is according to the company’s Form C filing, not its Republic page.) If the company continues to scale efficiently with growing revenues and low burn, it could be a prime candidate for acquisition by a larger consumer goods brand in the coming years.

Pakt is a minimalist travel bag company focused on designing highly functional products that fit seamlessly into modern life, whether for work or travel. The company generated almost $2 million in revenue last year and boasts a loyal community of superfans who continue to demand new products. In addition, investors can get in at a low price, which is unusual for this type of company on crowdfunding platforms. 

There are some questions about the expertise of Pakt’s team (which is heavily weighted toward product design), inconsistencies between its Republic page and Form C filing, and its ability to compete in a crowded space. However, there are many positive signals that, despite these risks, Pakt has built a solid brand and community that will continue to sustain positive year-over-year growth. Therefore, Pakt has been rated a Deal to Watch. 

For questions regarding the KingsCrowd staff pick or ratings for this company, please reach out to support@kingscrowd.com.