Skims Raises $225mm, Caulipower Gets Acquired, and More
Consumer VC Roundup #143– Latest News in Emerging Consumer Brands, Tech & Commerce Enablement From the Week of November 17th 2025
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This Week In Consumer
📰 Consumer News📰
President Trump has exempted 237 food and drink items—including beef, coffee, tea, fruit juices, and tropical fruits—from his reciprocal tariffs, effective retroactively from November 13, 2025, allowing refunds under normal customs procedures. The move, citing progress in trade negotiations and sufficient domestic supply, aims to ease costs for consumers and importers while maintaining leverage in ongoing trade discussions. JD FD
Twenty-five states plus Washington, D.C., have sued the USDA, accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully suspending November SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The states argue the agency is legally required to continue issuing payments as long as funds exist, and the halt puts millions of recipients at immediate risk of losing access to food assistance. FD
Cybercrime groups are partnering with organized crime to steal large volumes of cargo by abusing remote monitoring tools like ScreenConnect and SimpleHelp to infiltrate trucking and freight companies, steal credentials, and enable coordinated thefts, according to a new Proofpoint report. RD
JBS USA will pay $1.1 million and invest in climate-smart agriculture in New York to settle a lawsuit claiming its net-zero climate claims were misleading. Under the agreement, JBS will reframe its 2040 net-zero target as a “goal” rather than a “commitment” and clarify any consumer-facing statements about its environmental actions. FD
🧃Consumer Brands👚
Skims has raised $225 million in a funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, valuing the company at $5 billion as it plans a major push into physical retail and international markets. The brand expects to exceed $1 billion in net sales this year and will use the funds to expand stores, innovate product lines, and grow categories like activewear. RTP RD
Amazon has launched Amazon Haul in Canada, offering ultra-low-priced items under CA$25 — many under CA$10 — with free delivery on orders over CA$35. The budget-focused marketplace, already active in the U.S., will roll out to Canadian customers in the coming weeks and promises delivery within two weeks or less. RTP
Actress Shay Mitchell launched Rini, a skincare brand aimed at kids ages 4–12 (usable from age 2), with partner Matte Babel and friend Esther Song. The internet quickly erupted in backlash, questioning the need and safety of skincare for toddlers. BI
Keurig Dr Pepper secured $7B from private-equity firms to help fund its $18B acquisition of JDE Peet’s and ease investor concerns about its upcoming split into two companies. The company also revealed that its CFO, previously set to lead the new coffee division, will no longer take the CEO role, prompting a new executive search. FD
Shoe Carnival plans to rebrand as Shoe Station Group, pending shareholder approval in 2026, as it transitions more than 90% of its stores to the Shoe Station banner by fiscal 2028 — a move expected to save the company $20 million annually. RD
Bombas has opened its third new store in a month, launching at The Domain in Austin as part of its rapid push into owned retail. Using Leap’s Retail-as-a-Service model to handle operations, the brand is testing various store environments after recent openings in NYC and Boca Raton. RTP
TreeHouse Foods will be acquired by European investment firm Investindustrial for $2.9B, with shareholders receiving $22.50 per share. The deal, which may include proceeds from litigation against Keurig Dr Pepper, is expected to close in Q1 2026 pending approvals. FD
Diageo has temporarily paused production at its Roseisle Maltings site in Scotland to balance production capacity with current demand. JD
Plant-based brand Caulipower, known for its cauliflower-crust pizzas and other products, has been acquired by private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners and will join its Urban Farmer specialty dough portfolio, combining manufacturing and nationwide distribution to reach more households. FD
Topgolf Callaway is selling 60% of its Topgolf and Toptracer businesses to private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners for about $770M, and will rebrand to focus more on golf equipment and active lifestyle products. RTP
UK milkshake brand Shaken Udder has been acquired by Spain’s Idilia Foods, with founders Jodie and Andy Howie and private equity backer LDC exiting the business. JD
Hormel Foods is selling 51% of Justin’s nut butter to Forward Consumer Partners, the owner of Kodiak, while keeping a 49% stake. Hormel bought Justin’s in 2016 and has since expanded the brand into new nut spreads and confectionery, including recent dark chocolate peanut candy pieces. FD
Kleonne, a new UK e-tailer launched by a 19-year-old, aims to simplify skincare for men by offering curated products, education and an easy shopping experience. Launched Sept. 23, it carries 63 items across face, beard, body and hair care, with more brands coming. The platform taps into rising skincare interest among young men, many of whom find the category confusing. BI
THG has partnered with Mars to add Snickers-flavored protein powders and Mars-branded protein bars to its Myprotein range, available in major UK retailers and online from 20 November. JD
Molson Coors plans to pursue acquisitions to expand beyond beer, focusing on nonalcoholic drinks and energy beverages. CEO Rahul Goyal said savings from workforce reductions will be redeployed to grow the company’s “beyond beer” portfolio, building on investments in Fever-Tree mixers and energy drink brand Zoa. FD
PurelyYou is a new fragrance-focused body care brand launched by former Ulta Beauty exec Lauren McDonald. It debuts with three clean, premium body creams designed for hydration, skin protection and a mindful self-care ritual, tapping into the growing demand for elevated body care. BI
German brewer Paulaner has agreed to sell its Hopf wheat-beer brewery to Herzoglich Bayerisches Brauhaus Tegernsee, with the transaction set to complete in January. JD
PepsiCo is closing two Frito-Lay facilities in Orlando, Florida, cutting 500 jobs amid declining snack sales and a shift toward healthier products. The closures include a manufacturing plant and warehouse (454 jobs) and an off-site warehouse (46 jobs), with support offered to affected employees. FD
Ocado has launched the UK’s largest menopause aisle, grouping 300+ MTick-certified products—from supplements to skincare and sexual health—created with menopause org GenM. The new aisle offers clear symptom-based guidance to help women find the right support, addressing research showing most shoppers struggle to identify menopause symptoms or locate helpful products. RG
Hershey has completed its acquisition of organic snack brand LesserEvil, expanding its salty snacks portfolio as it aims to grow that division to 20% of revenue over the next decade and “lead the future of snacking.” FD
Indian spirits and beer company Som Distilleries and Breweries has acquired Woodpecker Greenagri Nutrients, described as an integrated Alcobev manufacturing project in Uttar Pradesh. JD
JBS co-owned Mantiqueira USA is acquiring Hickman’s Egg Ranch, a top U.S. egg producer, marking a key step in diversifying JBS’s protein business; the Arizona farm lost 95% of its flock to bird flu earlier this year, and financial terms were not disclosed. FD
M&S Food has launched in Australia through a new partnership with Coles, bringing popular items like Percy Pig and Colin the Caterpillar to stores nationwide. The range will expand to over 200 products next year as part of M&S’s global growth strategy. RG
Hormel Foods is selling 51% of Justin’s nut butter to Forward Consumer Partners, the owner of Kodiak, while keeping a 49% stake. Hormel bought Justin’s in 2016 and has since expanded the brand into new nut spreads and confectionery, including recent dark chocolate peanut candy pieces. FD
Monster Beverage is launching Flrt, a female-focused, sugar-free energy drink line with functional ingredients for skin, hair, and immunity, debuting in early 2026 with four flavors to compete with brands like Alani Nu and Celsius. FD
💻Consumer Software💻
Function Health raised $298M in a Series B at a $2.5B valuation to help users make sense of their health data from labs, wearables, and records. The funding, led by Redpoint Ventures with participation from a16z, NBA players, and tech founders, supports its Medical Intelligence Lab, which uses doctor-trained AI to give personalized health insights and guidance. TC
Spotify has acquired music database WhoSampled, which tracks samples, covers, and remixes across over 1.2 million songs. The London-based platform’s team of around 10 will join Spotify, with the database powering new features like the SongDNA music discovery tool. TC
Levi’s has built an AI-powered “superagent” inside Microsoft Teams using Azure technology to streamline operations and support employees across corporate, retail, and warehouse teams. The system routes questions through multiple specialized sub-agents to give fast, accurate answers, supporting Levi’s shift toward becoming a DTC-first, AI-driven brand. RTP
TULU raised $37M in Series A funding to grow its AI-powered platform that lets residents borrow or rent appliances and essentials via in-building IoT units. Serving 500,000+ users across 60 cities, TULU uses AI to personalize experiences and provide insights to landlords and brand partners, partnering with major property operators and global brands. PRN
AI music startup Suno raised $250M at a $2.45B valuation, hitting $200M annual revenue despite lawsuits from major labels over copyrighted training data. The platform lets users create songs via AI prompts and has drawn investors like Menlo Ventures and Nvidia’s NVentures, showing strong growth amid legal uncertainty. TC
Orion raised $3.5M to expand its AI risk intelligence platform, helping enterprises predict and respond to threats like protests, natural disasters, and supply-chain disruptions. The system provides real-time, per-asset risk scores and actionable insights at lower costs than traditional tools, with funding led by Dynamo Ventures and others to scale its operations. PRN
Kentik launched Kentik AI Advisor, an AI that analyzes enterprise networks in real time, unifying cloud, device, flow, and internet data to guide design, operations, and troubleshooting at scale. BW
Modern Life, an AI-powered life insurance brokerage, has raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Thrive Capital, bringing its total funding to $35 million. The capital will support growth, nationwide partnerships, and further development of its AI-driven platform, which offers instant quoting, data-driven underwriting, and end-to-end agency management for advisors. PRN
Scale Social AI raised $1.3M in pre-seed funding to help brands turn authentic customer content into local ads, boosting engagement and sales for franchises and multi-location businesses. BW
🛒eCommerce & Retail Tech🛒
Kroger closed three automated fulfillment centers as part of a strategy to streamline ecommerce and shift more deliveries to third-party platforms, aiming for $400M in ecommerce savings by 2026. The retailer is expanding partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, while absorbing a $2.6B charge tied to the closures and underperforming automation network. RTP
AI startup Cavela raised $6.6M to help brands automate global supplier sourcing and cut costs. Its AI agents find manufacturers, negotiate pricing, and deliver quotes, saving customers around 35% on production. Clients include Western Welder Outfitting and The Longhairs, with competitors like Alibaba and Pietra. TC
Thanks for reading!