The Week of Acquisitions: Huel, Salt & Stone, Made By Nacho, Monaco Cocktails, So Good So You and Skechers
Consumer VC Roundup #153 – Latest News in Emerging Consumer Brands, Tech & Commerce Enablement
Hey friends,
For those who attended, I hope you had a wonderful time at Expo West. It’s always one of my favorite weeks. This past week, I went to the Global Pet Expo and also had a good time. I appreciate Nate Swanson and Nomit Shah for letting me tag along and walk around with them as I’m still new to pet. Thanks also to Encore Consumer Partners for letting me come at the last minute to your awesome happy hour. Very grateful for this community and appreciate the generosity. On the Consumer VC events side, I know I’ve been quiet about our plans for the rest of the year. We’re busy planning our calendar, more to come in the coming weeks.
This was a BUSY week/month in consumer. Here’s the full recap –
👚Consumer Brands🧃
💰Fundraises 💰
KilgourMD, a Sacramento, CA-based scalp health and hair growth brand, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding. The round was led by Prelude Growth Partners with participation from Willow Growth, Joyance Partners, and Able Partners. Prelude Growth Partners’ Managing Partner Alicia Sontag will join the board.
Source: FINSMESSigmas, a Los Angeles, CA-based wear brand for fitness, raised $1M in Seed funding co-led by Mucker Capital and HongShan Capital. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and development efforts for its activewear and tools.
Source: FINSMESStellar Snacks, a Carson City-based pretzel brand, received a minority growth investment from Main Post Partners, though the amount was not disclosed. The funds will support expanded distribution, enhanced brand marketing initiatives, and continued investments in innovation and operations.
Source: FINSMESNopalera, a San Antonio-based beauty and lifestyle brand, raised $4M in funding led by Morgan Stanley’s Next Level Fund and L’ATTITUDE Ventures, with participation from several investors. The funds will be used to expand operations and development.
Source: FINSMESForeverland, Italian food ingredient company focused on creating sustainable, cost-effective alternatives to cocoa and chocolate, raised €6M in funding from Kost Capital, Maia Ventures, Accelerator Fund, Italia Venture II Fund, Linfa agrifoodtech fund, and Newtree Impact.
Source: FINSMESJust Date has partnered with private equity firm Contour Ridge to accelerate expansion of its natural sweeteners.
Source: NOSHGood Girl Snacks, which produces snacks, including pickles, aimed at consumers, raised $3M from Strand Equity, RiverPark Ventures, Nucleus Ventures, and Collaborative Fund.
Source: NOSHFlourish Care, a provider of a maternal healthcare platform based in Boston, MA, raised $5.7M in Seed funding led by Zeal Capital Partners with participation from Create Health Ventures, Collide Capital, Rogue Women’s Fund, Symphonic Capital, Slater Technology Fund, Catalytic Impact Foundation, Capita3, and others.
Source: FINSMESQatar Investment Authority Eyes 10% Stake in Golden Goose. Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is preparing to buy a stake in Italian sneaker maker Golden Goose.
Source: Business of FashionLaoban, a frozen dumpling and bao brand, has raised $7M in funding, details on investors not specified.
Source: NOSH
💸 M&A 💸
Molson Coors Beverage Company has acquired Atomic Brands, Inc., the creator of the ready-to-drink brand Monaco Cocktails. This acquisition aims to enhance Molson Coors’ portfolio in the growing RTD beverage market.
Source: ESMHenkel has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Olaplex for $1.4 billion, a hair-care brand known for its popular shampoos and treatments.
Source: Business of FashionValeo Foods Group has agreed to acquire Bulgarian baked-goods manufacturer Prestige, enhancing its portfolio in the snack sector.
Source: ESMSo Good So You, a beverage company co-founded in 2014, focusing on health-oriented drinks, was acquired by private investment firm Bansk Group, with co-founders retaining equity and board seats.
Source: BevNetPuig is a Spanish company known for its fragrances and cosmetics, owning brands like Byredo and Rabanne. Puig‘s shares surged 16% after announcing talks for a potential merger with Estée Lauder.
Source: Business of Fashion"I and love and you" Acquires Made by Nacho, the cat food brand that was founded by Bobby Flay. Together, the brands are now available at 30,000+ retail locations nationwide, including Walmart, PetSmart, Chewy, Sprouts, and Amazon.
Source: PRNews
Salt & Stone has been acquired by Advent International in a deal expected to close in April 2026. The premium body care brand, founded in 2017 by former professional snowboarder Nima Jalali, surpassed $165M in revenue in 2025 and has been profitable since launch. Financial terms were undisclosed.
Source: BOF3G Capital, a global investment firm focused on long-term value creation, announced its acquisition of Skechers for $9.4 billion, marking a significant investment move.
Source: FINSMESHuel, a nutrition company known for its meal replacement products, has agreed to be acquired by Danone in a deal worth about $1.2 billion. The acquisition, announced Monday morning, deepens Danone’s roster of functional nutrition brands, with Huel‘s product portfolio spanning from its flagship powder-based shakes to ready-to-drink beverages and snack bars.
Source: Business of FashionSazerac acquires canned cocktail brand Dirty Shirley to expand its RTD portfolio.
Source: Food Dive
🚀 Debuts, Distribution & Expansion 🚀
Truekind, known for its comfort-first bras, makes its brick-and-mortar debut in Belk Stores. This move follows its successful direct-to-consumer model in the U.S. intimates category.
Source: PRNewsHiyo Goes National with Target. Non-alcoholic social tonic maker Hiyo is rolling out to nearly 2,000 Target stores nationwide.
Source: BevNet
👩💻 Consumer Technology 🧑💻
💰Fundraises 💰
Conntour, a Miami, FL-based provider of an AI video intelligence platform, raised $7m in seed funding. Backers included General Catalyst, Y Combinator, SV Angel, and Liquid 2 Ventures. The funds will be used to enhance their AI video analytics capabilities.
Source: FINSMESeMed, a Miami, FL-based digital healthcare company, raised $200M in funding at a valuation of over $2 billion. The round was led by AON Consulting, with participation from notable investors including Tom Brady, Jeff Aronin, and Linda Yaccarino. The funds will be used to further advance its platform.
Source: FINSMESPrickly Pear Health, a Phoenix, AZ-based digital health company focused on women’s brain health, expanded its Pre-Seed funding to over $600K. Emmeline Ventures joined existing investors Bayless Ventures and AZ Venture Capital to accelerate user growth and platform deployments.
Source: FINSMESModa raised $7.5M in Seed funding to enhance its AI platform for design professionals. The round was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Pear VC and others.
Source: FINSMESPayy Network raised $6M in seed funding to expand its team and deepen integrations across financial institutions and fintech platforms. The round was led by FirstMark Capital, with participation from Robot Ventures and DBA Crypto.
Source: FINSMESBlossom Health, a NYC-based provider of an AI operating system for psychiatry, raised $20M in Series A and Seed funding. Headline led the Series A with participation from Village Global, TA Ventures, Operator Partners, and Correlation Ventures. The funds will enhance their AI capabilities in psychiatry.
Source: FINSMESMirage, a New York City-based developer of an AI-powered video editing and creation platform, raised $75M in growth financing from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund, bringing total capital raised to over $175M. The funds will be used to accelerate global expansion, particularly in high-demand markets in Asia.
Source: FINSMES
🛍️ Commerce & Retail Technology 🏬
💰Fundraises 💰
Tazapay closed its Series B extension led by Circle Ventures, bringing total Series B funding to $36M. New investors CMT Digital and Coinbase Ventures joined existing backers including Ripple and Norinchukin Capital.
Source: FINSMESGlimpse, a dispute-tracking automation platform serving CPG brands and retailers, raised $35M in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with participation from 8VC and Y Combinator. The YC graduate automates the dispute tracking process for consumer packaged goods brands and retailers.
Source: TechCrunchLidl Romania is increasing its investment in national expansion, allocating over €285 million towards its 2026 financial year.
Source: ESMGrub Lab, a startup improving traditional kids’ menus with engagement AR-powered experiences based in Kurri Kurri, Australia, raised $6M in funding led by Quantaco to accelerate its U.S. expansion and support a national brand launch.
Source: FINSMESDOSS raised $55M in Series B funding to enhance its AI-native Operations Cloud for inventory-based businesses. The round was co-led by Madrona and Premji Invest, with participation from Greyhound, Commerce Ventures, and Intuit Ventures, among others.
Source: FINSMES