Ben Stiller Launches Stiller's Soda, The App That Turns Docs Into Podcasts Raised $4.6 Million, Love Your Melon Founder Buys Back Company & More
Consumer VC Roundup #136 – Latest News in Emerging Consumer Brands, Tech & Commerce Enablement From the Week of September 22nd
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Hey friends,
I hope you had a great week. There’s a lot of news regarding fundraising and product launches (below). On October 16th, we’re throwing an event predominantly for consumer brand founders, commerce founders, and investors. Will share more about that in tomorrow’s special newsletter. I’m off to Maine for a wedding. Anyone else flying to Boston? We’ve been delayed for a couple of hours. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this issue.
Reads & Listens
Will concert tickets become more expensive? Ticketmaster’s CEO, Michael Rapino, says music concert tickets are underpriced compared to sports
Even with the comparison to sports, it’s challenging hearing this from Ticketmaster, which has a long reputation for charging crazy fees on tickets. So crazy that Pearl Jam, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen all had feuds with Ticketmaster over pricing.
Lina Khan on Pablo Torre’s podcast re:Dynamic Pricing
Lina Khan is the former Commissioner of the FTD, who was known for challenging several high-profile M&A transactions when she held the position. The part in this interview that I found interesting was about how FIFA is pricing the World Cup next year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
This Week In Consumer
📰 Consumer News📰
Trump is set to sign a deal to sell TikTok to U.S. investors, creating a joint venture with ByteDance holding under 20%. The agreement, compliant with a 2024 law, will store U.S. data with Oracle and form a board of American investors. NBC
Amazon is expanding its Multi-Channel Fulfillment service to cover Walmart, Shopify, and Shein, letting sellers manage inventory across platforms while leveraging Amazon’s fulfillment network. RD
Forever 21 may return to U.S. malls: Authentic Brands Group, which owns the fast-fashion label’s IP, is nearing a deal to reopen physical stores. This follows partnerships announced to handle U.S. wholesale and e-commerce, after the chain’s operating company filed for Chapter 11 and shuttered all domestic locations earlier this year. International stores remain unaffected. RD
US lawmakers introduced the bipartisan “No Coffee Tax Act” to scrap Trump-era tariffs on coffee. The move comes as US coffee prices jumped 21% year-over-year in August, the steepest rise since 1997. The US imports 99% of its coffee, with Brazil currently facing a 50% tariff. JD
Nestlé is being sued in Poland over alleged greenwashing tied to its Nałęczowianka bottled water branding. The company said it “strongly disagrees” with the claims. JD
Wildtype and Upside Foods are suing Texas over its two-year ban on cultivated meat, arguing it unfairly shields local agriculture from competition. Texas is one of seven states with such bans, while five others have imposed labeling rules. FD
Danone has settled two lawsuits over plastic packaging claims. The company will update marketing statements, fund alternatives to plastic for Evian in the U.S., and support California initiatives to reduce plastic waste. FD
The FDA has proposed banning Orange B, a food dye once approved for sausage casings but unused for decades, calling the regulation outdated and unnecessary. FD
🧃Consumer Brands👚
💰Fundraises💰
French startup Nxtfood, maker of the Accro plant-based meat brand, has raised €49M ($58M) in Europe’s largest sector funding round since 2022, bringing its total to $70M. Backed by Creadev, Roquette Ventures, Clay Capital, and IRD Invest, the company plans to triple production, expand into new markets, and reach profitability within 12 to 18 months. GQ
Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila secured new investment from its longtime Mexican producer, Grupo Solave, to strengthen the brand’s future. Parent company Calabasas Beverage also reappointed Larry Goodrich as CEO, following Michael Novy’s departure. FD
Wageningen-based foodtech scale-up Revyve has raised €24 million in Series B funding, co-led by ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund and Invest-NL, to accelerate the rollout of its functional yeast proteins that replace eggs and additives in mainstream food, bringing its total funding to over €40 million. EUS
💸M&A💸
Love Your Melon founder Zachary Quinn has reacquired the beanie brand from Win Brands Group and will relaunch it as LYM, with new products debuting on the company’s website. RD
Ames Watson has completed its $140M acquisition of Claire’s North American business, planning to keep 800–950 stores open while refreshing merchandise, piercing services, and store concepts to sustain growth. RD
The ODP Corporation, parent of Office Depot, will be taken private in a $1 billion deal by Atlas Holdings at $28 per share. The agreement, unanimously approved by the board, is expected to close by the end of 2025 pending approvals. Once completed, ODP will no longer be publicly traded. RD
Decántalo has acquired Spanish online wine retailer Bodeboca from Pernod Ricard. The company said the merger will form Europe’s largest online wine retail group, forecasting €50 million in turnover for 2025. JD
Heineken will acquire Costa Rica’s Florida Ice and Farm Company (FIFCO)’s beverages and retail operations for $3.2B, including beer, soft drinks, and 300+ stores across Central America and Mexico. The deal expands Heineken’s portfolio with brands like Imperial beer and PepsiCo bottling rights. FIFCO will retain its hotels and a stake in glassmaker Comegua. Completion is expected in H1 2026. JD
Elliott Investment Management has taken a $4B stake in PepsiCo, calling it a “dramatic underperformer” and urging changes like refranchising bottling operations and divesting weak food assets. PepsiCo said it will review the proposals and continue dialogue with shareholders. FD
Splenda owner Heartland Food Products has acquired SlimFast from Glanbia for an undisclosed amount. The sale follows declining SlimFast sales as more consumers turn to GLP-1 drugs. FD
Danone has dropped plans to acquire Lifeway Foods, citing concerns about compatibility. The company is now reviewing options for its 23% stake in the kefir maker. FD
🚀Debuts, Distribution & Expansion🚀
NikeSkims is finally launching after earlier production delays. The joint venture between Nike and Skims will debut with seven collections and 58 styles—designed for workouts and everyday wear—creating over 10,000 possible outfit combinations. The line will be sold online via Nike and Skims, as well as in select flagship stores in LA and NYC, and will be promoted with a debut film featuring more than 50 athletes. RD
Parëva Beauty, founded by scientist Smitha Rao, is launching September 15 at Credo Beauty in the US and Cult Beauty in the UK with three products using its Molecur 3 plant stem cell technology to target inflammation, aging, and UV damage.
Red Bull has begun construction on a $1.7B plant in Concord, NC, after a four-year delay. Opening in 2028, the facility will can up to 3B drinks annually, create 700 jobs, and distribute across the U.S. FD
Ben Stiller has launched Stiller’s Soda, a low-calorie soft drink with added vitamins, debuting in New York City stores and on Amazon, with Walmart and national retail expansion planned. FD
Kroger launched Simple Truth Protein, a new private-label line with over 80 high-protein meals and snacks, marking its largest product expansion to date. FD
🪇Collabs🪇
Gap Inc. has partnered with Klarna to offer flexible payments, allowing U.S. shoppers across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta to pay in full or in four interest-free installments. RD
Unilever’s Magnum Ice Cream Company is partnering with NotCo to use AI for faster, smarter product development ahead of its planned spin-off into a standalone $9.3B ice cream business. FD
🔻Closures, Bankruptcies & Downsizes🔻
Neiman Marcus will close its Willow Bend store in Plano, Texas, in January 2027 after Saks Global sold the location to a developer revamping the mall into a mixed-use center called “The Bend.” RD
Perdue Farms will cut nearly 300 jobs at its Washington, Indiana turkey plant by Oct. 10, citing bird flu, shrinking turkey flocks, and shifting consumer demand. Other Indiana operations remain unaffected. FD
💻Consumer Software💻
💰Fundraises💰
Barcelona-based Workfully raised over €4M to expand its decentralized hiring platform that empowers independent recruiters with AI tools and monetization options, offering employers a scalable alternative to traditional agencies. TEU
Emergent, a no-code platform founded by twins Mukund and Madhav Jha to let consumers build apps with prompts, has raised $23M in Series A funding led by Lightspeed, with backing from Y Combinator, Together Fund, and notable angels. The startup, which manages APIs and deployment for users, has raised $30M to date. TC
Nilo, an AI-native platform that lets users create multiplayer 3D games and worlds from text, images, or voice prompts, has raised $4M in seed funding led by Supercell with participation from a16z, aiming to make instant, collaborative 3D creation accessible to all. MB
💸M&A💸
Nvidia is making its first investment in UK AI unicorn ElevenLabs, backing the startup’s AI audio tools with strategic support, including GPUs, as ElevenLabs focuses on long-term growth and partnerships rather than immediate capital needs. TEU
🛒eCommerce & Retail Tech🛒
💰Fundraises💰
Genstore, an AI-native e-commerce platform founded in late 2024, has raised $10M in seed funding led by Weimob with support from Lighthouse Founders’ Fund, which it will use to accelerate product development and expand its intelligent online store solutions. YF
Former Google developers behind NotebookLM have launched Huxe, an audio-first research app that generates AI-hosted “podcasts” to help users explore topics, and have raised $4.6M from Conviction, Genius Ventures, Dylan Field, and Jeff Dean; the app, initially invite-only, is now available on iOS and Android. TC
Numeral, a startup automating sales tax with AI, has raised $35M in Series B funding led by Mayfield, valuing the company at $350M; founded by former Airbnb PM Sam Ross, the platform manages compliance across 11,000+ jurisdictions and now serves 2,000+ clients including EightSleep and Graza. TC
🚀Product Launches🚀
Amazon is rolling out an AI “creative partner” for marketers. Now in beta on its Creative Studio portal, the conversational assistant taps Amazon’s retail data and cloud capabilities to support campaign development—from audience research and brainstorming to generating display and video assets. The tool is free for advertisers and aims to boost speed and efficiency as marketing teams face tighter resources. RD
Thanks for reading!