Smiles with tiles in different styles: Dave Alexander and Brea Brand talk all things Connetix

Dave and Brea, thanks for making time! You’re the co-founders of Connetix Tiles. For the uninitiated, what are they?
Brea: Connetix are colourful magnetic tiles. They’re great fun to play with, and inspire children’s creativity and imagination as they design, explore and build! Our products promote a wide range of educational and developmental benefits all through play-based learning – something we’re so passionate about… They’re a super-versatile, open-ended toy that the whole family can enjoy.

Perfect. And would I be right in saying, Brea, that the play and educational value of these grows as a child grows?
Brea: Yes! This is one of the reasons that parents and educators love Connetix… They’re a resource that kids can play with at their own level – they offer lots of opportunities to expand play possibilities with a unique range of packs. That range includes transport bases, shape expansion and geometry packs… And the ball run – which I know you were taken with when you saw it, Deej!

Oh, not half! I love it!
Dave: From a design perspective, our tiles have strong magnets that allow children to build bigger, and really bring their imaginations to life. Connetix also have a unique bevel design which produces a clearer tile and beautiful light refractions around the creations.

They do look gorgeous. Tell me: how did all this come about?
Brea: Dave has always had an entrepreneurial side – we’ll touch on his many successful side hustles later! But his background and skillset in mechanical engineering perfectly complemented my background in education and marketing. We had a quick conversation at the school gate one day which ultimately led us to realising we’d make a great team to create educational toys for children.

Dave: Our respective families loved playing with construction toys, and we could see the potential magnetic tile play offered for learning… So we set out to produce quality magnetic tiles that offered a point of difference and value to our customers, with the safety and design features we’d expect as parents and professionals ourselves.

On that, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask: what makes these magnetic tiles different from any others?
Brea: What makes Connetix unique are our signature strong magnets, durability and the exclusive bevel design that offers those beautiful clear refractions while allowing children to build bigger. We include each of these design features to enhance the learning and play possibilities of magnetic tiles.

Dave: We’ve always wanted to ensure quality and peace of mind for parents, so the safety aspects have driven the functionality and the value of our design. Each tile is ultrasonically sealed and riveted, made from food grade plastic and meets international safety ratings across all 90 countries we sell in.

Wow. Good answer, thank you. And how has the business grown since it started?
Brea: We could never have envisioned Connetix growing into what it has today. In the beginning, we did it all… We juggled the many hats of running a business. Dave’s house doubled as the warehouse, the post office, the customer-service hub – you name it! Today, we’re fortunate to have an inspiring and talented team of 53 staff across the globe as well as an amazing community of customers – and a loyal retailer network… It’s truly incredible.

Dave: In the early days, we organically generated interest through Instagram, in local Aussie toy shops and even our kids’ schools! I remember one surreal moment when Brea saw someone at our local shopping centre carrying a Connetix box under their arm… Now, the ‘pinch-me moment’ is taking a shop wall at Harrods – it’s unbelievable how quickly we’ve grown!

Brea: That said, we were so different to other brands on the market when we launched… We’ve been fortunate to experience a strong demand from the get-go. As people started playing with our products, and posting online and sharing the value of Connetix, it naturally sparked an organic following and saw the community really embrace our brand – which we’re incredibly grateful for! Moving forward, we’d love to see Connetix in the hands of kids everywhere… So we’ll continue to spread the word and educate people of the value of open-ended play!

Fantastic. And what, generally speaking, do you think is the appeal of construction toys like these?
Dave: There’s something about the nostalgia of construction toys that takes parents back to their own childhood. They’re timeless toys that are great for everyone… They offer opportunities for families to play together through the shared joy of building.

Brea: Families are always looking for toys that provide more than just entertainment value… They’re seeking educational toys that nurture development, and construction toys really are the ‘building blocks’ to all areas of learning. Another stand-out appeal is the longevity of construction toys. They’re enjoyed by all ages and can be passed down for generations to come.

And you reminded me earlier… One of the lines I particularly like is your ball run! In terms of design, what challenges did you face bringing that to market, Dave?
Dave: One of the biggest challenges we had was making it quick enough! We sold out after the first run, with one shipment selling out in just three minutes. It was SO popular – we didn’t foresee that demand. We were receiving so many messages from parents and our supportive retailers about the demand for this range over the Christmas period – and we definitely didn’t want to disappoint kids on Christmas Day! So we put on our red and white hats and air freighted a mega eight tonnes of product across the globe to get there on time.

Wow! That’s astonishing. So I’m not alone loving that, Brea?!
Brea: Not at all… The Ball Run is without a doubt one of our best-sellers. It’s a toy for everyone. It brings families together through the fun and excitement of mastering epic ball runs. We designed the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ speciality pieces to provide both a unique game experience and a racing element for families to enjoy. Something we find really rewarding is seeing all the messages from parents setting up amazing ball runs when their children go to bed to bring so much excitement for when they wake up – they get so into it!

I don’t doubt it! Were there any other design challenges?
Dave: From the start, we wanted a clean, crisp look – without the need for bracings – and to offer a unique value to our customers from what was already on the market. Like most initiations to business, we encountered issues with our very first batch – it wasn’t up to the standard and quality we expected and wanted… At that point we had to go right back to the drawing board… Quality and safety are our top priorities.

And on that, I imagine you do a lot of product development… Tell me about that.
Dave: Yes – we constantly try to improve our products by getting kids to test-them. We also listen to community feedback and draw on a passionate team of educators and experts in the industry. We want to make sure our products are exceptional. Finally, we also have an amazing and ever-expanding team of product developers… It’s exciting to see the scope for our brand continually grow.

What were your other releases for 2024?
Dave: We were thrilled to launch the Pastel Transport pack in June. That’s been rolled out nicely and has “driven out the doors” – dad pun intended! The product waitlist was well received with a huge number of email registrations coming in, and a significant increase in sales over both the B2B presale period and the B2C launch on the website.

Brea: We’ll also be releasing the Road Range over the coming month. We’ve been asked for a long time to do a road pack… Over the years, we’ve put a lot of consideration into how we’d tackle this to be in line with the open-ended nature of all our products. Maintaining the Connetix values and philosophy, we’ve made a conscious decision not to put any white lines or markings on the sleek black tiles…

Oh! I see! So they’re not just roads…
Brea: Exactly. While inspired by roads, the possibilities for this range are so much more. The tiles have a much greater scope for design: from architectural builds to ball runs that stand-out, 3D numbers, creepy crawlies and arching flowers – we can’t wait to see all the ingenious creations this range will bring!

And the Pastel Transport Pack? How did that come about?
Brea: Well! The Rainbow Transport pack was such a hit and – since there’s always a huge demand for our eight stunning earthy tones – we couldn’t not bring out a pastel version! Interestingly, my brother-in-law, who has experience working on military vehicles, came to me with this really cool concept to design a reversible transport base… That’s what kick-started the idea behind these much-loved packs.

Terrific. What’s upcoming for you, Dave? What can we look forward to soon?
Dave: We have some really big releases in early 2025, there’s a lot in the pipeline! We’re excited to continue building our New Product Development team and growing our range to expand the ways customers can experience magnetic tile play. Not to mention collaborating with some of Mojo Nation’s creative inventors to bring our vision to life.

We do need to start wrapping this up, but I’m curious: how did you two meet and get into the industry?
Brea: Dave and I met at our children’s school. Our kids were friends, and our families inevitably formed a friendship. At the time, I was on maternity leave from teaching – but also studying a Master’s in Early Childhood Education. While I was at home with my children, I’d been developing a play-based Instagram account, connecting with other mums and brands about the benefits of learning through play. I’ve always enjoyed the fun and creativity of marketing, so much so that I completed a Business Marketing degree prior to teaching. Combining my love of marketing with my passion for play and education was the perfect outlet for me!

Dave: Before we founded Connetix, I was running my own business, had invested in a restaurant and was selling products on amazon – meat thermometers and all sorts of gizmos! Brea and I quickly realised we’d make a perfect partnership in terms of our values, skillsets and personalities. We’re total opposites yet aligned in every way. We know our strengths and we stick in our own lane…

Oh! Give me an example of that!
Dave: Ha! I know when a decision is ‘outside of my pay grade’ – such as a colour choice. But we respect each other’s opinion – and this approach has seen us have probably only five arguments in five years!

Amazing!
Brea: The toy industry is truly a unique place to work. The sense of community and camaraderie we’ve experienced is like no other – everyone is in the business to design products that bring joy, fun and create a positive impact, and the people we work with really embody this. A brilliant example is the ‘Toys Down Under’ space in the LA toy district where we’ve worked to bring together five Aussie brands to support each other as we make our mark in the American market.

Sounds fantastic. I have one final question for both of you, then… What are the most interesting objects in your offices or on your desks?
Dave: Samples, samples and more samples – that I can’t stop fidgeting with! They are all patent pending and top secret so I’m sorry I can’t share a photo.

Brea: Nothing too exciting at the moment! The usual coffee cup and some notebooks. Being a work-from-home mum to three girls means my desk can house some interesting objects: from dance costumes to My Creative Box crafty creations, beaded bracelets designed by my daughter’s own entrepreneur business… And, of course, there are always Connetix floating around as samples and fidgets.

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