The Loop Australia
The Loop Australia is an Australian not-for-profit founded in 2018 that delivers free, confidential drug checking services across Queensland, Victoria and NSW using FTIR spectroscopy and confirmatory lab analysis to inform safer decisions among people who use drugs, clinicians and emergency responders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Loop Australia does
The Loop Australia is a registered, Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation established in 2018 to develop and deliver drug checking (pill testing) services in Australia. Its operations span Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, where multidisciplinary teams of chemists, pharmacists, toxicologists, GPs, sociologists and drug and alcohol specialists deliver services that are voluntary, free, and confidential. The organisation's flagship offering is the Victorian Pill Testing Service, delivered in partnership with YSAS, Harm Reduction Victoria, Melbourne Health and Youth Projects under funding from the Victorian State Government; this service combines mobile festival deployments (debuting at Beyond the Valley in December 2024) with a fixed-site service launched in August 2025 at 95 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Earlier products include Queensland's CheQpoint — the state's first fixed-site service, operated with QuIHN and QuIVAA in 2024 before closure under a change in government policy — and a research project at Sydney's Medically Supervised Injecting Centre with Uniting NSW.ACT.
The underlying service technology relies on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for on-site analysis supplemented by colorimetric reagent tests, with all samples transferred to the Griffith Analytical Facility for confirmatory GC-MS laboratory analysis. Substance intelligence generated through this process is published via service reports and social media alerts to inform communities, health services and emergency responders.
The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than commercial. Services are provided free to end users, eliminating any consumer pricing layer. Revenue is sourced from public donations via theloop.org.au and government grants — most notably Victorian State Government funding for the Victorian Pill Testing Service — supplemented by consortium partnerships with peak bodies and peer organisations. The organisation is governed by a board chaired by co-founder Will Tregoning, with Cameron Francis as CEO and co-founder Professor Fiona Measham serving as Director.
The Loop Australia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Loop Australia
- Legal name
- The Loop Australia
- Website
- https://theloop.org.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Loop Australia is an Australian not-for-profit founded in 2018 that delivers free, confidential drug checking services across Queensland, Victoria and NSW using FTIR spectroscopy and confirmatory lab analysis to inform safer decisions among people who use drugs, clinicians and emergency responders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Loop Australia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Drug Checking Services
- NAICS
- Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drug-of-Abuse & Toxicology Rapid Tests (Urine/saliva panels) (HLAHAOAG)
Keywords
Where The Loop Australia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices4 records
Markets served
The Loop Australia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: The Loop Australia is a registered charity and not-for-profit that accepts donations from the public. The website includes a donate page noting they are 'pretty frugal and resourceful, so donation goes a long way'.
- Government Grants and Partnerships: Services are funded by government bodies. Victoria's drug checking service is funded by the Victorian State Government. Partnerships with government and NGO organisations support service delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free drug checking service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Loop Australia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Loop Australia delivers free, voluntary and confidential drug checking (pill testing) services across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria via fixed-site locations, mobile services at festivals and music venues, and research projects at supervised injecting centres. Services identify substance contents, quality and potency using on-site FTIR spectroscopy and colorimetric reagent tests, with every sample undergoing secondary confirmatory analysis at the Griffith Analytical Facility. Health professional consultations accompany testing to support harm reduction decision-making.
Product overview
The Loop Australia delivers a portfolio of harm reduction services centered on drug checking (pill testing) across three Australian states. The core offering consists of mobile drug checking services at festivals and events, fixed-site services in community settings, and research projects. Key named services include the Victorian Pill Testing Service (operating mobile and fixed-site services in Victoria), CheQpoint (Queensland's first fixed-site service, now closed), and the MSIC Drug Checking Research Project in NSW. These services employ chemical testing methods including Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and colorimetric reagent tests, with all samples undergoing secondary laboratory analysis at Griffith Analytical Facility. Services are voluntary, free, and confidential, delivered by teams of chemists, pharmacists, sociologists, drug and alcohol specialists, GPs, toxicologists and allied health staff.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CheQpoint: Queensland's first fixed-site drug checking service operated in partnership with QuIHN and QuIVAA (now closed)
- Victorian Pill Testing Service
Products and services
- Victorian Pill Testing Service Victoria's first government-funded drug checking service, delivered in partnership with YSAS, Harm Reduction Victoria, Melbourne Health and Youth Projects. Provides mobile services at festivals and events and a fixed-site service at 95 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, offering free, voluntary and confidential substance analysis and harm reduction consultations to people who choose to use drugs.
- CheQpoint Queensland's first fixed-site drug checking service, operated in partnership with QuIHN and QuIVAA. Delivered free, voluntary and confidential drug sample analysis with FTIR spectroscopy and confirmatory laboratory testing. The service is now closed but historical results remain publicly accessible.
- MSIC Drug Checking Research Project A drug checking research project conducted at Sydney's Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross, operated in partnership with Uniting NSW.ACT. Tests substance samples from service users to evaluate drug checking in a supervised injecting centre context and inform harm reduction practice and policy.
Companies that use The Loop Australia
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Loop Australia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Loop Australia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- QuIHN (Queensland Injecting and Hepatitis Network)corePartnered with QuIHN and QuIVAA to operate Queensland's first fixed-site drug checking service, CheQpoint, in 2024. CheQpoint has since closed due to change in government policy. QuIHN continues to host information about the service.
- QuIVAA (Queensland Intravenous Aids Association)corePartnered with QuIHN and QuIVAA to operate Queensland's first fixed-site drug checking service, CheQpoint. QuIVAA is a peak body for Queensland's peer-based AOD sector.
- YSAS (Youth Support + Advocacy Service)corePartnered with YSAS to deliver Victoria's first drug checking service. YSAS is a youth-specific alcohol and other drug service.
- Harm Reduction VictoriacorePartnered with Harm Reduction Victoria to deliver Victoria's first drug checking service. HRVic is the peak body for harm reduction in Victoria.
- Melbourne HealthcorePartnered with Melbourne Health as part of the consortium delivering Victoria's first drug checking service.
- Youth ProjectscorePartnered with Youth Projects to deliver Victoria's first drug checking service. Youth Projects provides health services to young people.
- Uniting NSW.ACTcoreWorked with Uniting NSW.ACT to run a drug checking research project at Sydney's Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) in Kings Cross in 2024.
- Griffith Analytical FacilitycoreAll drug samples are transferred to the Griffith Analytical Facility laboratory for secondary confirmatory analysis, including those that require additional testing beyond on-site FTIR analysis.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Loop Australia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Erowid: Long-running harm reduction information and drug analysis publishing platform; complementary ecosystem participant rather than a direct service-delivery competitor.
- Harm Reduction Victoria: Victorian peer-based harm reduction peak body and active partner of The Loop Australia — closely related ecosystem participant with overlapping mission.
- Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre: Sydney-based MSIC that hosts The Loop Australia's NSW research pilot — adjacent harm reduction service provider and active collaborator.
Direct peers
- DanceSafe: US-based non-profit providing harm reduction services including reagent-based drug checking at festivals and events — comparable in mission and on-site festival delivery model.
- Energy Control: Spain-based drug checking service operated by ABDT, offering both fixed-site and mobile analysis at events using FTIR and GC-MS — directly comparable in service model and analytical methods to The Loop Australia.
- The Loop (UK): UK-based non-profit founded by co-founder Fiona Measham that introduced event-based drug checking in the UK in 2016 and community-based checking in 2018 — the direct parent initiative that The Loop Australia was set up to replicate in Australia.
- WEDINOS: Welsh government-funded substance testing service that analyses submitted samples and publishes results — comparable as a publicly funded harm reduction lab tied to a national health response.
Regional players
- Dosimeter (Jellinek): Dutch drug checking service offering on-site analysis at events and postal testing, with public health integration — comparable in service design and harm reduction positioning.
- checkit!: Swiss university-affiliated drug checking service offering mobile and postal analysis with public alert bulletins — comparable evidence-based harm reduction service in a different jurisdiction.
- KnowYourStuffNZ: New Zealand non-profit delivering free drug checking at festivals using FTIR and reagent tests — closely comparable service model serving a different geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Loop Australia social profiles
Digital presenceThe Loop Australia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Loop Australia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
The Loop Australia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Loop Australia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Loop Australia
What does The Loop Australia do?
The Loop Australia delivers free, voluntary and confidential drug checking (pill testing) services across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria via fixed-site locations, mobile services at festivals and music venues, and research projects at supervised injecting centres. Services identify substance contents, quality and potency using on-site FTIR spectroscopy and colorimetric reagent tests, with every sample undergoing secondary confirmatory analysis at the Griffith Analytical Facility. Health professional consultations accompany testing to support harm reduction decision-making.
Is The Loop Australia a public or private company?
The Loop Australia is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Loop Australia founded?
The Loop Australia was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Loop Australia based?
The Loop Australia is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does The Loop Australia make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are government Grants and Partnerships.
Who are The Loop Australia's main competitors?
Others on record are Erowid, Harm Reduction Victoria and Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre. Direct peers are DanceSafe, Energy Control, The Loop (UK) and WEDINOS. Regional players are Dosimeter (Jellinek), checkit! and KnowYourStuffNZ.
Does The Loop Australia have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Loop Australia.
What industry is The Loop Australia in?
The Loop Australia's product category is Drug Checking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHAOAG, Drug-of-Abuse & Toxicology Rapid Tests (Urine/saliva panels). Its NAICS code is 62151 and its SIC code is 8071.