Participated · Equity · Jun 2026

Violette Fr was launched in 2021 by French make-up artist Violette Serrat, who previously worked for Dior Beauty and served as global beauty director for Estée Lauder Companies. The brand’s portfolio includes makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrances. In December 2024 the company completed a Series B financing whose amount was not disclosed, and in 2025 it raised an additional $5 million from existing investors. The new capital is earmarked to support the next growth phase and to accelerate international expansion, particularly into the U.S. market. Investors in the recent raise include Silas Capital and Experience Capital as co-leads, alongside Felix Capital, Female Founders Fund, Monogram Capital and Highlander Partners. Public disclosure of the transaction was made via a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Led · Series B · Feb 2022

Olipop is a prebiotic soda brand launched in 2018 that sells fiber-rich soft drinks as alternatives to traditional sodas. The company plans to use the new funding to add to its product lineup, expand marketing, and broaden distribution. Based on dollar sales and unit growth, Olipop is one of the top nonalcoholic beverage brands in the U.S. CNBC reported that Olipop's annual sales surpassed $400 million last year, doubling the previous year. The company reached profitability in early 2024. Founders Ben Goodwin and David Lester initially funded Olipop with $100,000 from the sale of their prior drink Obi; in its first year in Northern California the brand sold in 40 grocery stores and reached $852,000 in gross revenue. Olipop makes a line of prebiotic, plant-fiber sodas formulated to support digestive health using prebiotics and botanical ingredients. The product line is positioned as a ‘functional soda’ and Olipop says it accounts for two-thirds of the niche’s revenue. The company has completed in‑vitro trials with Baylor and Purdue and has a human clinical underway, and plans to expand R&D and new flavors. Distribution has scaled from an initial 45 northern California stores to more than 10,000 grocers nationwide, including Kroger, Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Safeway and Wegmans. Olipop grew top-line revenue threefold in 2021, anticipates a $100M run-rate by the end of 2022, is not yet profitable but is headed toward profitability, and has expanded headcount to around 60 employees. The company plans to use new funding for hiring, marketing and product inventory to support rapid distribution expansion.

Participated · Series C · Jan 2022

Flying Embers is a beverage brand known for hard kombuchas and botanical-spiked hard seltzers, launched in 2017. Its portfolio includes flavors such as watermelon basil, cucumber juniper, black cherry, and high-ABV hard kombuchas, plus recently introduced canned wine spritzers. The company emphasizes organic ingredients, low/no sugar formulations, probiotics and other functional additives aimed at health-conscious consumers. In 2021 it released 28 new product innovations and expanded into botanical and hops-spiked varieties to appeal to beer- and cocktail-inclined drinkers. Flying Embers plans to scale its brand and national footprint, investing in marketing to educate new consumers about the hard kombucha category. It will also dedicate funds to R&D and new product development while leveraging in-house brewing, microbiology and manufacturing capabilities.

Participated · Series C · Jan 2022

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 · Series F · Oct 2021

DIG is a vegetable-forward, multi-format restaurant group founded in 2011 in New York City that operates fast-casual restaurants, annex programs, strategic partners, and a dining & innovation space called 232 Bleecker. Its core offering is vegetable-centric cooking supplemented by responsibly sourced proteins and produce from DIG Acres, a 20-acre mixed vegetable farm in Chester, NY that supports a farmer apprenticeship program. The company runs DIG Academy, a culinary and business training program, and DIG Feeds, which has donated over 225,000 meals to hospitals, shelters, and community organizations. DIG emphasizes people-first policies including permanent wage increases (converting a $2/hr pandemic bonus), four-month fully paid parental leave for eligible employees, and a tested 4-day workweek pilot. Planned growth includes reopening locations temporarily closed due to COVID-19, expanding restaurant count from 30 to 60 over the next three years, rolling out new formats and kitchen technology pilots (including one at 127 4th Avenue), and expanding DIG Academy into immersive analog and digital education. Dig Inn is an operator of fast-casual restaurants with a 15-restaurant chain in New York and Boston. The chain offers market plates with an average meal price of $10 and sources produce from local farms. Dig Inn aims to make simple, high-quality food available at a relatively affordable price. The company plans to use new capital to launch more restaurants and to open a free culinary training school for employees. Management also intends to make key leadership hires and build out its internal tech platform as part of expansion efforts. The chain plans to open 13–15 additional locations in New York and Massachusetts by 2019 and to expand to a third state in 2018; it had previously raised $21.5 million in earlier rounds. Dig Inn is a vegetable-forward, farm-to-table restaurant chain offering fresh meals priced about $7–$10 per plate. Founded in 2011 in New York City, the company operates 10 locations and has a dedicated local following. It employs nearly 500 in-store staff and about 20 employees in its New York corporate office. The company plans to expand beyond NYC this year, growing its store count from 10 to as many as 18 and targeting Boston as the likely first market outside New York. Dig Inn expects to hire roughly 100 additional employees to support that expansion. Management is focused on preserving company culture during growth through shared meals, open-office arrangements, newsletters, and social events.