“Can a B Corp ethical-beauty brand survive DTC unit economics across three geographies as a small-team operation?”
Kester Black is an Australian B Corp-certified ethical/cruelty-free nail polish and cosmetics brand founded by Anna Ross and named after Saint Kester Bay in New Zealand. The company grew internationally via DTC e-commerce into Australia, New Zealand and the USA, using Airwallex for multi-currency operations. After raising $2.16M in 2021 equity crowdfunding at a $22M valuation, the company entered voluntary administration in July 2024, wiping out shareholder equity.
Kester Black processes payments through Shopify Payments, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay.
Kester Black uses Airwallex for FX and cross-border payouts.
Kester Black integrates with Xero.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 4 layers in Kester Black's stack: Payments / PSP (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and 1 other); Unified APIs (Airwallex); FX & payouts (Airwallex); Accounting (Xero).
Kester Black was founded by Anna Ross and is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kester Black has raised $2.16M AUD (2021 equity crowdfunding) in total (latest round: Equity crowdfunding via Birchal, October 2021; valuation: $22M (2021)).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Kester Black and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.