Cash Flow: More Big Names Back Hyperice, Boxx Launches Crowdfunding Campaign, $58m For Future Farm

The game-changing investment, acquisition and funding news impacting the industry and driving the business of wellness this week.

Vivoo banks $6m for personalised nutrition offering

Personalised nutrition and lifestyle startup Vivoo has raised $6m from Billionaire VC Tim Draper, as well as ONCE Ventures, Revo Capital, 500 Startups, Global Ventures and Halogen Ventures.

The company, which sells subscription-based at-home urine test kits that work in conjunction with an app, has earmarked the funding for expanding its team and further scaling the business — specifically in the US.

Boxx crowdfunds to deliver at-home smart boxing

Boxx, an at-home boxing concept using smart tech has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

The British startup, which has been creating boxing workouts since 2017 via a fitness app and London studio, plans to release a new studio-quality punchbag and smart punch trackers that will deliver the experience of having a boxing instructor, wherever and whenever.

It has already raised nearly £40k.

Gymshark co-founder invests in sportswear brand AYBL

Gymshark Co-founder Lewis Morgan has made an undisclosed investment in women’s sportswear brand AYBL. As part of the deal, Morgan will take up the role of Executive Chairman at the AYBL group, which also includes a number of other retail brands.

The group which launched in 2018, is currently valued at £50m and ships over 400,000 orders to more than 160 countries each year, including the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and France. 

Food Tech company Future Farm secures $58m to fuel US growth

Future Farm, Brazil’s leading plant-based foodtech company has secured $58m in a Series C round led by BTG. Other investors included XP Inc, Rage Capital and earlier backers Monashees, Go4It Capital, Turim MFO and Enfini Ventures. 

The company, which specialises in animal-free, plant-based meat plans to use the capital to bolster its share of the US alt protein market by 2025. It is now expected to expand into grocery retail and e-commerce across the country.

Thirteen Lune raises $3m to further support Black and Brown founders

Thirteen Lune, a first of its kind, e-commerce destination designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by Black and Brown founders that resonate with people of all colours, has raised $3m in funding led by Fearless Fund.

The raise follows a previous round earlier this year in which the startup secured a further $1m from high-profile backers including Sean Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts. 

Capital will be used to go towards building out its executive roster, bolstering its supply chain and producing an in-house collection of products.

More big names from the sporting world back Hyperice 

Hyperice, a global high-performance wellness brand specialising in percussion, dynamic air compression, vibration, thermal technology, mind technology and contrast therapy, has announced new investments from superstars across the sports world including professional golfer Rory McIlroy, Formula One (F1) driver Daniel Ricciardo, NHL player Connor McDavid, NBA player Klay Thompson ad NBA player Jayson Tatum.

The new investors join an elite list of global athlete-investors such Naomi Osaka, Erling Haaland and Virat Kohli as strategic investors, and quickly follow the company’s entry to mental wellness and evolution into a holistic high-performance wellness brand.

For Them raises $2m to redefine wellness for the queer community

For Them,  a startup that claims to be redefining wellness for the queer community has raised $2m in pre-seed funding round led by Resolute Ventures with participation from Yes VC, Animo Ventures, Gaingels Spark Fund and a group of over 10 individual investors.

The company, which is gearing up to launch its first two products for the queer community: a breathable binder and multi-use intimacy serum, plans to use the capital to create additional products, and for talent acquisition. 

SleepHub launches crowdfunding campaign

Cambridge Sleep Sciences has launched a crowdfunding campaign with Indegogo to support the development of its SleepHub Anywhere sleep aid — a portable, convenient sleep solution for people who travel or are regularly on the move. 

Backer contributions from the campaign will fund the first production run of the device along with the development of a mobile app. 

The product is due for launch in Spring 2022. 

Fitness app Ladder lands $6.5m 

US-based fitness startup Ladder HAS raised $6.5m in seed funding from LivWell Ventures, Keller Capital, former Bazaarvoice CEO Brett Hurt, NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Athletic Brewing CEO Bill Shufelt.

The personal training app, which launched in 2020, plans to use the capital to grow its team and roll out new programs.