Capital Information
The Sichuan chain restaurant brand "Playing With Sheep Gas" has received nearly 10 million yuan in financing
On April 7, Sichuan chain restaurant brand "Playing With Sheep" announced that it has received nearly 10 million angel + round of financing on March 24, with investors including Rong Angel, Meihua Venture Capital, Cai QuBo, Tongling Venture Capital, Hantang Holdings, and Critical Capital as the exclusive financial advisor. The founders said that this round of financing will be mainly used for digital construction, R&D investment and supply chain construction.
Playing sheep qi positioning healthy mutton handmade fresh powder, through covering universities, residential areas, supermarkets and other scenarios, with the franchise mode to quickly open the national market. In January 2022, Yangqi opened its first store in Longhua District, Shenzhen, and has now signed a contract to expand 15 branches. It is estimated that by the end of 2022, there will be more than 100 stores nationwide. （Foodtalks）
The community fresh chain brand "Ming Kang Hui" received hundreds of millions of yuan in financing
On April 6, the community fresh chain brand "Ming Kang Hui" received a new round of financing of hundreds of millions of yuan, led by the China Agricultural Reclamation Industry Development Fund and the Zhejiang Liangshan Rural Revitalization Fund. This round of financing will be used for rural revitalization, retail store expansion, and the improvement of enterprise digital capabilities.
Founded in Hangzhou in 2012, Mingkanghui takes the fresh supply chain as its core business, providing consumers with fresh agricultural products covering meat, poultry, eggs, aquatic products, vegetables, fruits, grains, soy products and other categories, and has successively created a number of self-owned product brands such as Alpine, Zhejiang Fresh, Children's Series, Wild Vine Grapes, Canopy Melon, Huanxi Mandarin. (Third Eye Retail)
Outdoor equipment brand "Nuke Naturehike" completed nearly 100 million yuan of financing
On April 6, outdoor equipment brand "Nuke Naturehike" completed nearly 100 million yuan of financing, which was exclusively invested by Zhong Ding Capital. This is also the first time that the company has accepted external investment.
Founded in 2010, Naturehike focuses on the development and sales of hiking, camping, mountaineering and other products, and products such as tents, tables and chairs, sleeping bags, and air cushions have repeatedly won the first place in Tmall's single category sales. Products cover 68 countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia and other countries, and in 2020, it will become the top ten new brands of Tmall Overseas Overseas Products overseas. (Investment community)
A new generation of home intelligent projection brand "Zhima Cinema TV" completed a series A financing of 100 million yuan
On April 8, a new generation of home intelligent projection brand "Zhima Cinema TV" announced the completion of a 100 million yuan A round of financing, led by CICC Capital, and this round of funds will be mainly used for product technology research and development and supply chain building.
Zhima Cinema TV belongs to Jiangsu Jinshi Legend Technology Co., Ltd., which was established in 2017, and enters the market with a home projector, and comprehensively covers the needs of users in different scenarios through a product portfolio with different prices and functions. In the 6 months of listing, the cumulative shipment of the whole network reached 12W+ units, becoming the first officially certified jitter brand in the Douyin 3C digital category. (36Kr)
Digital human technology company "Shadow Eye Technology" completed tens of millions of yuan Pre-A round of financing
On April 8, digital human technology company "Shadow Eye Technology" announced the completion of tens of millions of yuan Pre-A round of financing, led by Sequoia China Seed Fund and co-invested by the original shareholder Qi performance innovation altar (formerly YC China), this round of funds will continue to be used for team building and research and development of the underlying core technology of digital people, and explore more possibilities for the application of digital people driven by intelligent technology.
Incubated in ShanghaiTech University, Shadow Eye Technology has independently developed a full-process automated digital face generation system, which combines artificial intelligence, computational photography, graphics and other technologies to output frame-by-frame facial geometry and materials that are fine to skin microstructure, and has provided dozens of film, television, game and marketing companies with different levels of facial assets. (36Kr)
"Banana" sprints to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
On April 8, the parent company of the city outdoor brand "Banana Under the Plantain" "Banana Holdings Limited" officially submitted a prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for listing on the Main Board.
Founded in 2013, the brand initially launched the main product "double-layer small black umbrella" for young female consumers, and since 2017, the brand has further expanded the footwear market around the outdoor sunscreen needs of urban life. In 2021, revenue from non-sunscreen products under bananas will increase more than fivefold, accounting for 20.6%. (IPO already knows)
Ladies' light luxury bag brand "Luxury Dai" completed angel round financing
On April 9, the women's light luxury bag brand "Luxury Dai" has completed an angel round of financing of nearly 10 million yuan, led by Sequoia Capital, and the funds will be mainly used for team building, product research and development and brand awareness promotion.
Founded in 2022, luxury Dai is oriented to the consumption habits of modern women of different ages, integrating research and development, production, sales and trade, creating fashionable and functional fashion light luxury bags and bags, and providing light luxury fashion operations. (Ene cattle data)
Pet food brand "Douchai" completed tens of millions of A+ round of financing
On April 8, pet food brand "Douchai" has completed tens of millions of A+ round of financing, which is exclusively invested by the old shareholder Jinding Capital, and the funds will be mainly used to increase investment in new product research and development, as well as brand building, team upgrading and other system construction.
Founded in 2015, Douchai is positioned as a pet gastrointestinal health expert brand, including pet cat and dog food, health care products, medical drugs and daily necessities. In the early days, it provided free pet and medical content consultation and services for pet owners through WeChat channels, and has accumulated millions of fan users. In 2021, the brand sales scale reached 300 million. (Jinding Capital)
Canadian condiment brand Acid League has raised $6 million
On April 9, Canadian seasoning brand Acid League completed a $6 million funding round, led by existing investors InvestEco Capital and Brand Project.
Founded in 2019, Acid League initially entered the market with high-end fruit vinegar, and then expanded into compound condiments, launching salad dressings, etc., as well as Asian-style hot sauces and alcohol-free wine products "Proxies", of which red wine is currently sold in some high-end catering channels. （FoodTalks）
FoodBOWL, a healthy light food brand, has completed two rounds of financing of tens of millions of yuan
On April 12, the healthy light food brand "FOODBOWL" has completed two rounds of financing of tens of millions of yuan, and this angel + round was invested by Wanwu Ability. The funds are used to build a complete set of digital systems covering the human resources side, the supply chain side and the product side to improve the overall operational efficiency.
Founded in 2015, FOODBOWL is a light food brand dedicated to creating "delicious healthy meals". The brand balances nutritionally, offering a wide selection of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. At present, a total of 27 stores have been opened in Beijing and Chengdu. (36Kr)
The outdoor lifestyle brand "ABC Camping Country" was exclusively invested by Green Mountain Capital
On April 12, lifestyle brand ABC Camping Country received an exclusive US$1 million investment from Tsingshan Capital.
Founded in 2019, ABC Camping Country is committed to creating a professional camping experience for outdoor enthusiasts, covering camping tents, outdoor cooking utensils, storage utensils, lifestyle accessories and so on. At present, it has 5 offline stores in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou and Shenyang, and 2 camping experience camps in Qiandao Lake and Yixing. (Aoyama Capital)
Food technology startup Haofood completes $3.5 million seed round
Food technology startup Haofood completes a $3.5 million seed round to advance its R&D and innovation in plant-based chicken, accelerate its diversified channel sales strategy, grow its domestic business and expand into Asian and other markets.
Founded in 2020, Haofood is a plant-based chicken R&D brand that introduces products such as plant-based chicken minced meat and chicken nuggets. At present, the goods have been listed on tmall's official flagship store, priced at 30-68 yuan. (PR Newswire)
Smart home appliance brand "Light American Electrical Appliances" received tens of millions of yuan in Series A financing
On April 2, the smart home appliance company "Light American Electrical Appliances" announced that it has received tens of millions of yuan of Series A financing from Borun Capital and BV Baidu Venture Capital, which is mainly used for research and development investment, dishwasher smart factory construction and market expansion. Previously, Light American Electric Appliances had obtained xiaomi's angel round of financing and became a xiaomi ecological chain enterprise.
Founded in 2019, the company will build its own dishwasher factory in 2021, and is expected to be officially put into production in June 2022, and will launch smart dishwasher products with high-end price and high-performance configuration. Qingmei Electric Appliances will solve the problem that traditional dishwashers do not apply to Chinese tableware specifications, low cleanliness and high energy consumption, and make dishwashers have the function of disinfection cabinets through innovative disinfection technology. (Brand Planet)
Season Health, a customized healthy eating platform, raised $34 million in Series A funding
On April 4, Season Health, a customized healthy eating platform, announced a $34 million Series A round of funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz, followed by LRV Health, Company Ventures and others. Previously, Season Health raised $11 million in seed rounds.
Founded in 2022, Season Health has launched a meal delivery service for people with diabetes and chronic kidney disease by introducing a health system that provides customized diets for people with both taste and nutritional needs. The brand has now launched in Arizona, California and other regions, and plans to provide services to the United States nationwide in June. (Brand Planet)
Asian supermarket brand Yami yami completes a $50 million Series B financing round
On April 6, Asian supermarket brand Yami announced the completion of a $50 million Series B financing round, with a cumulative total financing of $60 million. The round was co-led by Altos Ventures and Balsam Bay Partners, with previous investors J.P Morgan and GGV Capital participating. The amount of this round of funding will be used to build warehouses and invest in technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to strengthen its supply chain and improve the customer experience.
Founded in 2013, Yamiyami offers more than 260,000 SKUs covering more than 4,000 brands including food, skincare, health and household goods. Yamibuy Yami currently has more than 2 million users in the U.S., more than 300 employees worldwide, and offices in the U.S., China, and Japan. Founder Alex Zhou said that it is considering entering the Canadian market as soon as 2023. (Brand Planet)
The American personal health brand "BETTER & BETTER" received $4 million in funding
On March 22, American personal health brand BETTER & BETTER announced a $4 million round of funding led by newly founded fund Fifth Quarter Ventures, followed by Azure Capital, Alpaca Ventures and Dreamer's Fund, founded by Will Smith and Japanese footballer Keisuke Honda. The amount of this round of financing will be used for product development, scientific research support, oral care product expansion, retail channel expansion and marketing investment increase.
FOUNDED IN 2020 TO DEVELOP PERSONAL HEALTH PRODUCTS, BETTER & BETTER WANTS TO HELP CONSUMERS GET VITAMINS IN THEIR DAILY HYGIENE ROUTINES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ORAL MEDICATION SUPPLEMENTS. (Brand Planet)
Wholesum, a Korean brand operations management company, raised $50 million in Series A funding
On April 5, Wholesum, a South Korean brand operations management company, announced a $50 million Series A round of financing, including $35 million in debt financing and $15 million in equity financing, led by Kingsway Capital, Antler Global and Widus Partners. Previously, the company received a $4.75 million seed round in August 2021.
Wholesum is a Seoul-based brand operations management company with a founding team of Korean e-commerce companies Coupang and LG Fashion, as well as backgrounds in the financial and private equity industries. Wholesum hopes to help third-party brands on e-commerce platforms solve the problems of lack of funds, insufficient manpower, and lack of operational experience, so as to quickly grow and expand into a global brand. Wholesum currently has five local Korean brands and plans to acquire another 15-20 brands in the lifestyle, health, children and pets sectors in 2022. (Brand Planet)
Skiwear brand Moodlab received nearly 10 million yuan in angel round financing
On April 8, skiwear brand Moodlab announced the completion of an angel round of financing of nearly 10 million yuan, and the investors were Jianfeng Evergreen and Zero One Capital. This round of financing will be mainly used for product research and development and channel expansion.
Founded in 2021, Moodlab positions professional skiwear with a sense of design and trend, and the target customer base accounts for 60% of female users. At present, the brand has launched ski clothes, ski pants, sweatshirts, suspender pants and other products, the price band is 1000-2500 yuan. (Brand Planet)
Smart ring brand "Oura" completed its ninth round of funding, with a valuation of $2.55 billion
On April 5, wearable device brand "Oura" announced the completion of its ninth round of funding, valuing it at $2.55 billion. The round includes Lifeline Ventures, Forerunner Ventures and MSD Capital, and the funds will be used for research and development, product research, personalization and usage guidelines.
Oura is a Finnish wearables brand founded in 2014 and offers smart rings for sleep monitoring and heart rate tracking. In October 2021, Oura released the third generation of oura Ring, which will include new features including 24/7 heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring, and period prediction. The ring sells for $300 (about 1,900 yuan) and has sold about 500,000 rings by 2021. (Brand Planet)
Light sports lifestyle brand "Jiaoma" received RMB angel round financing of 10 million yuan
On April 11, Jiaoma, a light sports lifestyle brand, announced that it had received a 10 million RMB angel round of financing, which was led by Xieli Investment and followed by Qianfan Mingyue Capital. The funds will be used for product matrix expansion and channel expansion.
Jiaoma was founded in 2021 by Xu Xiaofeng, former e-commerce marketing director of Handu Yishe. With the design concept of "somatosensory science", the brand hopes to provide users with highly functional and multi-scene sports and casual clothing through innovative research on scientific and technological fabrics. The target users are new middle-class women aged 25-35 in first- and second-tier cities. (Brand Planet)
Pet brand "Meat Mat Rodin" received rmb 10 million angel round financing to expand the dog products market
On April 7, pet brand "Meat Mat Rodin" announced the completion of a 10 million YUAN angel round of financing, invested by Yihai Group.
Founded in 2021, Meat Pad has launched more than 20 products from cat products to the market, covering cat food, cat snacks, cat litter, cleaning supplies, daily necessities and so on. In April 2022, Meat Pad launched the first dog food product, the functional nutrition series of full-price natural dog food for dog tear stain problems, and will continue to improve cat and dog products in the future. At present, meat mat has laid out online channels such as Jingdong and Tmall, and has covered more than 3,000 offline stores. (Brand Planet)
The parent company of the wireless pool cleaning robot "Aiper", "Yuanding Intelligence", received more than 100 million yuan of Series A financing
On April 11, Yuanding Intelligent, the parent company of the wireless pool cleaning robot brand "Aiper", announced that it has received more than 100 million yuan of Series A financing, which is led by XVC and followed by Sunwoda, and the funds will be used for product research and development, brand building and talent recruitment.
Founded in 2015, Yuanding Intelligent is positioned in the entire courtyard intelligent scene, including intelligent pool robots, lawn mowing robots, industrial cleaning robots and home energy storage equipment. Yuanding Intelligent launched the wireless pool robot brand "Aiper" in 2019, compared with the traditional corded pool robot products, Aiper has a self-developed battery pack management system, longer cleaning time, and has automatic path planning, setting key cleaning areas and booking cleaning functions. (Brand Planet)
Singapore-based mother and baby startup The Parentinc completes $22 million Series D funding round
On April 6, Singapore-based mother and baby startup The Parentinc announced the completion of a $22 million Series D round of funding, led by East Ventures and undisclosed investors, with new investors Central Retail Corporation and existing investor WHG Holdings, including venture debt financing from DBS. This round of funding will be used for business expansion in Asia Pacific and other regions. Previous investors of the company also included JD.com, Fosun International, LINE SEA Corp. wait.
The Parentinc's predecessor was the Asianparent, a mother and baby blog founded in 2009. Today, theAsianparent is the largest online mother and baby content community in Southeast Asia, available in 11 languages including English, Malay, Hindi and over 35 million users per month. theAsianparent has a website and mobile app user terminal, providing maternal and infant knowledge in maternity care, baby and child nutrition, growth education and other aspects. (Brand Planet)
French plant meat company Umiami received $30 million in Series A funding
On April 7, French plant-based meat company Umiami announced a $30 million Series A round of funding, led by Belgium's Astanor Ventures, Switzerland's Redalpine Venture Partners and investment platform French Partners. Previously, Umiami announced in July 2021 that it had completed a €2.3 million seed round with investors including Bpifrance, Kima Ventures and Newfund.
Founded in 2020, Umiami has developed a plant-based chicken breast product. The brand says the product uses a protein texturing process that gives the plant matrix a fibrous consistency that can be cut into chunks as a whole. Umiami will open an industrial R&D center in Paris in May 2022 and a production plant by the end of 2023. The brand expects to launch its first products in Western Europe and North America in 2022, primarily to brand customers, foodservice channels and food manufacturers. (Brand Planet)
Skincare brand "HEPROA Haipunuo" received nearly 10 million yuan in Pre-A round financing
Recently, skincare brand "HEPROA Haipunuo" announced the completion of a Pre-A round of financing of nearly 10 million yuan, and the investor is Mingfeng Capital. This round of funds will be used for brand upgrading, team building and channel expansion.
Founded in 2020, HEPROA is a former vice dean of the School of Medicine of Shenzhen University and a PhD in Immunology from oxford University, with more than 20 years of experience in the research and development of functional skin care products, functional foods, probiotics and pharmaceuticals. The brand takes "micro-ecological scientific research and skin care" as the core concept, and the core product core is the patented ingredient "HEPROA-6A™" developed from probiotics, prebiotics and natural plants, providing effective and safe skin care products for microecological imbalanced skin, including lotions, serums, creams, masks and other categories. (Brand Planet)
Brand information
Deciem, a cosmetics company owned by Estée Lauder, closes four brands with a focus on functional skincare brand The Ordinary
Deciem, a cosmetics company owned by Estée Lauder, announced on Instagram the closure of four of its smaller brands, namely hair care brand HIF, serum brand Hylamide, skincare brand Abnomaly and anti-aging care brand The Chemistry Brand.
Deciem retains only the high-end skincare line Noid and the affordable skincare line The Ordinary, which will focus on science-first functional skincare products in the future. Previously, Deciem's brands focused on skincare, shampoo and body care, of which The Ordinary was the most famous. (Brand Planet)
SHEIN launches lingerie brand independent station "Luvlette"
According to Beluga Sea, SHEIN launched a stand-alone station for its lingerie brand "Luvlette". Previously, SHEIN registered the Luvlette trademark in 2020 and launched the brand on the SHEIN main site website in 2021.
Luvlette's products include underwear, underwear, loungewear, as well as sports bras and leggings. Luvlette is a cost-effective route, with a single bra costing between $4.9 and $21. Luvlette also pays attention to the needs of large-sized people, with underwear up to 85F. In terms of social media, Luvlette has opened Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube accounts, and the most followed account is Instagram (12,000 followers). (Brand Planet)
Xtep announced its full-year 2021 and Q1 2022 financial reports, with full-year revenue of $10 billion
Recently, Xtep International Group announced its full-year 2021 financial results (ended December 31, 2021) and Chinese mainland business operating conditions for Q1 2022 (for the three months ended March 31, 2022). According to the 2021 full-year financial report, the overseas operations of its brands K-Swiss and Palladium were affected by the epidemic, the supply chain in Southeast Asian countries was interrupted and the global ports were blocked, and the performance of the brand was lower than last year. In January 2022, K-Swiss's first brick-and-mortar store opened in Chinese mainland, with plans to expand more in the future.
In addition, the brand will focus on the technical research and development of running products in 2021, of which the "160X" series of running shoes is the main product of Xtep, which is provided for marathons and running events. For the youth market, Xtep has also launched a corresponding "100" series to broaden the young user base. (Brand Planet)
Anker Innovation released its 2021 financial report, with annual revenue of 12.57 billion yuan, an increase of 34.45% year-on-year
On April 11, Anker Innovation released its 2021 financial report, which is as of December 31, 2021. Founded in 2011, Anker Innovation focuses on the research and development and sales of consumer electronic products such as private brand mobile device accessories and smart hardware, and the products mainly include charging, intelligent innovation and wireless audio. By the end of 2021, the company's business has covered more than 146 countries and regions, and the number of global users has exceeded 100 million.
At present, it has four brands: charging brand "Anker", smart home cleaning technology brand "eufy", laser intelligent projection brand "NEBULA" and wireless audio brand "soundcore". (Brand Planet)
Media & Channel Information
Douyin set up a liquor self-operated e-commerce team
On April 1, Douyin is setting up a liquor self-operated e-commerce team to recruit e-commerce liquor procurement and sales related personnel. The e-commerce business will be affiliated with Beijing Chaojiu Twilight Drink Trading Co., Ltd., and Douyin will rely on the Douyin platform to conduct live broadcasts / short videos to sell liquor, and the liquor products sold are mainly liquor non-Moutai series of goods. (Tech Planet)
Microsoft to operate a cross-border e-commerce platform "Buy with Microsoft"
On April 1, Microsoft will launch its first cross-border e-commerce platform "Buy with Microsoft", mainly for the US market. Merchants settled in the platform need to meet the conditions of online or offline sales of more than 1 million US dollars, trademark registration certificate or brand /IP authorization certificate, high product quality, and return rate of less than 5% (non-clothing and footwear products) or 15% (clothing and footwear products). At present, the goods on the platform mainly include household department stores, 3C, clothing and shoes, electronic accessories, gardening tools and other categories, the platform has begun internal testing since March 22, and is expected to be launched in April and May. (Ebang Power)
Douyin e-commerce promotes "Spark Store Plan"
On April 10, Douyin E-commerce began to promote the "Spark Store Plan", mainly for second-hand store merchants who have limited offline traffic and lack operational experience and methodology after switching to online platforms. The platform will dock and guide such merchants to solve the online and offline business difficulties of second-hand store merchants through successful store opening rewards, recommended store rewards, store area traffic packages, store atmosphere materials, etc. (Douyin e-commerce marketing observation)
Xiaohongshu will launch the rules for the management of brand violations and deduction points
On April 11, Xiaohongshu announced that it will launch the rules for the management of illegal deductions for brand violations, and points will be deducted for illegal marketing behaviors. Among them, illegal marketing behavior includes but is not limited to content cooperation behavior that has not been reviewed by the brand cooperation platform and the platform advertisement, and after deducting points, it will be punished with different degrees of restriction, ban and other phased disposal measures. The rule will be officially launched on April 20, 2022, and applies to all brands that have marketing appeals in Xiaohongshu. (Official)