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Jake Paul’s W Raises $14 Million in Seed and Series A Funding Led by Shrug Capital and Anti Fund to Reinvigorate Men’s Personal Care Aisle

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On track to hit north of $50M in its first year, W is already breaking records as the best launch in Walmart’s ‘Emerging Brands’ category

MIAMI, July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — W, the men’s personal care brand from Jake Paul made to smell great and designed to work harder, today announced it has raised a Series A led by Shrug Capital. Valued north of $150 million, W has raised $14 million in funding to-date, inclusive of seed financing and incubation from Anti Fund. Prominent co-investors include Range Group, 305 Ventures, Uphonest Capital, Quiet Capital and Palm Tree Crew, with participation from individuals including Celsius’ CEO John Fieldly, Fanatic’s CEO Michael Rubin, Lil Durk, Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, and Carter Reum and Paris Hilton.

“It’s incredibly important to me that W fill the void that’s been apparent in the men’s personal care category for decades,” said Jake Paul, Founder of W. “Everything W does is different — from driving record sales in under a month to our forward-thinking approach to creator partnerships. Our funding to date reflects our investors’ confidence in the immense opportunity we have to build a new type of legacy brand in unique and unexpected ways. I invested my own capital into this company along with my partner and Co-Founder Geoffrey Woo because we strongly believe in W’s runway to achieve a massive and successful future.”

Launched last month exclusively at Walmart, W is already breaking records as the retailer’s best launch in its ‘Emerging Brands’ category history, blowing past seven figures in sales and on track to hit north of $50 million in sales by the end of its first year. W will use the capital to support both SKU and retailer expansion as the company continues on its mission to reinvigorate the men’s personal care aisle through its better-for-you products at a great value.

“The industry is riddled with legacy players that are taking antiquated approaches and in turn are losing market and mindshare,” said Moshe Lifschitz, Shrug Capital’s Managing Partner. “When we think about brands that will shape the next generation of household brands, W has all the characteristics. We are extremely excited to partner with Jake, Woodie, and Geoff and look forward to the many wins to come.”

W has also assembled an all-star team of W Co-Owners — a roster of celebrity and influential brand ambassadors who embody the winning spirit in their respective industries. The equity holders announced to-date include MMA champion and ESPN’s 2024 Best UFC Fighter recipient, Sean O’Malley and hip-hop megastar, Rubi Rose, with more Co-owners to be announced soon. The goal of the Co-Owners is to bring together people Paul admires who represent hard work, ambition, and do things differently across their unique domains of expertise.

“We realized the typical direct-to-consumer playbook wasn’t right for us and instead decided to launch retail-first with Walmart, America’s biggest retailer,” said W’s CEO and Co-Founder, Woodie Hillyard. “I’m extremely excited to see that consumers are reacting so positively to W since our launch just last month. We’re looking forward to expanding our consumer touchpoints and breaking records as one of the biggest CPG brands to hit the market.”

For more information, visit www.getw.com and follow @itscalledw on Instagram and TikTok.

About W
W is a men’s personal care brand founded by pro-boxer, entrepreneur and digital creator, Jake Paul, that is made to smell great and designed to work harder. Founded to give men the confidence to win in all pursuits of life, W’s better-for-you products are designed to work hard when you need them most. Offering a range of accessibly priced products for hair, body, and face, W products are vegan, cruelty-free, and formulated without phthalates, parabens, harsh sulfates, or artificial dyes. W’s formulas are infused with vitamins like Magnesium, Biotin, and Vitamin E to nourish hair and skin. The collection is available in three uplifting scents that were developed with mood-boosting fragrances. W can be found nationwide at Walmart and on Walmart.com. For more information, visit www.getw.com.

About Shrug Capital
Shrug Capital invests in culturally relevant companies and has an impressive portfolio in the consumer space including MrBeast’s Feastables and Liquid Death. The firm was founded in 2018 and is led by Niv Dror and Moshe Lifschitz. Shrug manages over $125 million in AUM and invests across a variety of industries. Shrug has unique access to business leaders, founders, executives, and celebrities who regularly co-invest and work with the companies Shrug partners with. Shrug is known to be super connectors, bridging the gap between leaders in tech and entertainment. More at www.shrug.vc.

About Anti Fund
Anti Fund is a venture capital firm founded by Jake Paul and Geoffrey Woo in 2021. Anti Fund believes the best founders are rebels and iconoclasts, and the “anti” ethos resonates with the very best engineers, scientists, and creators. Startups live and die on two levers: capital and attention. While capital is fungible, the ability to command attention is not. Whether a company sells consumer products or is a research lab producing AI & robotic foundational models, they all must compete on the ability to win mindshare and ultimately customers and revenues. Visit www.antifund.vc for more information.

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SOURCE W Labs Inc.

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ChoiceCash publishes two new data studies highlighting title loan application trends

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VAN NUYS, Calif., Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ChoiceCash, a leading title loan brand offering auto equity loans to subprime borrowers in more than 20 states, has published two new data studies highlighting title loan application trends.

Published on September 10th 2024, the first data study covering average credit scores for title loan applicants reveals that the ChoiceCash product offers consumer credit to applicants with a credit profile that is well below the national average. The product-wide credit score average of 557.6 for year-to-date applications through end of August is largely consistent for applicants from all regions within the United States, ranging from 545.3 in the Northeast to 559.6 in the West.

Published on September 18th 2024, the second data study highlights title loan customer payment trends by payment method, region and loan disbursement method. This study reveals that ChoiceCash title loan customers have a clear preference for making payments using electronic payment channels, accounting for more than 90% of payments. Looking at payment channel preferences based on how the loan proceeds were disbursed at the inception of the loan, the study finds that customers’ preferences for receiving loan funds also reflect in the channels they choose for making loan payments. The study concludes that ChoiceCash’s online title loan product offer, which includes multiple ways to both receive loan proceeds and make loan payments, allows title loan customers to transact consistent with their financial preferences.

About ChoiceCash:

ChoiceCash is a vehicle-secured loan option for borrowers from all walks of life. Serving customers in more than 20 states, ChoiceCash has grown to be a premier funding option, with more than a million loan inquiries processed.

The ChoiceCash loan is made by Capital Community Bank, a Utah Charted bank, located in Provo, Utah, Member FDIC. All loans will be serviced by LoanMart. Loan proceeds are intended primarily for personal, family and household purposes. All loan applications are subject to meeting Capital Community Bank’s credit criteria, which include providing acceptable property as collateral. Customers need to demonstrate ability to repay the loan.

Contact information: media@choicecash.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/choicecash-publishes-two-new-data-studies-highlighting-title-loan-application-trends-302261650.html

SOURCE ChoiceCash Title Loans

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TELUS Acquires Additional Shares of TELUS Digital

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VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – TELUS Corporation (“TELUS”) today announced that it has acquired, through a wholly owned subsidiary, an aggregate of 2,593,631 subordinate voting shares (the “Purchased Shares”) in the capital of TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (“TELUS Digital”) by way of market purchases over the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange. As a result of the acquisition of these subordinate voting shares, TELUS has acquired an additional 2.35% interest in the TELUS Digital subordinate voting shares since TELUS’ prior early warning report filed on August 16, 2024. When added to the 4,031,191 subordinate voting shares held prior to the last report, TELUS now holds approximately 5.99% of the outstanding subordinate voting shares.

“We continue to hold confidence in TELUS Digital and its long term profitable growth strategy,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “In recognition of the considerable opportunities ahead, we are once again increasing our existing share ownership of the subordinate voting shares in the public market. These purchases are not part of a strategy to privatize the business, but rather, a reflection of our strong belief in the meaningful and sustainable value that TELUS Digital will create for stakeholders in the years to come.”

The purchase of the Purchased Shares is being made pursuant to the normal course purchase exemption set forth in section 4.1 of National Instrument 62-104.

Before giving effect to the purchase subsequent to our August 15th news release, TELUS held an aggregate of 152,004,019 multiple voting shares of TELUS Digital and 4,031,191 subordinate voting shares. These securities represented approximately 92.5% of the outstanding multiple voting shares and 86.9% of the outstanding voting rights attached to all shares of TELUS Digital and approximately 56.8% of the total shares outstanding, reflecting the conversion by Riel B.V. of multiple voting shares into subordinate voting shares. The 2,593,631 Purchased Shares were acquired at an average purchase price of C$4.90, representing a total additional investment, before trading commissions, of C$12,703,197. After giving effect to the market purchases, TELUS holds an aggregate of 152,004,019 multiple voting shares and 6,624,822 subordinate voting shares. The shares held by TELUS now represent approximately 92.5% of the outstanding multiple voting shares, 6.0% of the outstanding subordinate voting shares, 57.7% of the outstanding shares of TELUS Digital and 87.0% of the outstanding voting rights of TELUS Digital. The multiple voting shares of TELUS Digital may be converted into subordinate voting shares on a one-for-one basis at any time.

TELUS purchased the Purchased Shares for investment purposes and may or may not purchase or sell multiple voting shares, subordinate voting shares or other securities of TELUS Digital in the future on the open market or in private transactions, depending on market conditions and other factors. TELUS currently has no other plans or intentions that relate to its investment in TELUS Digital. Depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, TELUS Digital’s business and financial condition and/or other relevant factors, TELUS may at any time develop other plans or intentions in the future relating to one or more of the above items. A copy of the early warning report to be filed by TELUS in connection with the acquisition will be available on TELUS Digital’s profile on SEDAR+ at sedarplus.ca. Alternatively, you may contact TELUS Investor Relations at 1-800-667-4871 in order to obtain a copy of the report.

The headquarters and principal executive offices of TELUS Digital are located at Floor 5, 510 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 0M3

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with more than $20 billion in annual revenue and over 19 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.

Operating in 32 countries around the world, TELUS Digital Experience (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands across strategic industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, banking, financial services and insurance, healthcare, and others.

TELUS Health is a global healthcare leader, which provides employee and family primary and preventive healthcare and wellbeing solutions. Our TELUS team, along with our 100,000 health professionals, are leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our unsurpassed client service to dramatically improve remedial, preventive and mental health outcomes covering over 75 million lives, and growing, around the world. As the largest provider of digital solutions and digital insights of its kind, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods enables efficient and sustainable production from seed to store, helping improve the safety and quality of food and other goods in a way that is traceable to end consumers.

Driven by our determination and vision to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS and our team to contribute $1.7 billion, including 2.2 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us at @TELUSNews on X and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

Investor Relations
Robert Mitchell
(647) 837-1606
ir@telus.com

Ian McMillan
(604) 317-8768
ir@telus.com 

Media Relations
Steve Beisswanger
(514) 865-2787
Steve.Beisswanger@telus.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/telus-acquires-additional-shares-of-telus-digital-302261639.html

SOURCE TELUS Corporation

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Observo AI, the AI-Powered Telemetry Data Pipeline, Joins the Azure Marketplace

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Observo AI, the AI-powered security and observability telemetry pipeline is now available on Azure Marketplace.

FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Observo AI, a pioneer in creating security and observability data pipelines powered by Artificial Intelligence, today announced a partnership with Microsoft and the availability of Observo on Azure Marketplace. This will make it easier for Azure customers to quickly adopt Observo to help control costs, manage data sprawl, boost productivity, and identify and resolve critical incidents faster.

There is huge growth in data sent to analytics platforms by security teams. Costs for MS Sentinel are increasing at an untenable pace. Azure customers now have access to Observo AI through Azure Marketplace to optimize this data, route it to Sentinel, and save as much as 50% on SIEM costs.

Customers can now deploy Observo AI at speed while benefiting from Azure’s trusted and secure infrastructure, as well as its global commercial footprint. Availability on the Azure Marketplace will enable seamless purchasing and invoicing, with customers able to use their existing Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) to purchase Observo AI.

“Many of our customers who have moved to Azure are experiencing a huge increase in telemetry data sent to analytics platforms by Security and DevOps teams. Expenditures on tools like Microsoft Sentinel are increasing at an untenable pace,” said Ricky Arora, Co-Founder and COO of Observo AI. “Azure Cloud customers now have access to Observo AI through the Azure Marketplace to optimize this data, route it to Sentinel or any other analytics tool, and save as much as 50% on security costs.”

“Observo AI, available on the Azure Marketplace, offers a solution for Microsoft Azure and Sentinel customers struggling with the relentless growth of security data,” said Jatinder Mann, CEO of Cetark, a cyber security services company specializing in Microsoft Security portfolio. “Observo AI empowers Security teams to optimize costs, speed incident response, and ensure robust security and compliance with a seamless, fast, and easy purchase option through the Azure Marketplace.”

Learn More

For more details on how Azure customers can take advantage of Observo AI’s AI-powered pipelines, read the complete announcement on the Observo AI blog. Visit the Observo AI Website at www.observo.ai Watch the Observo AI explainer video at https://vimeo.com/899662669

About Observo AI

Observo AI was created to help solve the biggest telemetry data problems. Observo helps reduce security costs by 50% or more while resolving incidents more than 40% faster. Our AI-Powered Observability Pipeline helps break-free from static, rules-based pipelines. Observo automates security and observability with a pipeline that constantly learns and improves. Minimize risks, enhance visibility, protect sensitive data, and stay in compliance with Observo AI.

Media Contact

Bryan Turriff, Observo AI, 1 5014129978, bryan@observo.ai, www.observo.ai

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/observo-ai-the-ai-powered-telemetry-data-pipeline-joins-the-azure-marketplace-302260671.html

SOURCE Observo AI

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