The Consumer VC Roundup #81
The Consumer VC Roundup #81
News & Events For the Emerging Consumer Ecosystem
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Hey friends,
I hope you’re a great week! If you’re going to Newtopia Now in Denver – Let me know. I’ll be there the Monday-Wednesday. Here are a couple of events coming up to bring the consumer ecosystem together and below is your weekly update.
Morning Consumer Series
Austin, TX –>☕️ Wake Up! CPG
📆 Thursday, August 22nd
🕗 8:30am-10:30am CDT - SIGN UP HERE
Culver City, CA –>☕️ Consumer Sunrise
📆 Thursday, August 29th
🕗 9:00am-11:00am PDT- SIGN UP HERE
This Week In Consumer
🧃Consumer Brands👚
💰Fundraises💰
🍾 Sechey, a South Carolina-based non-alcoholic beverage brand founded by Emily Heintz, has received an investment from adult beverage-focused private equity firm, InvestBev. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. FoodBusinessNews
🧀 Plonts, the plant-based cheese brnad, has introduced its first product, an aged plant-based cheddar, at select restaurants in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Following a $12 million seed round and the opening of a pilot plant in Oakland, California, Plonts is using fermentation, traditionally used to turn milk into cheese, to create plant-based cheese from soy milk. FoodManufacturing
🫧 Salt & Stone, the Los Angeles-based, fragrance-driven body care brand, announced a significant investment from Humble Growth. PRNewswire
📊 Indu, a British teen brand founded by the co-creators of Feelunique, has secured $5.1 million in seed funding led by Unilever Ventures. This follows a $4.8 million pre-revenue raise and the brand's launches at Sephora UK and direct-to-consumer. Indu plans to enter the U.S. market in 2025 and aims for profitability within 18 months. BeautyIndependent
💸M&A💸
🤝 Crown Laboratories and Revance Therapeutics have entered into a merger agreement to combine their complementary strengths in the skincare and biotechnology sectors. The merged company will offer a range of aesthetics and skincare products, including flagship brands like DAXXIFY (toxin), the RHA Collection (filler), SkinPen (microneedling), PanOxyl (acne treatment), Blue Lizard (sunscreen), and StriVectin (anti-aging). BeautyPackaging
🍔 Conagra Brands has acquired Sweetwood Smoke & Co., the producer of Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks, for an undisclosed amount. The packaged food giant stated that Fatty is positioned as a premium, healthier option made with responsibly sourced grass-fed beef and antibiotic-free pork, and it contains no gluten, unnecessary sugars, nitrates, or MSG. FoodDive
🚀Debuts, Distribution & Expansion🚀
🫧 Smoosh, the zero-waste grooming brand focused on eliminating single-use plastics from shower routines, has announced its first retail partnership with Urban Outfitters. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Smoosh, reflecting its commitment to sustainability in a market where consumers are increasingly concerned about environmental impact. Fox40
🚀 Fortnum & Mason, the 18th-century department store, has introduced a new coffee-to-go service at its flagship store on London’s Piccadilly. Open daily, the concession offers teas, hot and iced coffees made with Fortnum’s Piccadilly blend, as well as hot chocolate, pastries, and a newly launched soft serve ice cream. This is the department store’s first dedicated takeaway hot drinks fixture. RetailGazette
🌱 Hudson’s Bay, the Canadian marketplace, has added menopause products brand Stripes Beauty to its marketplace, both in stores and online. Stripes Beauty, recently acquired by L Catterton, is now available through the Canadian retailer. BeautyPackaging
🧴 Curology, the dermatologist-developed personalized skincare brand, has expanded its retail presence by launching in Walmart stores nationwide. This follows its earlier launches in Target in 2022, Amazon in January 2024, and CVS Pharmacy in July 2024. BeautyPackaging
💖 Ariana Grande, singer, songwriter, and actress, has launched a groundbreaking multi-fragrance collection called Lovenotes. This unique collection features exclusive releases tailored to different regions. BeautyPackaging
✨ Chantecaille, the luxury skincare and cosmetics brand renowned for its botanical formulas, has expanded its distribution by partnering with China's leading e-commerce platform, Tmall. This marks a significant milestone in strengthening Chantecaille’s presence in the Chinese market. To further engage with Chinese consumers, Chantecaille will host an exclusive pop-up experience, "Maison Chantecaille," at Shanghai's Xintiandi landmark. BeautyPackaging
🫧 Native, as part of its Scent Alchemy campaign, is promoting the layering of scents across its product range to create personalized experiences that enhance and define moods throughout the day. The brand has partnered with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz to educate consumers on the psychological science of scent, highlighting how fragrances can lift moods, calm the mind, and evoke memories. BeautyPackaging
💄 Smashbox, a cruelty-free beauty brand known for its studio-grade, high-performance makeup, has launched in the U.S. Amazon Premium Beauty store. BeautyPackaging
🧴 Purdori, a sustainable skincare brand renowned for its botanical-rich formulations, has launched its store-in-store concept at all three Facesss locations in Hong Kong. BeautyPackaging
✨ Rihanna has released a new Fenty Beauty product, the Cheeks Suede Powder Blush, featuring rich, blendable shades designed to suit all skin tones. BeautyPackaging
🪮 Odele, Minneapolis-based clean hair care brand, has expanded with an official Amazon storefront. BeautyPackaging
🍯 Nestlé's Nespresso is expanding beyond its signature coffee offerings for the first time in nearly 40 years with the launch of honey and honey syrup under the Nespresso Bloom line. This product is sourced from bees that pollinate coffee plants in Colombia, where Nespresso obtains some of its beans. The introduction of honey supports the brand's commitment to sustainability by promoting regenerative agriculture practices. FoodDive
🪇Collabs🪇
🤝 Card Factory, the UK-based retailer of greetings cards, gifts, balloons, gift wrap, and party supplies, has partnered with Just Eat, the online food order and delivery platform, to launch a nationwide rapid delivery service for greetings cards and celebration essentials. Initially available at 19 stores across the UK, including Birmingham, Manchester, and London, the service will expand to 21 more locations later this year. Customers can choose from over 200 affordable Card Factory products, including greeting cards, candles, balloons, and gift bags. RetailGazette
🥤 Coca-Cola and Oreo are partnering on two limited-edition products that feature each brand: an Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie and a Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar beverage. FoodDive
🍷 Bacardi, the spirits brand, is celebrating rum month this August with a collaboration with Tipsy Scoop, the ice-cream brnad, which has created a limited-edition Bacardi Ocho Guava Daiquiri flavor. This alcohol-infused sorbet combines Bacardi with the tropical sweetness of guava and is available at all Tipsy Scoop locations and for national shipping on Goldbelly. FoodDive
🔻Bankruptcies🔻
🏦 Avon Products, Inc. (API), a U.S.-based holding company for the Avon beauty brand, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware to address debt and legacy talc liabilities. This filing does not affect Avon's international operations, which continue their strategic initiatives as usual. API has not sold products in the U.S. since divesting its North American business in 2016 but remains the holding company for Avon's non-U.S. entities. BeautyPackaging
Funds Raising Funds
💰 Siddhi Capital has secured $135 million for its Fund II to invest in consumer packaged goods startups, focusing on growth-stage companies in the food and beverage industry. Unlike its first fund, which backed 40 early-stage companies, Fund II will invest $5 million to $10 million in fewer companies with revenues between $25 million and $100 million. Most investments will target consumer packaged goods, with a smaller portion allocated to food tech companies in areas like fermentation and cellular agriculture. TechCrunch
Thanks for reading!