Francesca Packer’s boyfriend Robert Bates chased by investors over wellness company

A wealthy young man dating the niece of billionaire James Packer is being hunted by wealthy investors who poured millions into his wellness business, but are now demanding their money back.

Robert Bates, better known as Francesca Packer’s boyfriend, is the CEO of wellness brands Aurum+ and Aquamamma and the founder of 7 Trinity Biotech.

Aurum+ claims to be a “clinically proven solution to treat and prevent mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression”, while Aquamamma is a “healthy hydration solution” for pregnant and lactating women.

Bates’ business acumen has been celebrated in the pages of the Australian Financial Review’s annual list of successful young entrepreneurs, but he has come under heavy criticism of late from his own investors and clients.

Mr Bates is reportedly being hunted by a number of “high net worth” investors who want their money back, his business websites have mysteriously disappeared and customers are in an uproar on his social media pages.

Bates, who dressed as a cowboy at Francesca’s Barbie-themed birthday party, has received a total of around $15 million from at least 15 different Australian investors for Aurum+ since 2016.

But the shares of his companies are registered in the name of Bates himself or of other businesses he controls, rather than those who have invested their money in his companies, the Australian Financial Review informed.

These investors are now demanding repayments ranging from $50,000 to $2 million.

Bates is believed to have paid off three investors, but at least 15, of whom are scattered across Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Singapore, are furiously after the businessman, demanding to know where the money went.

One of them is Ben Murphy, who wired $50,000 to Mr Bates in 2017. He said while people put investments in with the “knowing that they might not work out”, the problem is different when they don’t know what happened to their money.

Bates was seen with Francesca Packer dressed as a cowboy for her Barbie-themed birthday party in November last year at Sydney’s Potts Point.

Mr. Bates debuted on the Young Rich List in 2020

“If it turns out that the business entity never really existed for its intended purpose, that the shares were never issued to investors and were instead always in the hands of the ‘founder’… then you clearly feel violated and bitterly disappointed.” he told the Financial Review.

‘The question being asked among the investment group is, where has the money gone?’

Meanwhile, the Aurum+ Facebook page is inundated with comments from customers demanding to know where their orders are and asking for refunds.

Some claim the company ignored them when they asked about their orders, and one asked if it had closed.

‘I placed an order in October and I have not received it. My emails are also not answered.

‘This is the second time this has happened. I want my money back!’ one person wrote in December.

Mr Bates is understood to have paid back three investors, but 15 are still demanding their money back.

The Aurum+ Facebook page is inundated with comments from customers demanding to know where their orders are and asking for refunds.

One person said they had been waiting months for their Aurum+ order.

‘I started Aurum plus when it first came out. I have been charged for 2 orders, one in November 2022 and the other in December 2022, none of them have been received. I have attempted to contact the company multiple times via messages (see link above) and received ZERO response. They have closed the business????’ said another.

‘I placed an order in October, never received my packages and tried to contact them several times but never got a reply. Has this happened to anyone else? says another comment.

‘I have had nothing but problems with this company since April of this year and still have not resolved them. They take my money and I never get the product. The customer service is horrible and they never respond to my many emails. Very frustrating!!!!’ commented a woman.

Adding to the confusion, the website linked to Aurum+ is no longer operational and says “currently unavailable” when accessed. The same is true when trying to visit the Aquamamma website address.

The website linked to Aurum+ is no longer operational and says “currently unavailable” when accessed

Daily Mail Australia reached out to Mr Bates for comment, however he did not respond to written questions.

Bates was ranked 36th on the 2020 Rich Young List, shared with his former partner Emma Gibson. They had a combined value of $145 million.

He has since moved in with Francesca Packer and was recently spotted dressed as a cowboy for her Barbie-themed birthday party in November last year at Sydney’s Potts Point.

Just a month later, the couple was seen sharing a kiss and snuggling on the deck of a luxury yacht as they cruised the harbor with friends.

Mr. Bates is the CEO of the wellness brands Aurum+ and Aquamamma and the founder of 7 Trinity Biotech