The Consumer VC Roundup #77

News & Events For the Emerging Consumer Ecosystem

This issue is brought to you by Propeller Industries.

Propeller Industries is the leading strategic finance and accounting partner for venture-stage companies. Thinking about profitability, extending your runway, and improving efficiency in your operations? Propeller’s fractional model offers a dynamic solution that provides a cost-effective alternative to hiring full-time finance talent.

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Hey friends,

We got quite a few events coming up next week followed by the latest news in emerging consumer.

LA Happy Hour

Los Angeles → 🌭Weenies & Tinis

⏰July 25th 4-8PM Sign Up Here

The Manufactured team is throwing a Happy Hour at their HQ. There will be a gourmet hot dog bar with pasture-raised beef franks supplied from our friends from Porter Road and veggie dogs from Plant Provisions and a wide variety of creative toppings – like Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp and Haven’s Kitchen Aioli (all delicious). Plus drinks from Séchey and Jiant. We really appreciate all our food and beverage partners. If you’re a brand and want to get involved, feel free to message me.

Morning Consumer Series

Culver City, CA –>☕️ Consumer Sunrise

📆 Thursday, July 18th

🕗 9:00am-11:00am PDT- SIGN UP HERE

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Toronto, ON –>☕️ Cuppa Consumer

📆 Thursday, July 25th

🕗 8:30am-10:30am EDT - SIGN UP HERE

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New York, NY –>☕️ Consumer Brews

📆 Thursday, July 25th

🕗 9:00am-10:30am EDT - SIGN UP HERE

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Philadelphia, PA –>☕️ Philly Brand Brew

📆 Thursday, July 25th

🕗 9:00am-11:00am EDT - SIGN UP HERE

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Austin, TX –>☕️ Wake Up! CPG

📆 Thursday, July 25th

🕗 8:30am-10:30am CDT - SIGN UP HERE

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Chicago, IL –>☕️ Consumer Chi Coffee Club

📆 Thursday, July 25th

🕗 9:00am-11:00am CDT - SIGN UP HERE

Led by Knack PR, Manufactured and J.P. Morgan

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This Week In Consumer

🧃Consumer Brands👚

💰Fundraises💰

🧬 Digestiva, a pioneering food biotech company, closed its Series A equity financing round, raising $18.4 million led by Magdalena, a global leader in sugar cane processing, with participation from UC Investments, and existing investors The March Fund and Astanor. PRNewswire

🍺 Athletic Brewing Company, America's largest non-alcoholic brewery, announced closing a $50 million equity financing round led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth investor, with participation from multiple existing investors. PRNewswire

🔪 HexClad, the global innovative premium kitchenware brand, has announced a $100 million investment from Studio Ramsay Global, the successful partnership between multi-Michelin starred Chef Gordon Ramsay and FOX Entertainment. The deal includes a combination of cash and media commitments. BusinessWire

💸M&A💸

🦴 Power Pet Brands, a UK-based company, has sold its award-winning vegan dog food brand, HOWND, to leading manufacturer Pets Choice. HOWND offers plant-based dog food, wellness treats, and cruelty-free pet care products. Pets Choice will take over sales on August 5. Vegconomist

💰 V.F. Corporation, the multinational apparel and footwear company, announced a deal to sell the Supreme brand to EssilorLuxottica for $1.5 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close by year-end, pending regulatory approvals. SeekingAlpha

🚀Debuts, Distribution & Expansion🚀

🥣 Singapore’s UMAMI Bioworks, formerly Umami Meats, and the US company Friends & Family Pet Food Co., a recent participant in the ProVeg Incubator’s 12th cohort, have formed a partnership to introduce one of the world’s first cultivated fish cat treats. The product will launch in Singapore and San Francisco, USA, early next year. Vegconomist

🦴 Meatly, formerly known as Good Dog Food, has announced receiving regulatory clearance from relevant UK Government departments to produce and sell cultivated meat for pet food, marking it as the first company in the country to achieve this authorization. Vegconomist

☕ Voyage Foods, a US company specializing in innovative alternatives to popular foods, has introduced a bean-free coffee for food service and manufacturing. Made from roasted chickpeas and rice hulls and utilizing caffeine from green tea, this alternative offers similar caffeine levels to traditional coffee. It is also more than 40% cheaper than regular coffee. Vegconomist

🧀 Stockeld Dreamery, the company that aims to reinvent the foods we love, based in Stockholm, has announced a partnership with New York City’s Plantega to distribute Stockeld’s Cultured Cheddar across more than 60 bodegas in the city. This collaboration aims to enhance the availability of plant-based cheese options in local convenience stores. Vegconomist

🍜 Immi, the low-carb, high-protein, plant-based instant ramen brand launched in 2021 by Kevin Chanthasiriphan and Kevin Lee, is expanding beyond its instant ramen line to introduce ramen toppings. The brand aims to offer a better-for-you ramen option, inspired by experiences with chronic health issues in their families. FoodBusinessNews

🍼 Once Upon A Farm, the baby nutrition brand, has introduced Soft-Baked Bars for Kids. These bars feature fruits and vegetables, whole grain oats, and no-added sugar, providing an oven-baked cookie taste, as stated by the company. FoodBusinessNews

🫧 Method, the body care brand, has launched a new limited edition body wash collection, exclusively available at Target. Named the Good Karma collection, it includes six unique body washes featuring one-of-a-kind scents, mantras, and designs. BeautyPackaging

🧴 Under Fenty Skin, Rihanna has launched a new product: the Hydrating Body Milk, expanding the Fenty Skin Butt Drop family. This body cream boasts earth-conscious packaging, including a recyclable glass bottle, a pump made from 50% PCR material, and a recyclable outer box crafted from FSC material. BeautyPackaging

💁🏻‍♀️ Being, the third brand created by beauty entrepreneur Jaimee Lupton, has debuted at Walmart in colorful tubes and jars. It aims to make the hair care aisle more inclusive by offering solutions for all hair types, from curly and coarse to fine and flat. BeautyPackaging

🪇Collabs🪇

☕ Kellanova, the multinational food manufacturing company, in collaboration with Two Rivers Coffee, is launching Eggo Coffee. This Keurig K-Cup beverage will be available in stores and online starting mid-August. FoodDive

🫓 Elavi, a maker of gut-friendly vegan dessert spreads, and Partake Foods, an allergen-friendly cookie and graham cracker manufacturer, are collaborating to offer a limited edition Summer S’mores kit. FoodBusinessNews

↪️Rebrands↩️

💄 Huda Beauty, the cosmetics brand, has rebranded with new packaging and a new logo. The Easy Bake Loose Powder is the first product to feature the updated logo, embossed lettering, rounded edges, and a removable flexible sifter. BeautyPackaging

💻Consumer Software💻

💰Fundraises💰

🦽 Kins, a digital-first hybrid care physical therapy practice, announced a $7 million investment round with funding from Healthworx, Redesign Health, W Health Ventures, and Asahi Kasei Ventures. The funds will accelerate its care platform development and expand into Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. PRNewswire

🌐 Hey Savi, a new UK fashion search and recommendation platform using advanced AI and unique customer and fashion data, announced it has secured £2.2 million in investment. This funding round is one of the largest pre-seed raises by an all-female founded UK tech start-up. PRNewswire

⚽️Sports🏒

🏈 Willow Bay and her husband, Disney chief Bob Iger, have acquired a controlling stake in Angel City Football Club, a Los Angeles pro women's soccer team. The deal values Angel City FC at $250 million, making it the most valuable women's sports team globally. Additionally, Bay and Iger will invest another $50 million into the team. Variety

Thanks for reading!