The Consumer Roundup #61
The Consumer Roundup #61
Hey friends,
Thank you for all those who came out yesterday to my The Consumer VC Live podcast with George Milton and Erin Link in Austin, TX. It was fun hearing how they built Yellowbird into a powerhouse hot sauce brand…and also hear where the brand is headed. Keep an eye out, the episode will be released soon. Thank you Marc Nathan & Michael Best for hosting us.
I got back in LA last night and can’t wait until Expo. Speaking of which…
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☕️ Rise, Roast & Meet CPG
📆 Thursday, March 14th 8:00am-10:00am PST
📍Sunset Deck (5th Floor) at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim
Headed to Expo? Have any plans this Thursday morning? Well if you don’t join us for our “Rise, Roast, & Meet CPG” event from 8am-10am on that Thursday (3/14). I’m delighted to partner with Manufactured, Cult Capital, Bridge Finance Group, ForceBrands, J.P. Morgan, smartrr, ShipBob, dash.fi, DayZero, WeFunder, Dresner Partners and BrandRock. Come for coffee, treats and conversation!
On to the consumer fundraising update –
💻Consumer Software💻
⛳ Chad Mumm, the mind behind “Full Swing” on Netflix is joining with two other media executives to launch a media and commerce company that aims to sit at the intersection of golf and culture. Pro Shop Holdings raised $19.25 million as part of the Series A round led by Powerhouse Capital and others and is leaving $1 million open with the hopes to fill it within the next 90 days. SBJ
🏻 Quthero, a pioneering biotech company renowned for its wound management gel, announced the successful acquisition of $500,000 in investment funding from the Ontario Centre of Innovation's (OCI) Life Science Innovation Fund. This is in addition to a co-investment of $850,000 for a total round size of $1,350,000. PR Newswire
♫ Montreal-based tech startup BeatConnect which is integrating various aspects of music production into a single platform, have secured $1.86 million ($2.25M CAD) in funding led by Sfermion, which contributed a substantial $1.25 million investment to the round as well as FICC (Fonds d’investissement de la culture et des communications), Angel investor network Anges Québec, and Triptyq Capital. Tech Startups
⚽ Betr Holdings Inc., the sports-betting startup co-founded by social media star and boxer Jake Paul, has raised funds at a $375 million valuation led by venture capital firms Harmony Partners and 10X Capital.as well as existing investors including Fuel Venture Capital Partners, Aliya Capital Partners and Eberg Capital. as it prepares to ramp up gambling operations. Bloomberg
📱 Hunch, a new social discovery app aiming to transform social interactions and foster honest discussions through open and anonymous conversations and polls, has raised $23 million led by Alpha Wave, Hashed, and other key investors to fuel its global expansion. Venture Beat
🛍️Consumer Brands / Inventory-Based Businesses🛍️
🥤 Liquid Death, The beverage maker which is reportedly looking to go public this year, closed a $67 million financing round led by national distributors, along with names in entertainment and sports such as actor Josh Brolin and NFL All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. Food Dive
🛒eCommerce & Retail Tech🛒
💳 UK-based Griffin Bank, an API-driven banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform, obtained a banking license and raised another $24 million (£19 million) in an extended Series A round that was led by MassMutual Ventures, NordicNinja and Breega, with participation from existing investors Notion Capital and EQT Ventures. Tech Crunch
📰 Topsort, the retail media infrastructure service ad tech startup announced a $20 million Series A investment round led by the Mexican VC firm Upload Ventures. Ad Exchanger
👾 Blockus, an emerging, innovative force at the intersection of blockchain technology and gaming, announced securing $4M in pre-seed funding led by Maple VC and Altos Ventures as well as known angel investors from Magic Eden, CreatorDAO, and LayerZero. This follows Blockus's participation in the a16z Crypto Startup Accelerator. PR Newswire
⚕️ Milu Health, a health tech company that uses AI to drive cost savings in healthcare for employees and employers, announced its seed funding of $4.8 million, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Bio + Health and its launch with over a dozen employers to expand employee access to its platform. Business Wire
🤖 MiniMax, the Chinese startup that focuses on social AI experiences and the development of AI companions, is raising at least $600 million in new funds with e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and HongShan as a lead investor. Silicon Angle
💰Funds Raising Funds💰
💸 The Artemis Fund, which invests in underrepresented founders, closed on its second fund with $36 million in capital commitments backed by a group that includes Bank of America, Bank of Montreal, TIAA Nuveen’s Churchill Asset Management, Texas Capital Bank, Amazon, The Rockwell Fund and Ballentine Partners. Tech Crunch
🏪Brand Expansions🏪
💐 Netflix is drumming up buzz for the third season of “Bridgerton” with a new beauty collaboration with Bath & Body Works on a collection of 32 stock keeping units that span seven different categories, including body care, candles, soaps and hand sanitizers, in five different scents. WWD