Participated · Series B · Feb 2021

Foxtrot reimagines the corner convenience store by pairing a digital-first commerce platform with curated retail locations offering coffee, ready-to-eat cafe meals, wine and locally sourced artisan products. The company has added private-label products that now account for about 30% of its retail assortment and nearly half of its retail and e-commerce sales, and it expects to launch roughly 200 new private-label SKUs next year. Foxtrot provides five-minute pickup, rapid on-demand delivery, and a nationwide Foxtrot Anywhere shipping tool, and it operates a Perks loyalty program that grew more than 110% in 2021. The business doubled last year, with five-minute market pickup up 250% and cafe orders up 375% in the same period. Foxtrot plans to expand its physical footprint aggressively—opening 25 new stores in 2022 and targeting 50 new retail locations over the next two years while entering new markets such as New York, Nashville and Miami in 2023. The company is also investing the new capital to scale merchandising and triple its engineering team, plus hire across logistics, store payments, inventory management, personalization and Perks. Foxtrot Market operates tech-enabled neighborhood corner stores and cafés that combine grocery staples, a full-service café, sommelier-curated wine, chef-prepared meals, and curated gift bundles with on-demand app delivery (60-minute). The company also offers a Ship Shop for nationwide gift shipping and has recently launched nationwide shipping. Led by CEO and co-founder Mike LaVitola and a senior team including Sumi Ghosh, Scott Holloway, and Caroline Barry, Foxtrot emphasizes private-label packaged goods and curated retail experiences. The business integrates in-store experience with app-based delivery and curated product offerings to serve modern urban consumers. Foxtrot plans to use new capital to expand its private-label goods and gift offerings, continue investment in nationwide shipping, and open as many as nine additional stores across Chicago and Dallas while entering new markets including Washington, D.C. The company raised growth capital in a Series B to fund these expansion and product initiatives. Foxtrot reimagines the corner convenience store by combining physical retail with app-based on-demand delivery of a broad product mix including craft beer, natural wines, national brands and Foxtrot-label prepared foods. The company works with more than 100 vendors to offer roughly 800 SKUs across its stores and online. Foxtrot’s assortment is roughly one-third proprietary Foxtrot products, one-third emerging brands and one-third staple national brands. It operates stores in Dallas and Chicago and plans to expand further in those markets and launch in D.C. The business reports 2x year-over-year revenue growth and 150% year-over-year growth in its e-commerce customer base, with revenue split about 50/50 between offline and online sales. Store staff are W2 employees while couriers are contractors employed directly by Foxtrot according to the company’s practices. Foxtrot is a Chicago-based next-generation corner store combining e-commerce with a curated in-store experience, offering craft beer, wine, spirits, food, gifts and everyday essentials. Led by co-founder and CEO Michael LaVitola, the company delivers orders to customers' homes in 60 minutes. The team prioritizes local products and integrations, and a significant portion of Foxtrot's inventory comes from local purveyors. Foxtrot secured $6m in Series A funding to support growth. The company plans to use the funds to grow the team, expand its on-demand e-commerce delivery business, open additional retail stores in Chicago later in the year and pursue national expansion in early 2019, and to partner with large owners and operators of real estate to provide a curated amenity to neighborhoods and buildings. Foxtrot is a curated delivery company that launched out of the University of Chicago's New Venture Challenge in 2013 and combines an on-demand mobile ordering app with brick-and-mortar stores. Its product offering is a limited, curated selection — including beer and wine, dinners, bath accessories, and gifts — delivered via an app and supported by physical retail locations. Earlier this year Foxtrot opened its first store in Lincoln Park; it announced a flagship 1,700 square-foot West Loop location at 1019 W. Lake St. that will host local partner events and open on November 16. The company raised $1.1M in funding alongside the West Loop store announcement, with investors including ChicagoNEXT chairman Mark Tebbe, Apex Venture Partner general partner Lon Chow, and TrunkClub CFO and co-founder Kevin Price. Foxtrot positions itself as an omni-channel retail concept that leverages scalable retail stores alongside mobile ordering to own the end-to-end delivery experience and differentiate from broader delivery apps. CEO and co-founder Michael LaVitola said the flagship brings the curated app experience to life and supports plans to grow in Chicago and beyond.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2020

Cure Hydration develops science-backed electrolyte drink formulas that use clean, natural ingredients and a company commitment to non-GMO, sustainably sourced materials without added sugars or artificial additives. Launched in 2019, the brand competes in the $10 billion functional drink mix market and emphasizes sustainability, health and empowerment. The company has expanded rapidly, posting a 2,489% growth rate over three years and securing placement in over 13,000 retail locations, including REI, Anthropologie, Fresh Thyme Market and Meijer. Cure Hydration recently introduced Cure Kids, a pediatrician-formulated line of children’s electrolyte drink mixes in kid-approved flavors. Management is focused on supporting continued retail expansion and growing e-commerce demand. Cure sells plant-based powdered electrolyte drink mixes that emphasize clean ingredients such as coconut water powder and pink Himalayan salt. Since launching in 2019, the company has averaged 230% annual revenue growth and plans to expand its retail footprint from 4,000 stores in 2021 to 15,000 in 2023. Cure maintains roughly 60% e-commerce penetration and reported Q1 2023 growth that outpaced the prior-year quarter by 121%, operating with nine full-time employees. Its product line includes nine flavors and is carried in CVS and Walgreens, with recent retail additions including Sprouts, Albertsons, Kroger, Stop & Shop, Wegmans and HEB. The brand skews toward female, active consumers and differentiates on ingredient quality versus competitors. Planned initiatives include faster retail expansion, new product development (including a bulk jar option), and scaling the leadership and marketing teams, with a target of profitability by early 2024. Cure Hydration sells flavored powdered electrolyte mixes formulated on the World Health Organization’s Oral Rehydration Solution, using core ingredients like coconut water and pink Himalayan salt. The products are organic, vegan, contain no added sugars, and are sold online and in retail stores such as CVS, Walmart and Whole Foods. Packs retail for $20.99 for 14 servings on the company website, or $16.79 with a subscription; the company donates 1% of proceeds to the women’s sports nonprofit SheIS. Early customers include amateur athletes and people who need help staying hydrated due to chronic illnesses and other health conditions. Cure’s current retail footprint is roughly 4,200 U.S. locations and the company plans to use new funding to expand that footprint and to develop products beyond hydration while keeping to its science-backed principles. The company also maintains a medical advisory board that includes Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, Dr. Dana Cohen and nutritionist Brooke Alpert.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2019

Mooala produces premium, USDA-certified organic, dairy-free beverages and creamers, including its Original Bananamilk which is organic, nut-free, dairy-free and soy-free. The company was founded in 2016 and is led by CEO and founder Jeff Richards. It is based in Dallas, Texas and is sold in over 2,500 stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Safeway, Kroger, Wegmans and Costco, with plans to expand to 3,500 stores in January 2020. Mooala has brought total funding since launch to over $13m. The company intends to use new funding to enter new markets, accelerate product development and bolster its internal team. Its product focus is on real-ingredient, organic dairy-free alternatives across beverages and creamers. Mooala is a Dallas, Texas-based dairy-free beverage producer launched in late 2016 and led by Founder and CEO Jeff Richards. The company offers a suite of plant-based products including Original Almondmilk, Vanilla Bean Almondmilk, Original Bananamilk and Chocolate Bananamilk. Mooala's products are sold in retail locations including Whole Foods, Costco, Wegmans, Stop & Shop and Albertsons Safeway. In July 2018 the company raised $5m in equity funding led by M3 Ventures and Sweat Equities. It intends to use the funds for rapid expansion of the brand throughout the Southwest, Midwest and Northeast and to grow distribution across the United States.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2019

Something Navy is a DTC fashion brand founded by Arielle Charnas that began as a blog roughly ten years ago. The brand sells recurring drops of apparel, planning 10–20 core styles every 30–40 days. Leadership was strengthened with the hiring of Matthew Scanlan, co‑founder and former CEO of cashmere brand Naadam, as Something Navy’s CEO. The company reports strong consumer engagement—Charnas has about 1.2 million Instagram followers—and achieved $4 million in sales from a Nordstrom collection debut that temporarily crashed the retailer’s e-commerce site. Something Navy raised $10 million in a recent funding round at a valuation of nearly $45 million. The company says the new funding will be used to accelerate growth and to build out a network of brick-and-mortar stores.

Participated · Series A · May 2019

HATCH is a category-leading maternity brand that sells clothing and skincare and operates an editorial platform, Babe, to serve mothers. The company began as a direct-to-consumer startup and has grown into an internationally recognized destination combining product, content and community. HATCH plans to expand its reach by consolidating multiple maternity brands under a single parent, HATCH Collective, and by reimagining Babe to service the broader portfolio. The collective will align products across styles, brands and price points to meet women’s needs before, during and after pregnancy. Management says the unified platform and operational synergies—distribution, logistics, costing and customer data—will produce margin gains and clearer go-to-market strategy. The company projects it will "triple revenue profitably this year." Hatch offers maternity clothing and clean beauty products that directly address issues women face during pregnancy and postpartum. Founded in 2011 by CEO Ariane Goldman, the company began as a digitally native direct-to-consumer brand. After opening two physical retail locations in New York and Los Angeles, it has expanded into an omnichannel business. Hatch is activating new retail channels, including a Pop-In@Nordstrom partnership launched in nine cities and another major retailer partnership set to begin later this year. The company raised $5m in a Series A to accelerate product expansion, community-driven retail rollout and content development. Plans emphasize expanding product lines, scaling community-driven retail and increasing content to support growth.