The Consumer VC Roundup #84
The Consumer VC Roundup #84
News & Events For the Emerging Consumer Ecosystem
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This Week In Consumer
🧃Consumer Brands👚
💰Fundraises💰
🤝 Rodeo Drive Capital, the US private-equity firm, has acquired a 5.5% stake in Las Vegas-based Doheny Road Spirits, the producer of Rodeo de las Aguas Tequila, in a deal valued at $1.7 million. Established in 2023, Doheny Road Spirits plans to use the investment to expand its production capacity at its Jalisco, Mexico distillery, including improvements in supply chain logistics, according to managing partner Jason Gilbert. JustDrinks
🚀Debuts, Distribution & Expansion🚀
👩🏻🦳 Evelyn Wang, the longtime beauty executive, formerly with Milani Cosmetics, Wet ‘n’ Wild, and Papa & Barkley, has launched Silverist, a brand focused on caring for gray hair—a need she recognized firsthand after deciding to go gray in 2015 following two decades of dyeing her hair. BeautyIndependent
🍣 SimpliiGood, the spirulina specialist, has announced the launch of its highly anticipated spirulina-based smoked salmon for early 2025. This innovative product, claimed to be the first whole cut made from microalgae, contains 40% protein and features a clean label with fewer than ten natural ingredients, free from stabilizers and preservatives. Vegconomist
🪮 Ocoa, a luxury curly hair care brand inspired by Dominican ingredients and based in Pennsylvania, has debuted at Urban Outfitters, highlighting the growing demand for products tailored to the unique needs of curly-haired individuals. BeautyPackaging
↗️ Walmart is launching a Premium Beauty storefront on its online Marketplace, likely to compete with Amazon. Known for low prices, Walmart is adding over 20 premium brands to elevate its beauty offerings. This follows the retailer's previous shops-in-shop concept, with Corsrx, Perricone MD, and T3 among the first brands featured. BeautyPackaging
💄 WYN Beauty by Serena Williams has launched two new long-wear lip products in celebration of the US Open. Williams, returning as a spectator this year, will join Ulta Beauty in hosting VIP guests at a US Open suite over Labor Day Weekend, where they can sample the new products while enjoying the matches. BeautyPackaging
🪄 Balmain's first beauty line, "Les Éternels de Balmain," features eight all-gender eaux de parfum inspired by Pierre Balmain's 1946 flacon and Olivier Rousteing's modern touch. The design includes contrasting shapes and signature black and gold colors. BeautyPackaging
🪇Collabs🪇
🥎 Dove and tennis champion Venus Williams launched their first-ever limited-edition collaboration, the Dove x Venus #KeepHerConfident Beauty Bar. This special beauty bar features a tennis ball-inspired green color, a passionfruit and lemon balm fragrance, and "CONFIDENT" engraving. It comes in a recyclable canister made from recycled materials, with three bars per canister. BeautyPackaging
🎾 Dove has teamed up with rising tennis star Emma Navarro to promote body confidence in young athletes through its "Body Confident Sport" program. Navarro, who joined Dove before her debut in the major US tennis tournament, is the brand's first official athlete partner to wear the Dove logo on her competition attire. BeautyPackaging
🏰 Sigma Beauty has teamed up with Disney for The Little Mermaid Collection, featuring an eyeshadow palette, blush, highlighter, lip set, and brush set. Announced for World Princess Week, the collection will officially launch on September 24. BeautyPackaging
↪️Relaunches↩️
🎀 Littlest Luxuries has relaunched after merging with Little Fashion House. Based in London, the platform aims to be the top marketplace for designer childrenswear, extending the life of quality items. Founded by Stephanie Affleck and Lucy Walford, it combines their decade of experience in luxury kidswear resale. FashionNetwork
🔻Closures🔻
📝 Reckitt has quietly shut down Queen V, an intimate care brand it acquired in 2021, reflecting a move away from emerging brands that require time and investment to build momentum. BeautyIndependent
💻Consumer Software💻
💰Fundraises💰
🌐 Hello Wonder, founded by former Google and Amazon employees, is developing an AI-powered browser for kids to create a safe online environment for learning and exploration. The iPad app, controlled by parents, allows children to ask questions to an AI chatbot and receive safe answers, videos, and interactive experiences. Aimed at improving content safety for younger users, the startup has raised $2.1 million from investors including Designer Fund, a16z Scout Fund, and others. TechCrunch
🚀 Turntable Labs, aiming to revive the spirit of the original Turntable·fm, has extended its seed funding to $8.2 million. The startup's new service, Hangout, set to launch later this year, will feature a game-like environment with virtual DJ booths, avatars, voice chat, and mobile apps. The funding round was led by Founders Fund, Elizabeth Street Ventures, 468 Capital, and f7 Ventures. Musically
🎮 Gameplay Galaxy has raised a total of $24 million in its seed round, including an additional $11 million from Blockchain Capital and Merit Circle. The funds will accelerate development of its latest extreme sports title, Trial Xtreme Freedom, and help build a competitive Web3 esports ecosystem. The company aims to promote Web3 adoption through player-centric digital ownership models, including track and bike ownership and token earning. VentureBeat
🪮 Great Many, a hair loss clinic founded by former Heyday chief brand officer Michael Pollak, has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round, raising $3.6 million. BeautyIndependent
🛍️ Tilt, a U.K.-based live-shopping startup founded by ex-Revolut employees Neil Shah and Abhi Thanendran, has raised $18 million in a Series A round led by Balderton Capital. Focused on live fashion sales, Tilt has quickly gained traction, amassing over half a million users since its launch last year. The funding aims to build on the success of live-shopping, a phenomenon popular in Asia but still emerging in Western markets. TechCrunch
🚀Debuts, Distribution & Expansion🚀
✔️ Airtasker, the online and mobile marketplace enabling users to outsource everyday tasks, has announced strategic media partnerships with U.S. giants iHeartMedia and TelevisaUnivision, marking a major step in its U.S. expansion to boost growth and brand recognition nationwide. PRBusinessWire
🦋 Bluesky, the decentralized microblogging social platform that operates as a public benefit corporation, has gained over 2 million new users in just four days, following X’s shutdown in Brazil, up from 500,000 users last Friday. The rapid growth caused occasional "Not Enough Resources" errors as engineers worked to stabilize the servers. TechCrunch