getting female founders funded / recruiting a new wave of investors to get it done.
Hi, I’m Kelley Arena, founder of Golden Hour Ventures. Coming to your inbox to share great deal flow, industry news, founder resources, consumer musings, and things I like.
What I’ve been up to…
All in all: Ruben Austin, founder of the all in all community, invited Annie and I to speak on a panel about community based fundraising, and how to build investor syndicates that have impact beyond capital (ps- I have really been loving the IRL all in all programming for both investors and founders – get in the mix here)
This month, we also spoke with Jaclyn Johnson, Ali Webb and Marina Middleton of the Blueprint Mastermind group about fundraising and angel investing. They have a spring mastermind launching in April if you are in the mood to level up your business.
Within the Dream Ventures Accelerator, we heard from more boss speakers like Katie Dunn of Power to Pitch, Vadicel Joy Abboud of Ceremonia, and Helen Reeves of Gunderson Detmer.
Upcoming Events…
Join me for a screening of Show her the Money, March 27 at 7pm ET. Tickets here – all ticket proceeds will be used towards a founder grant.
I am co-hosting this movie screening with Annie Evans (Dream Ventures) and Emilia George. This is a story that has never been told in film: featuring rock-star female investors who invest in diverse women entrepreneurs with innovations that will change the world, Show Her The Money reminds us that money is power. RSVP HERE
A Valentines Day Virtual Investor Event with Gen Z Period Care brand Marlow: For angels and the angel curious. February 14th @ 12pm EST. Deal info below, RSVP HERE for zoom details.
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Hot Deals🔥
Featuring two feminine health brands this month that are actually disrupting the space….
Marlow is creating the next wave of menstrual wellness brands that are closing the gender pain gap through innovative products. They have created the first lubricated tampon (FDA approved) targeted towards a Gen-Z audience.
Highlights
Received FDA approval to bring lubricated tampon to market
Confirmed wholesale partnerships with Whole Foods and CVS (final stages of negotiation)
Immediate wholesale traction with placement in 80 independent stockists including The Well, Nature’s Emporium, Healthy Planet, and more, with fast growing acquisition on Amazon
Growing online community platform “The TMI Club” with 100M+ views on TikTok and leading to low customer acquisition cost of $6
PR and media buzz and excitement with features in Buzzfeed, Well+Good, Forbes, Trend Hunter, The Kit, The Morning Show, and more
On track for $1.2M in revenue in 2024 (109% MoM Growth)
50% DTC + Amazon / 50% Wholesale / Distribution
Raising $1.5m seed round on a SAFE
Learn more at our Virtual investor event on February 14th @ 12pm EST. RSVP HERE
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LUWI
LUWI is disrupting the $10B market for over-the-counter (OTC) contraception and STI prevention with female condoms…or, a ‘finer liner’ made from hormone-free surgical-grade polyurethane that inserts easily into the vaginal or anal canal, an alternative to a condom
LUWI is more effective and feels better than condoms
Initial focus is B2B2C, with has pre-market pipeline totaling $12M (10M units),
1.5M units committed from 59 universities
Large national retailer
2 group purchasing organizations
Company is pursuing FDA 510k clearance
Currently Raising a Seed Round of $1.5M on a SAFE, with participation by Planned Parenthood Ventures
🙌 Portfolio Company High Fives
📰 News and Food for Thought
M&A Activity
Period brand Lola acquired by Forum Brands (an Amazon aggregator)
Tod’s and L Catterton Team Up to Attempt to Go Private
News / Reads
The wealth transfer from baby boomers mostly benefits women: Women now control about a third — or $10 trillion — of total U.S. household assets, and are poised to control much of the $30 trillion in wealth expected to be possessed by baby boomers.
The Working Woman’s Newest Life Hack: Magic Mushrooms (WSJ)
Some take aways from this January Ventures Early Stage Founder Sentiment Report: Female founder optimism is at an all time low.
Rare Beauty launches Comfort Club, a “a digital hub dedicated to providing its community with strategies for finding comfort”. I honestly don’t know how to feel about this…but I am watching.
Email is forever changed, and google has changed the rules on mass emails. Great for consumers flooded with spa (bad for, say, a humble little vc newsletter that needs to stay below a .3% spam reportage) 🙏
This book lived up to the hype (book club links here) .
🌈 Founder’s Corner
One and Done Raising– on raising just once. Nice work if you can get it.
This podcast with a second time founder on lessons learned (key: over invest in legal, use community based fundraising through an SPV/RUV -he raised $2m in over 200 small check- to stave off venture, know your weakness and solve for them early.
TechDay Expo, happening May 10 at the Javits Center. Founders, reserve your exhibit space today.
Open casting call for Shark Tank in Virginia April 10, Southern California April 25, and NYC on May 10.
Docsend is offering free pitch deck analyzer
Grants:
$10k from You Glow Girl (deadline March 15)
$20k-$50k with FedEx Small Business Grants (March 1- April 1)
$10k with Ladies who Launch
🍰Shop Women-Founded Brands/Current Obsessions
Soft services: Ok ok I love everything about this brand (built by Glossier alum)- they just refuse to miss. I am fully addicted to the buffing bar which is like a power sander for my sad New York winter skin and I don’t know if I’ll ever again feel clean without it. And then this body serum and then this lotion and I am a whole new girl. Since my first draft of this newsletter I went BACK IN for this Theraplush hand moisturizer.
P.S. I was heavily influenced by Emily Sundbergs’s substack, Feed Me (which is so good I would pay double. I get to gift three free one month subscriptions, reply if you want one! )
My girl Lia Bartha got me these handmade, ceramic, Recreation Center mugs for Christmas and I love them so much.
This Muu Breast Pump just launched and I love the irreverant branding, social strategy, handsfree-ness, and super affordable pricing.
I audibly gasped when I saw this photo of Hailey Beiber and her Rhode phone case/lip gloss holder. With the lip gloss market predicted to grow to from 3.7B to 5.4B over the next decade, and brands creatively trying to grow their AOV…this just has it all. IRL and online virality factor + niche functionality. Clever, clever, Rhode team.
🍦Other Things No One Asked For
New snack in heavy rotation at my house: cinnamon sugar toast with a heavy douse of cardamom. It’s like a La Cabra cardamom bun, but without the long line and all of the Sambas!
Newest member of our family
I’ll be at SXSW- let me know if there are events I shouldn’t miss, or anyone I should meet.
Want more from this newsletter? Less? Reply and let me know! If you really love it, share with a friend.
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