It started with the highest-funded multitool in crowdfunding history. Now, this slick Aussie brand is challenging traditional design thinking and changing the notion of EDC in the modern age.
1st November 2025 | Words by Matt Jones @ WildBounds HQ
For over two decades, Mike Chijoff had been solving other people's problems. As a multi-award-winning industrial designer and Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, his portfolio spanned the extraordinary and the everyday: a world-first water harvesting system in Dubai, wheelchair-friendly and child-safe BBQs for Australia’s public spaces, as well as consumer goods and entertainment products. The work was challenging and creatively satisfying, but something fundamental was missing.
Tactica founder Mike Chijoff, avid outdoorsman and award-winning industrial designer.
Rethinking an icon
The inspiration came from a place of personal frustration. As a keen outdoorsman, Chijoff had grown up using iconic everyday carry tools like the Swiss Army Knife, from brands like Leatherman and Victorinox. These kinds of tools had been tried-and-tested companions for generations of outdoorspeople. But viewed through his designer's eye, they all looked remarkably similar – based on outdated design principles established decades earlier.
"I took a different approach with Tactica, creating products that were unique, cheaper and not weighed down by traditional design," says Chijoff. The opportunity wasn't just about making another multitool – it was about fundamentally rethinking what a multitool could be.
His vision centred on a material breakthrough. Working from his Melbourne base, Chijoff identified an engineering-grade composite used primarily in aerospace applications – a glass-reinforced material with a 70 per cent glass-to-polymer ratio that delivered exceptional strength whilst weighing 40 per cent less than titanium. "Often this material is used in aerospace designs and sometimes it is used in internal components, but we believe we are the only company using it as a consumer-facing product," he notes.
The material enabled something traditional metals couldn't: a multitool that wouldn't scratch phones or laptops, that was light enough to truly carry around every day, yet tough enough to handle real work. It was a complete departure from convention – and precisely the kind of innovation Chijoff had been itching to bring directly to consumers.
The Tactica M100 multitool, a multitool unlike any other, showcasing its composite construction and compact design.
The Kickstarter gamble
In 2016, Chijoff made the leap. He left design consultancy behind and launched Tactica, channelling his material science expertise and design prowess into creating "cool stuff for everyday adventures." The first product was the M100, a pocket multitool that packed 17 functions into an ergonomic composite body weighing less than 50g.
The M100 featured nested universal wrenches spanning from 5mm to 14mm, a magnetic screwdriver holder for swappable bits, a box opener, bottle opener, and metric/imperial ruler –all built around a hardened 420-grade stainless steel core. The design was TSA-compliant, making it one of the few multitools that could travel through airport security without being confiscated. Every detail reflected Chijoff's design philosophy: "Design is not just about what it looks like, it's about how things work."
With an integrated magnetic hex bit socket and an ergonomic body, the M100 makes a practical screwdriver – but it also functions as a wrench, box cutter and bottle opener.
But launching a hard goods brand from scratch presented enormous challenges. Manufacturing required substantial upfront capital. Traditional retail channels were out of reach for an unproven product from an unknown brand. Instead, Chijoff turned to Kickstarter –not merely as a funding mechanism, but as a proving ground.
"We started on Kickstarter because we wanted to engage with the community from the very beginning, so the community helped us start the business," he explains. The campaign wasn't just about securing pre-sales. It was about validating the concept, gathering real-world feedback, and building a community of supporters who believed in Tactica's mission.
The response exceeded every expectation. Over 10,000 backers pledged more than $960,000, making the M100 the highest-funded multitool in crowdfunding history. Such overwhelming support validated Chijoff's conviction that there was genuine appetite for innovation in a category that had remained largely unchanged for decades.
A follow-up to the wildly successful Tactica M100, the credit-card-sized M010 tool offers 23 different functions for a total weight of just 27g.
Building through the EDC community
The Kickstarter success marked the beginning, not the culmination, of Tactica's journey. Chijoff recognised that the community of backers represented something far more valuable than a one-time sales boost – they were potential partners in product development. This insight would shape Tactica's approach for years to come.
"Since the beginning, our community has been our biggest asset in providing feedback and direction on our offering," Chijoff emphasises. Unlike the consultancy model where he handed off designs to clients, Tactica enabled direct engagement with end users. Backers became field testers, providing detailed feedback on how the M100 performed in real conditions – on building sites, bike rides, camping trips and for DIY home repairs.
The company launched with just the M100 in September 2017. But armed with community feedback and growing confidence, Tactica rapidly expanded its range. They introduced the M010 Credit Tool Card, a wallet-sized multitool with 25 functions. The M250 Hex Drive Toolkit followed, featuring 12 hex bits and an extender for hard-to-reach places. Each new product emerged from the same iterative process: design, test with the community, refine, launch.
Expanding horizons
By 2023, Tactica's growth trajectory was undeniable. The company had shipped over 100,000 units to 100 countries, generating close to $4 million in revenue – with turnover doubling year-on-year.
But Chijoff wasn't content to remain solely a multitool brand. He saw that the same design principles that made the M100 successful – lightweight materials, thoughtful functionality, community-driven development – could be applied to adjacent categories. Tactica began expanding into other EDC essentials such as knives and lighters.
The K.100 pocket knife, launched in 2023, showcased Tactica's evolution. Featuring a reverse tanto blade made from D2 steel with PVD coating, textured G10 scales for superior grip, and ball-bearing pivots for smooth opening, the K.100 represented a sophisticated entry into the competitive knife market. Laser-etched patterns in digital camo or fractal designs ensured this knife stood out from the pack.
The sleek and striking K100 pocket folder represented Tactica’s first entry into the knife market.
Further knife variants followed: the K.150 Micro Knife, a pocket-sized blade designed for ultimate portability, and the K.220 Search and Rescue Knife, purpose-built for first responders with a serrated blade, glass breaker tip, and seatbelt cutter. Each knife demonstrated Chijoff's material science background and commitment to purpose-driven design.
The expansion reflected strategic thinking about market positioning. The US market, which represented the majority of Tactica's sales, offered enormous potential. But scaling required resources – expanded inventory, additional team members, sustained marketing investment. "Most of the initial sales we have made have been in the US, so we're only just scraping the surface there," Chijoff noted.
Equity evolution
In 2023, Tactica embarked on a significant milestone: its first equity crowdfunding campaign through Australian platform Birchal. Having raised approximately $1.6 million through three Kickstarter campaigns based on product pre-sales, the shift to equity funding represented a maturation of both the business and its relationship with its community.
"Previously our crowdfunding campaigns have been about developing new products; now we're self-sufficient enough to push ourselves further and keep innovating," Chijoff explains. "But it's an essential mantra of our operations that we maintain that connection with our supporters. They are the core of who we are, why we exist and why we keep continuing to grow, adapt and create new products."
The equity fundraiser targeting $100,000 was about more than capital injection. It was about offering the community that had supported Tactica from the beginning a genuine ownership stake in its future. Backers who had purchased products could now become shareholders, aligning their interests even more closely with the brand's success.
By this point, Tactica had moved operations to the i2N Hub's incubator in Newcastle, Australia. The team had grown to include designer Jake Baumann, who worked alongside Chijoff to develop new products whilst managing relationships with manufacturing partners in China. The brand's portfolio had expanded to 22 products spanning multitools, toolkits, knives, and accessories – all designed in Australia, manufactured overseas, and sold globally.
Tactica’s considered range of EDC tools and accessories now spans everything from knives and multitools to firelighting equipment, pocket power banks and mini flashlights.
Design philosophy in practice
What distinguishes Tactica in an increasingly crowded everyday carry market? The answer lies in Chijoff's unwavering commitment to material innovation and user-centred design. Every product begins with understanding how people actually use tools in real conditions.
Composites remain central to Tactica's identity. That aerospace-grade composite – strong as die-cast metal, significantly lighter, and non-scratching – enables designs that would be impossible with traditional materials. It's not flashy technology for technology's sake; it's purposeful innovation solving genuine user problems.
"This material is used as a metal replacement – very strong and very light; up to 40 per cent lighter than titanium," Chijoff explains. "It allows us to do things differently than traditional multitools have been able to do in the past." The M100's ability to slip into a pocket without weighing down your trousers or scratching other gear addresses a real pain point that metal multitools simply cannot solve.
Tactica’s unique aerospace composite material is a key part of the brand’s USP: their tools won’t scratch the screen of your smartphone or tablet, unlike metal tools.
The community-driven development process ensures products meet actual needs rather than assumed ones. Users don't just purchase Tactica products – they help shape them. This ongoing dialogue creates a feedback loop that continuously improves the lineup whilst fostering genuine brand loyalty.
Tactica's customer base reflects the brand's versatile positioning. Whilst predominantly male, buyers span tradespeople, cyclists, office workers, campers, and everyday adventurers. The tools are accessible enough for casual users yet functional enough for professionals. This broad appeal stems from focusing on fundamental utility rather than niche specialisation.
Building for tomorrow
From its 2016 Kickstarter launch to its current position as an established international brand, Tactica's journey illustrates how material innovation, community engagement, and design thinking can disrupt even mature product categories. The highest-funded multitool in crowdfunding history wasn't built on gimmicks or aggressive marketing – it was built on solving real problems with thoughtful design.
The transition from consultancy work to brand ownership gave Chijoff what he'd been seeking: direct connection with end users, the ability to iterate and improve based on real feedback, and ownership over the complete product lifecycle. That connection remains at the heart of Tactica's identity.
Lightweight strength, thoughtful functionality, and design excellence characterise all of Tactica’s product lines – qualities that appeal to professional and recreational users alike.
The brand continues evolving its product range, exploring new categories whilst staying true to its founding principles. Each new release maintains the same commitment to lightweight strength, thoughtful functionality, and design excellence that made the M100 a crowdfunding phenomenon.
For Mike Chijoff, the journey from frustrated consultant to successful entrepreneur has validated a simple philosophy: "Life is one big adventure and it's too short to be lived with things that don't make it better." With Tactica, he's not just designing better tools – he's building a community of people who believe that thoughtful design can genuinely improve how we engage with the world around us.
