One of our mantras at Sweater is that we’re only as good as the investments we make. We try to live up to that mantra every day with a rockstar investment team conducting thorough due diligence and research on the most promising startups out there.
The Sweater Cashmere Fund focuses primarily on early-stage growth startups (pre-seed through series B), but we also reserve some investment dollars for growth-stage secondaries and other VC funds with brilliant, emerging fund managers—this is part of a diversified venture investing thesis. We also make sure these investments classify as “consumer-touching,” since companies that are building with lots of people in mind align with our mission to democratize venture capital and build a community where investors can have an active role in helping shape the companies that impact their lives.
As soon as the Cashmere Fund was officially declared effective by the SEC, we began opening it up to our waitlist and community. And as initial investments started flooding in from our Founding Members, we could finally start deploying capital to encouraging ventures.
So without further ado, allow us to introduce the first five investments of the Cashmere Fund:
- EarlyBird is a family wealth-building platform allowing parents to open custodial investment accounts that can be funded with gifts and contributions from a child's entire community, even before birth. A Registered Investment Advisor focused on the youngest generation, this fintech empowers families to invest in a diverse, modern portfolio that includes traditional assets and crypto. With each contribution towards a child's future, parents, relatives and friends can also leave a legacy of love in the form of video or photo memories. We believe EarlyBird is set up well to help families lay the groundwork for a healthy financial future with accessible investing tools and financial education. We also love that EarlyBird is dedicated to breaking down traditional barriers within the financial ecosystem by driving financial literacy, empowerment and freedom for current and future generations.
- Feat is a direct-to-consumer apparel brand aiming to be the most comfortable and versatile athleisure wear in the world. At the intersection of comfort, versatility, and style, Feat’s products are designed to be worn throughout the day, no matter your activity. They have built a name for themselves via their extremely soft proprietary fabrics and influencer collaborations. We’re excited about the market potential for Feat’s offerings and the powerhouse team they have assembled, all with leading high-end consumer brand experience. And they make sweaters, so of course we love them—a Feat/Sweater sweater, now there’s an idea.
- After is an end-of-life software experience focused on providing alternative after-life products and services such as cremation. Time sensitive end-of-life arrangements are coordinated seamlessly through the technology, servicing both bereaved families seeking immediate care of a lost loved one and for individuals pre-planning their own final arrangements. What excites us most about After is that they are pioneering a new industry for software. Consumers want a simple, inexpensive, transparent experience so that they can have peace of mind for themselves and their loved ones, and we believe After has what it takes to lead the end-of-life industry into tech.
- Graza is an omni-channel olive oil company that sells extra-virgin olive oils (EVOO) at prices that won’t break the bank. Both products (Drizzle 500ml finishing oil and Sizzle 750 ml cooking oil) are never blended and made from single varietal Picual olives sourced from Jaen, Spain, a prosperous agricultural region. Graza comes in chef-inspired, first-to-market, proprietary squeeze bottles. We’re excited about Graza because it has created a very unique, differentiated (single-source, high-quality, innovative) product in a growing consumer market. Plus, the oil is good, attracting Michelin-starred restaurants, high-profile chefs, and lots of buzz.
- Ganas is a $10M venture capital fund investing in pre-seed and seed stage Web 2 and Web 3 community-driven startups throughout the US and Latin America. Ganas believes in creating generational wealth through community as highlighted in their thesis of investing in diverse, community-driven founders addressing large problems in growing markets. Run by an independent General Partner (solo-GP), Lolita Taub, who is building an early-stage VC boutique franchise, Ganas Ventures aligns perfectly with our own community-driven approach to venture investing. We’re so excited to partner with Lolita, as she carries an impressive track record in the VC space and truly lives by what she preaches. To build a better venture ecosystem, we need Lolita, and more like her.
Stay tuned as we will be sharing further details about each of these portfolio investments soon, including their stories and why they are each such an exciting fit for Sweater and our community.
And this is only the beginning.
If you’re curious to learn more about our process of finding, vetting, and investing in groundbreaking startups, check out some of these videos:
Venture capital goes public this Wednesday, June 15, 2022. If you haven’t joined our community yet, join us for our public launch. Summer sweaters required.
—Jesse, Chad, Matthew, & the Sweater Team
