The Consumer Roundup #27
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Hey friends,
I know I didn’t deliver an update last week – thanks for bearing with me! My wife and I welcomed our second daughter, Naula McGonigle Gelb to the world on July 11th, and we’re getting the hang of having two munchkins at home. The podcast will resume this week and currently planning a couple of webinars and another coffee meetup in LA soon. More to come on those fronts.
Below is your update on the fundraising, M&A, and bankruptcy news relating to consumer. I hope this is helpful. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, I would love it if you could share it with a friend or colleague who you think also might benefit from it.
On to the update.
Consumer Software
Telegram, the messaging app that has 800 million MAUs, raised $210 million through bond sales - TechCrunch
Musinsa, the Korea-based fashion marketplace, raised a $190 million Series C led by KKR, with participation from Wellington Management - TechCrunch
Whop, the marketplace for digital products, raised a $17 million Series A round from Insight Partners, The Chainsmokers, and Peter Thiel - TechCrunch
Primal, the Canadian social media company that uses open-source communication protocols designed for complete freedom of expression, raised a $1 million seed round led by Ten31 with participation from HIvemind - PR Newswire
Consumer Brands / Inventory-based Businesses
Oddity, the parent company of Il Makiage and SpoiledChild, debuts on the public markets (Ticker Symbol: ODD). Shares jumped up 35% to value the company at $2.7 billion - WWD
La Colombe, the RTD coffee brand, raised $300 million from Keurig Dr. Pepper. Keurig Dr. Pepper now owns 33% stake in La Colombe. The deal includes a sales and distribution partnership and a licensing and manufacturing deal for its coffee pods - Food Dive
Skims, the fashion company co-founded by Kim Kardashian, raised a $270 million Series C round at a $4 billion valuation led by Wellington Management - WWD
Bobbie, the infant formula producer, raised a $70 million Series C to acquire Nature’s One. Powerplant led the investment round - TechCrunch
Indu, the beauty brand targeting teenagers, raised $4.8 million - Beauty Independent
Lion Pose, the skincare brand, raised $3 million from Mindy Kaling, Ignite XL, Precursor Ventures, Rob Lowe’s LH Capital, Howard Klein, Talia Frenkel and Ben VandeBunt. The company announced they are rolling out exclusivity in Sephora - Retail Dive
Sana Jardin, the clean fragrance brand, raised $2 million - WWD
Bread Beauty Supply, the brand that produces clean products designed for textured and curly hair, raised a multi-million dollar round led by Fearless Fund - Business Wire
Arrive, the startup that creates smart mailboxes for corporations and consumers, raised $1.3 million from 428 investors - PR Newswire
Irene Forte Skincare, the Italian cosmetic brand, raised an undisclosed amount from L Catterton - Fashion Network
Barcode, the fitness drink, raised investment from Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, who also become a brand partner - PR Newswire
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eCommerce Enablement
Karat, the startup that created a business credit card and other financial tools for creators, raised a $70 million Series B from Union Square Ventures, CRV, GGV, Commerce Ventures, actor Will Smith via Dreamers VC, Biz Stone and Steve Chen - TechCrunch
Arrive Recommerce, which helps consumer brands create a resale channel for returned, excess, and damaged inventory, raised $16 million Series A co-led by Javelin Venture Partners and Climatic VC, with participation from Maersk Growth, Sidekick VC, Cosmic Venture Partners, 444 Capital, Freestyle VC, Animo VC, Banana Capital, Alpaca VC - PR Newswire
Komi, a startup that enables creators to create digital storefronts, raised $12 million Series A led by RTP Global, Third Prime, Antler, e& capital, and Contour Ventures - Digital Music News
Polar Analytics, the startup that is helping Shopify brands scale by providing access to all their data in one place, raised a $9 million Series A led by Point Nine - TechCrunch
Flagship, an inventory planning platform for retailers, raised a $5 million seed round led by Insight Partners with participation from Dream Ventures, Essential Capital, Klemhurst, Future Archives, AUFI Ventures, and the Kleiner Perkins Scout Fund - PR Newswire
Retail
The Athletic Clubs (AC), a New York fitness start-up that is pioneering “squad training”, raised $150k from Anne Mahlum, who founded Solidcore and Ambition - PR Newswire
M&A
Brynwood Partners’ portfolio company, West Madison Foods, has acquired Marie’s salad dressing brand and Dean’s Dip brand from Ventura Foods, LLC - PR Newswire
Fanhouse, the creator monetization platform, was acquired by Passes - TechCrunch
Monster Energy acquires Bang Energy for $362 million - Just Drinks
Foundry, the digitally-native brand platform, acquired Blu Atlas, the men’s personal care brand for eight figures - Retail Dive
FullBeauty Brands acquired Cuup, the inclusive intimacy DTC brand - Retail Dive
Bankruptcy
VanMoof, the Dutch e-bike company, has declared bankruptcy - TechCrunch
Do Good Foods, the upcycled chicken producer that raised $169 million in 2021, files for bankruptcy - Food Dive
Funds Raising Funds
FLORA Ventures launched $80 million debut fund investing in AgriFood startups in Israel and Europe - PR Newswire
As always, thank you for reading.