Whitney Casey

Beyonce uses a laundromat🫧? And LVMH was feeling spendy last week 💸. These are my top stories from last week: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ • Perelel acquires Loom • Paul Schiraldi appointed as CEO of ILIA Beauty • 4am Skin is officially in Bloomingdale’s • Love x Money Ventures invests in Marlow • Lili Reinhart’s new brand aims to start the conversation about acne • The fertility revolution: How Dandi is transforming patient care ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ • Beyoncé launches Levi’s Reimagine campaign • Luxury fashion’s power sourcer, Gab Waller, is reinventing the job with AI • Off-White sold by LVMH to Bluestar Alliance • Laundromat bars are trending ♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡ • Port workers’ strike delayed • Eva, the entertainment booking platform, raises $2M and expands to more cities • LVMH and Formula 1 sign a 10-year global partnership • LVMH invests in non-alcoholic brand French Bloom • Adam Neumann’s new startup is reworking WeWork’s old business model You can read more in this week's issue of ICYMI: https://lnkd.in/gpEiANhM #consumernews #litrendingtopics

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NY friends! Please come see me at Tech Day on my panel discussing the future of the NY tech ecosystem and what I hope to bring to it!

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We're absolutely thrilled to announce a monumental milestone for Flo Health Inc.! After years of dedication to women's health, Flo, a long-standing member of the Target Global family, has secured over $200 million in Series C funding led by General Atlantic.This incredible investment propels Flo's valuation beyond $1 billion, officially making it a unicorn – a rare and remarkable feat in the femtech space. This accomplishment isn't just about numbers. It's a testament to the power of prioritizing women's health. Flo has seen phenomenal growth over eight years, becoming the #1 downloaded app in the Health & Fitness category. Today, Flo empowers nearly 70 million monthly active users (MAUs) and boasts close to 5 million paid subscribers. Notably, 1 in 4 US women trust Flo, solidifying its position as a leader in the global movement for women's health. But this is just the beginning! This investment fuels Flo's mission to revolutionize female healthcare experiences worldwide. By directing resources towards areas of critical yet unmet needs (which, let's be honest, encompasses a vast majority of women's health!), Flo will continue to be a driving force for positive change. Congratulations Dmitry Gurski,Yuri Gurski, and the entire Flo Health Inc. team! More in the Financial Times here ---->https://lnkd.in/dJZdajM4

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Our partner Eddie Eltoukhy has identified these opportunities in Biotech. Eddie has a PhD in bioengineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and over a decade experience as an operator. Reach out to him if you are working on these areas of biotech. Pear VC - Technology-Driven Therapeutic Platforms Companies developing therapeutic assets with a core product engine Proprietary tool, workflow, or samples leading to novel biological data sets Preference for omics platforms or high throughput screening / engineering workflows First-in-class or best-in-class drugs - Next-Generation Therapeutic Modalities Technologies to improve the efficacy, safety, access, or reach of next-gen modalities including the following: Genomic medicines (gene tx & gene editing) Cell therapies Targeted protein degraders Antibody-drug conjugates Radiopharma - Precision Medicine New technologies supporting the discovery of novel biomarkers and the generation of proprietary data sets for applications in: Disease screening Therapy selection Recurrence monitoring - Life Sciences + AI Software Platforms Software & AI-driven platforms to improve all aspects of life sciences R&D, including: Target discovery and validation Drug design and optimization Manufacturing Regulatory Clinical development

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Today, Two Chairs announces $72M of new funding to continue building a world where everyone has access to exceptional mental health care. Since late 2017, when Maveron led the Two Chairs Series A, the need for mental health services has grown considerably as our society has become lonelier and more isolated than ever. At the same time, our culture’s willingness to openly acknowledge these challenges is greater than ever. Sadly, the rapid growth of Two Chairs affirms the fact that our society is in desperate need of better mental health support. Two Chairs has built a business that believes clinical quality is the defining characteristic of success. Alex Katz has always emphasized the paramountcy of measurement-based clinical outcomes, which the team works tirelessly to achieve. In the process, Two Chairs has illustrated that embracing the ‘move fast and break things’ mentality doesn’t always work. Instead, Two Chairs opted for a different approach: they went slow to go fast. They built a proprietary algorithm that matches patients with the perfect therapist at the onset and hired a team of W2 clinicians oriented toward providing the highest quality care available. Even as the Two Chairs team has grown, their culture has remained small. This has enabled more intimate relationships within the team and between clients and clinicians. Reflecting on this milestone brings me back to the founding of Maveron and the values we hold dear. In 1998, my friend Howard Schultz and I founded Maveron to help entrepreneurs build companies that improve the lives of everyday people—their employees and their customers. There is perhaps no better example of this than Two Chairs. *** Thank you to TechCrunch's Marina Temkin, CFA for the great write-up. https://tcrn.ch/4aMt7yG

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We founded Oak HC/FT to invest in diversified market opportunities and built a team that would get to know those subject areas broadly and deeply. To succeed in #healthcare specifically, we have a few key focuses: 1. High-quality patient care is our number one priority. We're looking to build companies that provide better access and services at a lower cost. 2. We look for opportunities to streamline processes. We want to build administrative efficiency to reduce waste and free up resources that can positively impact patients. 3. Talent is everything. It's a key ingredient in scaling, which requires human capital and a great deal of support that we're eager to provide. Want to hear more? I dove deeper into these insights with RJ Lumba on the GrowthCap Growth Investor podcast. Listen to our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eiCbqDSU

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Investor Deck -> Trial Protocol -> Trial Results   Clinical trials are tough Compromises must be made in design and results often fall short of the vision. That’s where Clerkenwell Health comes in. Our Catalyst program helps bridge the gap with tailored support, expert strategy, and access to a network of researchers and investors—all designed to keep your clinical development on track. https://lnkd.in/eJdhMa-F   #makeclinicaltrialsgreatagain

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Happy New Year! This week Mikal Ventures brings you a 4-week breakdown of the US capital market with an emphasis on the Mikal verticals. Over the 4-week period ending January 6, just under 490 new companies were added, resulting in 101,793 companies included in the US Health Tech, Med Tech, Fin Tech, AI Tech, and Ed Tech verticals. The slowdown in overall activity in all verticals continues, furthered in part by the end-of-year holiday period. US AI Tech again saw the greatest percentage growth in new companies at 9%, vs. the vertical average of 5% for the period. AI Tech also led the group in transactions. US Fin Tech led in SEC Filings, while US Heath Tech led in news articles. Mikal Ventures publishes these stats on a rolling 4-week basis to provide a perspective on how the verticals and new startups move through time. We hope you find them informative and thought-provoking. VC Investors are always adjusting their "Play Book" with a variety of options for investing. Mikal Ventures is one of those alternatives, offering curated solutions to real world problems. Reach out if you have questions on how we can be of assistance and bookmark https://mikalventures.com/ for additional insights and information.

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What's the fast river in alts? Listen to the latest Alt Goes Mainstream podcast with Mercer's Gregg Sommer & CAIS' Neil Blundell to hear how they are helping advisors approach private markets. Gregg, Neil, and I had a fascinating discussion about how the wealth channel can approach alternatives and how they can think about both diligence and customization. We covered: * The case for alternatives. * How advisors currently approach alternatives and how they can think about it differently going forward. * How to think about portfolio construction that includes alternatives. * How alts can help advisors differentiate their practice and attract clients. * Following the fast river in a career and why alternatives are “the fast river.” * The meaning of “structure over strategy.” * The rise in popularity of evergreen funds. Thanks Gregg and Neil for sharing your thoughts and expertise on private markets. Thanks to our sponsor, Ultimus Fund Solutions, for making this episode possible. https://lnkd.in/eBtyw6Fm

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Great time on the Embracing Erosion podcast w/Devon O'Rourke! We talked about: 🚀 How to scale a company from concept to 9-figure exit 🔄 How to break away from the traditional consulting model and apply product approaches ⏩ Why it’s important to iterate quickly and often with messaging 💸📈What signals are important to pay attention to when investing in startups and much more!

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The opioid crisis was a sad hallmark of my years working for the Baker Administration. In a time of extreme partisanship at the federal level, this was one area where public policy, civil discourse, and private enterprise seemed aligned and sufficiently motivated to find a solution. What we learned, however, is that dollars and access only go so far in combatting a disease that knows no so specific demographic. Instead, it's apparent that a battery of tools is needed to combat and prevent addiction--ranging from strong safety nets, to novel non-addictive pain therapies, and better technology. Introducing Marigold Health. Shrenik Jain, Ravi Shah, Tracey Cohen, MD, FASAM and team have built a proprietary NLP-based platform that--most significantly--improves the lives of those suffering from SUD/SMI. One customer we spoke with noted, "We needed a unique treatment intervention that had supportive research, fit into a CMS established model with a recognized service code, and that would provide positive clinical outcomes in an efficacious and fiscally responsible manner”. Another plainly said: "Marigold is our best hope to reach into the lives and help those who many have already given up on." Honored to join Bill Evans, Sean Day, and the entire syndicate in doing our part to scale a tool we believe will become essential in the fight against addiction. Marigold Health Innospark Ventures Rock Health KdT Ventures Matt Fates Lily Zarrella Venkat Srinivasan

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Building on the success of Rocket Studio with Simon Kirby and Pivotal with Dominic Joseph we decided to merge with Impact Counsel, led by the awesomely talented John D., Erim Jones and Robert Fok earlier this year. We’ve combined our significant and complimentary skills, experience and passion for growing amazing businesses to create a new breed of VC - Creative Capital Ventures Group (CCV). Fund 1 is focused on Sports, Media & Entertainment. Joining us on this exciting journey is media titan Tom Rogers (ex CEO Tivo & CNBC). We have also assembled a mighty team of Venture Partners bringing their expertise into our team, with the legendary Harvey Goldsmith leading our Immersive Entertainment category, and Cam Blackwood (Platinum award winning record producer) and his team at Rezonate heading up Music Rights acquisition. Creative Capital Ventures is designed to disrupt traditional VC models and accelerate the growth of innovative start-ups. We’ve already secured €18 million in commitments and are raising €35 million in total to fuel the next generation of game-changing businesses. What makes CCV different? •⁠ ⁠Founder-Led Expertise: Our team comprises serial entrepreneurs and operators who have built, scaled, and exited successful companies. We know what it takes to drive rapid growth. •⁠ ⁠Speed Scaler: Through our unique venture studio model, we’re not just funding companies—we’re actively accelerating their growth, shrinking the timeline from seed to exit. •⁠ ⁠Industry Focus: CCV focuses on high-growth sectors like Sports, Media, Entertainment, and Lifestyle, with a unique emphasis on IP acquisition to drive returns in stable asset classes. If you're interested in learning more about how CCV is reshaping the venture capital landscape, let’s connect!  More updates to follow! #VentureCapital #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Startups #ScalingFast #CreativeCapitalVentures https://lnkd.in/eiuWVtvT

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_What makes a good investment in healthcare? _ When is a good time to start thinking about the path to exit? _Where do we see the next #unicorn in #systemichealth? Experienced healthcare investor Dai Feng from CareCapital Group joins me and Jonathan Levine for our very first *video* episode of the #ThinkOralHealth #podcast. Take a listen.

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Happy New Year! This week Mikal Ventures brings you a 4-week breakdown of the US capital market with an emphasis on the Mikal verticals. Over the 4-week period ending January 6, just under 490 new companies were added, resulting in 101,793 companies included in the US Health Tech, Med Tech, Fin Tech, AI Tech, and Ed Tech verticals. The slowdown in overall activity in all verticals continues, furthered in part by the end-of-year holiday period. US AI Tech again saw the greatest percentage growth in new companies at 9%, vs. the vertical average of 5% for the period. AI Tech also led the group in transactions. US Fin Tech led in SEC Filings, while US Heath Tech led in news articles. Mikal Ventures publishes these stats on a rolling 4-week basis to provide a perspective on how the verticals and new startups move through time. We hope you find them informative and thought-provoking. VC Investors are always adjusting their "Play Book" with a variety of options for investing. Mikal Ventures is one of those alternatives, offering curated solutions to real world problems. Reach out if you have questions on how we can be of assistance and bookmark https://mikalventures.com/ for additional insights and information.

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Discussion topics I’m most excited about at the upcoming Dealmakers Summit in NYC on 17-18 June 🛀**Bodycare and men’s grooming** have shown steady growth and are full of innovative entrants that could be poised for the next round of exciting exits…I’ll be on the panel with Rebecca Zhou, CEO at Soft Services, Rom Ginzburg, CEO at Maelys and Ashleigh Barker, Head of Beusty at Lincoln International. ♾️**Longevity brands** - consumer interest and investment activity in wellness and a focus on less superficial benefits has been growing steadily for years. What is a longevity brand and are they they a gold mine of financial potential? 🛍️**The retail landscape** - has transformed the past three years alongside rising DTC costs. What and who is the future looking like? 👧🏼👵🏾**Alpha to boomers** - Gen Alpha may be the buzziest cohort of consumers, but in reality, each generation drives the industry forward in varying ways. A holistic look at what the opportunities are in each generation and the value each of these groups specifically brings to beauty and value creation. Beyond this, it’s the best event to genuinely connect with friends + make new in the beauty space, bc if you know him Nader Naeymi-Rad knows how to throw a party. As such, it always sells out, link to final remaining tickets in comments below 👇 Beauty Independent | Nader Naeymi-Rad | Claire McCormack | Paris Farsad-Roche | Taylor Bryant

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Are you better off being an angel investor or an S/EIS fund investor? When you’re thinking about making early-stage investments for the first time, you have a choice of two main options: Invest directly into startups or invest into funds that invest a portfolio of startups for you. * Direct (Angel) Investing: You select and invest in individual startups, taking on the tasks of sourcing, decision-making, and managing your investment. * Fund Investing: You invest in a fund that invests and manages a portfolio of startups for you, handling the sourcing, investing, and management on your behalf. There’s a romantic notion attached to the idea of investing in startups - we can play Dragon’s Den and discover the next Reggae Reggae Sauce. For every Reggae Reggae Sauce, though, there are 100 other startups that fail along the way. The first rule of startup investing, whether you do it directly or through funds, is that you need to build a portfolio of companies to cope with inevitable losses. Investing directly into startups as an angel investor suits those with access to credible, high-potential startups. It’s a hands-on role that requires active involvement to source the startups. Further, most of the best startups have minimum investment amounts of £10k or £20k, which means direct investors often need a lot of available capital to properly manage risk by investing in a portfolio of companies. This doesn’t need to be done all at once, but that is the mindset every good angel investor should have when setting out on the journey. Fund investing, on the other hand, suits those who prefer to invest indirectly, relying on the access, experience, and skill of the Fund Manager to invest and manage the investments for you. It’s a hands-off approach, with investors not involved in management and simply kept updated on a regular basis. Because funds pool your money with others to invest in a portfolio of startups in one go, this can be a more effective way of managing risk while investing smaller amounts. Most SEIS and EIS funds have £10k minimums for investors, meaning you could build a portfolio of 10-20 companies for just £10k, rather than needing to invest £10k into 10-20 separate companies as a direct angel investor. Whichever approach you choose should depend on your resources, access, interests, and time. Regardless, though, a key principle to follow is to not be reliant on the success of just one or two companies; instead, build a portfolio of startups to manage risk and cope with inevitable losses along the way. Which one is best for you? Let me know if you’d like to chat. Capital at risk. For professional investors only.

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Meet Joe W., the visionary founder changing how we shop for luxury fashion. His company, MILE, is revolutionizing access to luxury sample sales. And as we know, luxury is an industry that is notoriously hard to break into. -->  The Beginning Let’s rewind to the early days. Joe breaks into the industry through a side door. He starts HEAT, a mystery box company for luxury streetwear. But Joe spotted an even bigger opportunity. He made it big by partnering with luxury brands and offering their archival pieces at steep discounts. --> The Next Step In 2022, Joe launched Mile with Mario Maher. This is not your regular fashion e-commerce site. It is a members-only platform offering luxury fashion, sometimes with pieces up to 90% off. He secures partnerships with +100 luxury brands. Then, he introduced tailored access levels, creating an ultra-personalized experience for different types of members.   --> Solving Industry Pain Points As Mile scales, Joe turns his attention to solving key industry challenges: ⤷ Inventory Management: Helping brands efficiently clear excess stock ⤷ Customer Acquisition: Attracting high-value customers through exclusivity ⤷ Brand Protection: Maintaining brand prestige in a controlled environment. And boom, Joe has found a sweet spot in the industry. --> Powerful Backers ⤷ LVMH Luxury Ventures ⤷ The Hermès Family ⤷ Stefano Rosso (CEO of Marni) ⤷ Carmen Busquets (co-founder of YNAP) ⤷ Giorgio Belloli (CIO of Burberry) ⤷ Dan Greenberg (co-founder of MSCHF) ⤷ Larry Warsh (founder of Jing Daily) ⤷ Matt George (former CEO of Yeezy) ⤷ Matthew Freud, Upside (Venture fund of the ‘Sidemen’) ⤷ Nathaniel Barling (a16z) ⤷ Stefon Diggs (NFL Star) ⤷ Irwan Bello (OpenAI) ⤷ Simon Beckerman (Founder of Depop) We're talking about the AAA+ list of strategic players in luxury. --> Inside Joe’s Playbook His building skills are a masterclass in strategy: → Credibility through experience: HEAT paved the way for Mile, giving Joe essential connections and trust to excel in luxury. → Win-win model: Solves brands inventory headaches while members score unbeatable deals. → Unlocking exclusivity: Combines insider access with the prestige of luxury. It’s a masterclass in reimagining traditional retail for the digital age, offering valuable lessons on blending exclusivity with accessibility in the luxury market. As a sample sale lover, who has tried Mile? What did you think? 🐼 Follow Suad Fakih for impactful insights & strategies that add value to entrepreneurs and investors. 🌸 Repost for entrepreneurs and investors interested in the space.

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One of my proudest moments as an investor occurred today as Alaffia Health announced its series A because it shows how the Aperture® Venture Capital vision of multi-level, multi-generational #impactinvesting is succeeding in the marketplace. Here’s the model in its most basic form : ✅As diverse fund managers with meaningful capital to allocate, we are changing the VC landscape every day just by doing our day jobs. ✅As Black/Brown investors with ~40 years experience collectively, Aperture GPs have access to talent /excellence that others do not, so our portfolio *organically* is more inclusive by race, gender and geography even while optimizing for financial outcomes (all about the alpha). ✅Our most successful portco’s are using financial #innovation to solve market problems that impact underrepresented demographics and underserved communities. Alaffia Health is a shining example of the impact portion of our overall fund thesis, and we couldn’t be prouder of TJ Ademiluyi and Adun Akanni, MPH, PMP - the dynamic brother-sister founder duo whose vision we have steadfastly supported on their journey. Congratulations to TJ and Adun from William Crowder and myself, as well as the whole Aperture team- Marjorie King Philip McKenzie Yves Louis-Jacques Tanvi Lal Michelle Dhansinghani Lisha Bell Katie Kelly Amy Chung Cindy Chong, CFA Brian Fernandes-Halloran Monroe France Jayden Pantel Darren Herman Evan Wladis Neal Triplett Thomas Scriven Peter Ammon Irina Bit-Babik Tim Milanich Rob Rahbari

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Some VC investors believe that brick and mortar - referring to a physical presence of some kind - should be avoided at all costs. Yet, the track record of clinic and hybrid care businesses in health care indicates otherwise. ==> One Medical (sold for $3.9 billion to Amazon), Oak Street (bought by CVS for $10.6 billion), Lifestance (IPO at $7.5 billion market cap), and PE-backed Premise Health (acquired by OMERS Private Equity for $1.1 billion) If a clinic is indicated as the optimal way to deliver care for that patient population, there are creative ways to build and operate them. Full article below with advice and strategies on how to build and operate hybrid clinics from my teammate Anarghya Vardhana from Maveron, Amir Dan Rubin from OneMedical Group, Steven Eidelman from Modern Animal and more!

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