A MISSION-LED, FOR-PROFIT INVESTMENT COMPANY TO CHANGE THE WORLD THROUGH THE POWER OF CONSUMERISM
Acquiring and scaling ‘better’ products
THERE IS A UNIQUE NEED and OPPORTUNITY — TO DRIVE CHANGE through CONSUMER GOODS
We need to drive change at scale
A generational shift in consumers who want clean, sustainable products without compromising on functionality
Science and regulation catching up with the health consequences of toxicity in food and consumer products
Humanity getting close to the limits of what our planet can bear - ocean plastic, extreme weather,top-soil erosion, toxic groundwater
THESE ISSUES AFFECT US ALL
- Widespread prevalence of endocrine disruptors (e.g., PFAS in frying pans and outdoor clothing, Phtalates in Perfumes, Shampoo and general microplastics) dramatically affects muscle synthesis, fertility and mental health. Fertility has been plummeting over the last decades.
- Constant low-grade exposure to thousands of toxins (e.g., pesticides in food, emulgators and dyes in ultra-processed foods, hexane in cooking oils) wears our innate systems out - our bodies lose the ability to differentiate environmental toxins and ‘ordinary’ function, leading to auto-immune disorders and cancer
- Nearly all regular consumer products on supermarket shelves expose us to endocrine disruptors, micoplastics and environmental toxins - from snacks to fresh produce, deodorants to shampoo and soap, beauty, make-up and perfumes and clothing. In addition, most food and beverage packaging is plastic-made and much of it gets heated up releasing significantly more microplastics into our system
WE NEED TO DRIVE CHANGE AT SCALE
Consumer self-interest and desire might be the biggest forces of change there are..
Much of past efforts have appealed to ‘consumer conscience’, offering more sustainable choices but with less functionality, perceived value or excitement
Whilst many people do care about sustainability, consumers are driven by desire, not guilt.
We need to offer ‘better’ products both in terms of functionality (design, excitement, taste, function) and health/sustainability (‘clean’ of toxins, high in micronutrients, free of forever chemicals)
It becomes increasingly clear that what is bad for the environment is often also bad for our own health which allows us to mobilize consumer self-interest for the help of our planet
We partner with Founders to enable them to build large companies with widely distributed better products
- Many founders want to create better products
- An absence of financing and partnership to build their businesses long-term often leads to exits to incumbents
- Once exited, these businesses get subjected to formulation-change, corporate inertia or founder-exit and miss the chance to have widespread impact
WE partner with ‘BETTER’ CONSUMER BRANDS ACROSS
EUROPE AND THE U.S.
- We partner with profitable, high gross margin consumer goods companies that have found ‘better’ alternatives – e.g., organic, healthy baby milk, regeneratively grown food, non-plastic sportswear and outdoor wear, non-toxic, ‘clean’ beauty, perfume and cosmetics, wooden toys or non-alcoholic beverages
- Across Europe and the US
- Product Groups / we invest across a broad set of consumer products and ingredients/processing technologies ranging from F&B, Beauty, Fashion, Household, Kids and Personal Care - as the underlying consumer need - and trend - applies across
- We partner with companies meeting two criteria - a clear case for being better both for the consumer and the world we live in - clean, sustainable, regeneratively grown - and consumer preference in terms of functionality/design/excitement/taste (which is typically seen through superior gross margins)
- With a target investment size of 30-100$M