Backchat founder Mel Lee joins as Partner as Meliora establishes New Zealand presence and expands international strategy and digital performance capabilities.
Sydney, Wednesday 25 March, 2026
The Meliora Company, the international advisory, ventures and creative business founded in 2025 by entrepreneur Clive Dickens, has expanded its Asia-Pacific presence through the acquisition of New Zealand digital strategy, performance and content agency Backchat Media.
The deal will see Backchat founder Mel Lee join Meliora as an equity Partner, establishing Meliora’s presence in the New Zealand market while bringing Backchat’s boutique strategy and marketing capabilities into the Meliora offering internationally.
Founded in Auckland in 2015, Backchat has delivered strategic digital and content work across a range of APAC companies including Seven West Media, Singtel Optus, Mediaworks NZ, the New Zealand Government, Les Mills International, NBC Universal and a number of leading independent agencies.
The acquisition further strengthens Meliora’s ability to deliver integrated advisory, creative and product development capabilities for organisations navigating rapid change across media, technology and digital marketplaces in the AI driven economy.
Image: Jack Lonergan, Clive Dickens, Mel Lee
Mel Lee, Founder of Backchat Media and now Partner at Meliora, said the move represented a natural next step for the business. “Backchat has always focused on helping brands and organisations navigate the fast-moving digital landscape with smart strategy, strong storytelling and measurable outcomes,” Lee said.
“Joining Meliora allows us to scale that philosophy with an international team that sits at the intersection of technology, creativity and product thinking. I’m incredibly excited to become a partner in Meliora and help establish its presence in New Zealand while bringing our digital and digital performance capabilities into the wider Meliora offering.”
Clive Dickens, Managing Partner of Meliora, said the addition of Backchat strengthens the company’s growing capabilities across APAC.
“Meliora was built to help ambitious companies navigate the intersection of AI technology, creativity and human intelligence,” Dickens said. “Mel has built a fantastic business with Backchat, and bringing that strategy and digital performance capability into Meliora further strengthens what we can offer clients across APAC and beyond.”
The acquisition follows the recent launch of Meliora Ventures Fund One (MVF1), a specialist AI-focused investment fund targeting CTO-led startups building practical applications of artificial intelligence.
The fund will invest in vertical AI startups, generative AI products and SaaS businesses with AI-driven differentiation, pairing capital with Meliora’s advisory capabilities to accelerate product development and commercial growth.
Meliora Ventures has already invested in startups including IV.AI, Relevance AI and Source, with additional investments announced in Springboards.AI and StoryDesk.AI.
Strategic advisors to the fund include Shazam co-founder Chris Barton and former Singtel Optus and Seven West Media executive William Hedberg.
With hubs in Sydney, Los Angeles, London and now Auckland, Meliora continues to expand its international network of advisors, partners and ventures as it works with founders and organisations navigating the next wave of technology transformation.
For more information and media requests:
Nic Christensen | 0404 460 607 | nic@storydisco.com.au
