an introduction
Over the past 8 years, Stage 1 Financial has organically built a platform that generates validated deal flow. No longer do we wish to only support the investment process, but be part of it.
While our core business continues to support the investment process, Stage 1 Fund now leverages our platform to co-invest in great brands alongside our very successful Venture Capital & Private Equity Partners.
“We are extremely excited to launch our new investment vehicle, Stage 1 Fund. For over half a decade, we have been working with our amazing partners and their founders to grow these brands through accounting and finance. Now, with the launch of the Fund, as investors, we can deploy capital to further fuel their growth and drive success.”
Built in Relationships and Trust
Over the past 5 years, Stage 1 Financial has built a strong and validated pipeline of deal flow for our Investment Partners by delivering core Accounting, Finance & Business Intelligence services to emerging consumer brands that are potential investment candidates.
Stage 1 Financial has now launched Stage 1 Fund, which will allow investment alongside Venture Capital & Private Equity Partners in emerging consumer companies that Stage 1 Financial believes has a significantly reduced risk profile and high probability of success for our investors.
Stage 1 Fund is differentiated in that we have:
Built-in Relationships and Trust with Emerging Consumer Brands
Unique and Transparent Data Points that are proprietary the Stage 1 core business and quantitative expertise
Stage 1 Financial Team Members working with Emerging Brands every day, alongside Entrepreneurs and their Management Teams
Access to a proprietary pipeline of investment opportunities that have been vetted from a financial and qualitative perspective
The "My Stage 1 Difference"
While Stage 1 Fund looks at many of the traditional markers other funds use to determine the future success of a business, we also utilize something more specialized: My Stage 1 automated reporting. By only focusing and investing in Stage 1 Financial brands, Stage 1 Fund will have access to unique and transparent data points not seen by everyday investors.
better reporting + faster reaction = competitive edge
All Stage 1 Fund investments are required to be on the My Stage 1 automated platform for financial and operational reporting. Stage 1 Financial will ensure that the brands have elite reporting package options, and, most importantly, Stage 1 Financial will assist businesses in the usage of their reporting and actioning of the data. This is something that is already embedded in the Stage 1 Financial offering to its clients. Stage 1 Financial has consistently found that the businesses utilizing their My Stage 1 data and reports are the ones that succeed.
In the Trenches
Typical funds are comprised of highly knowledgeable advisors and consultants that have a laundry list of contacts— that's great! Stage 1 Fund has experienced fund managers, operating partners and an advisory board with decades of cumulative consumer products operating and investing knowledge too!
However, what traditional funds are lacking is the ability to provide a dedicated staff that work in each particular business model, every day, on the ground floor. Stage 1 Fund treats it partners with as much dedication and resources as a middle market buyout fund.
Stage 1 Fund will not just take the advice of its Board and Advisors, but will look to the Stage 1 Financial team members that work with these companies on a daily basis in areas such as AP, AR, Cash Management, etc. These team members have a unique view on how entrepreneurs manage their team, their vendor relationships, and cash.
Our team members see these entrepreneurs at their best moments, and, more importantly, their worst. We believe this unprecedented access significantly enhances our investment decision making process and therefore reduces risk for our LPs.
Portfolio
We are elated to announce that Stage 1 Fund has begun to deploy capital. We have a robust pipeline of new investments and are excited to introduce to you our latest portfolio companies!
Recent investments
G.O.A.T. Fuel
G.O.A.T. Fuel ® (“greatest of all time”) was created by Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice and his family. It is a premium sports energy beverage and lifestyle brand focused on bringing health-forward, innovative products and a G.O.A.T. mindset to consumers. We believe the term G.O.A.T. shouldn’t be reserved only just for athletes but anyone striving to be great. In May of 2023, G.O.A.T. Fuel closed their Seed Round for $5 million and Stage 1 Fund was a core contributor.
Crown Affair
Crown Affair is a love letter to your hair—a place where aspirations and reality go hand in hand. We want to transform the way you care for your strands, so that those routines become something you love and enjoy as much as we do. It’s a journey, but this is a good place to start. Here’s to taking your time. In May of 2022, Crown Affair closed their Series A round, in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
Scotch Porter
Scotch Porter is for men who want to look their best at all times—and not in that gym 45 hours a week #FitFam kind of way (but hey, that’s okay too). They have developed a line that takes facial hair to the next level. “We exist to provide healthy and effective products that help men to feel confident and look their best as they set out to explore the world and build their dreams” - Calvin Quallis. In June of 2021, Scotch Porter closed their Bridge Round to a Series B Round, in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
Freck Beauty
Freck Beauty is the bold, clean beauty brand for anyone who cares about ingredients, respects the process, and doesn’t care about the rules.
FRECK BEAUTY
Freck Beauty is the bold, clean beauty brand for anyone who cares about ingredients, respects the process, and doesn’t care about the rules. Founded by Remi Brixton in 2017, Freck launched with one product, Freck OG, the world’s first freckle cosmetic. Today, Freck Beauty has grown into an international beauty brand offering one-of-a-kind clean makeup and skincare must-haves. Based in Echo Park, Freck Beauty has generated universal acclaim from media, celebrities, influencers and consumers alike, helping drive year-over-year sales growth of 300% in 2020. Inspired by Remi’s vision and her diverse local community of East Los Angeles, Freck Beauty champions clean ingredients, efficacious formulas, inclusivity and first-to-market originality. In November 2020, Freck closed their Seed round led by Stage 1 Fund.
Bond Pet Foods
Bond’s is pet food made in a clean, sustainable, & super kind way.
BOND PET FOODS
Bond Pet Foods, Inc. is a Boulder, Colorado-based pet food company using biotechnology to create food that's nutritionally comparable to conventional meat but without all the bad stuff - so people, pets, farm animals and the planet all win. Using some of the same processes that are employed in craft brewing, Bond produces high-quality animal proteins through fermentation, harvests them to better meet the nutritional requirements of companion animals, and uses the ingredients as the foundation of its complete recipes. In September of 2020, Bond closed their Seed round in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
Saie
Saie is a clean beauty brand about getting the best of both worlds - uncompromising toxic-free cosmetics with optimal performance.
SAIE
Saie Beauty was founded by Laney Crowell in 2019. Rooted in the fashion and beauty worlds with uncompromising standards for clean, toxic-free products, Saie is backed by an extraordinary team of world-class chemists and operators. With more than 2,000 ingredients Saie refuses to use in their products, Laney launched the beauty brand as a way to make clean makeup easily available for all and to build on a mission of real sustainability. Featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, Saie is quickly accelerating its DTC distribution growth. In February of 2020, Saie closed their Seed round in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
Ellis Brooklyn
The NY-based prestige clean fragrance brand, creating sophisticated and accessible small-batch fragrances and body products.
ELLIS BROOKLYN
Ellis Brooklyn, a modern, luxury fragrance brand created with the ethos of clean ingredients, sustainable sourcing and unforgettable scents, was founded in 2015 by Bee Shapiro. Developed with the world’s most prestigious fragrance houses, the vegan and cruelty-free line is dedicated to safer ingredients and minimal impact on the environment. In November of 2019, Ellis Brooklyn closed their Seed round led by Stage 1 Fund.
SPUDSY
Spudsy innovates good-for-you and good-for-the-world, super snacks that never compromise on taste, nutrition or sustainability.
SPUDSY
Spudsy’s founder Ashley Boeckle co-founded her first venture, Buff Bake, in 2014, producing premium quality, high protein nut butters and protein cookies. And now she’s doing it again with Spudsy! Spudsy is a gluten-free, non-GMO sweet potato puff snacking line. The products are currently sold in three flavors — Vegan Cheesy Cheddar, Cinnamon Churro and Bangin’ Bar-B-Q. Spudsy partners with suppliers who help them utilize “imperfect” sweet potatoes and turn them into delicious, yummy snacks. In June of 2019, Spudsy closed their Seed round in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
Lemon Perfect
Lemon Perfect is a remarkably refreshing cold-pressed lemon water beverage that delivers all-natural hydration with only 5 calories and 0 sugar.
LEMON PERFECT
Lemon Perfect was founded by Yanni Hufnagel in 2017. Backed by an extraordinary team of investors and operators, Lemon Perfect is a disruptive brand at the intersection of great taste and good-for-you. Headquartered in Hermosa Beach, CA, Lemon Perfect is accelerating distribution growth in key regions of Southern California, Rockies, and New York Metro area, with retailers including Whole Foods, Bristol Farms & Lazy Acres Market. In March of 2019, Lemon Perfect closed their Seed round in which Stage 1 Fund participated.
HERBIVORE
Bringing you truly natural, cruelty free skincare that provides results you can see and feel.
HERBIVORE
HERBIVORE was founded by Julia Wills and Alexander Kummerow in 2011 in their Seattle kitchen. Five years after launching on Etsy, the natural skin-care and body-care trendsetter has landed space on both Sephora’s and Nordstrom’s shelves. The retail push put HERBIVORE on track to be one of the fasting growing clean beauty brands in the world, leading them to be named the 2018 Forbes CircleUp25 winner. In August of 2019, Herbivore raised $15M in Series A funding lead by Silas Capital and Stage 1 Fund.
HATCH
A solution-driven brand offering products and information to women before they know they need it.
HATCH
HATCH was founded in 2011 by Ariane Goldman. Born out of a desire for something chic and elevated, Ariane created HATCH to fill a void in the maternity clothing market. With this in mind, she created an original line of chic and timeless clothing meant to be worn for every stage of a woman’s pregnancy. Regularly worn by Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan, HATCH has been featured in dozens of magazines including Vogue, The New York Times, Forbes. And took home Glossy's 2019 Best Breakthrough Startup in Beauty x Wellness. In April of 2019, HATCH raised $5M in Series A funding, led by Silas Capital and with participation from Stage 1 Fund and M3 Ventures.
Non-Public Investments
Rounding out our portfolio are a series of private investments.
Shhhh….
With a diverse portfolio in mind, we have launched a new series of investments that will not be publicly announced. To learn more about these companies please reach out to our Fund Manager and inquire about becoming a Limited Partner.
Stage 1 Financial + Stage 1 Fund
Stage 1 Fund will get hundreds of off-market investment opportunities through a proprietary pipeline of thriving Stage 1 Financial clients
Along with our robust team at Stage 1 Financial, please meet David Bartholomew, Partner of Stage 1 Fund
David Bartholomew
PARTNER, FUND MANAGER
David is a Private Equity & Venture Capital investor with 20 years of proven success in corporate finance and entrepreneurial endeavors. Prior to joining Stage 1 as Partner, David was the Marketing Director & Member of the General Partnership of Windjammer Capital Investors (WCI), a $3 Billion private equity investment firm based in Newport Beach, CA where he was responsible for generating and analyzing qualified investment opportunities, as well as assisting in the firm’s fundraising efforts.
David Bartholomew brings two decades of industry specific as well as industry agnostic experience to Stage 1 Fund. His most recent experience in the CPG vertical, includes Venture Capital investments in Once Upon A Farm, Tosi Bar, Owl's Brew, Nona Lim, Powerful Foods, Foodstirs & Piñata. He currently maintains strategic relationships with Windjammer Capital Investors, The Gerson Lehrman Group, and TriVista.