Unilever Ventures, the venture and growth capital arm of Unilever, has contributed to a US$34m second fund raised by Selva Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund that accelerates the growth of emerging beauty, personal care, wellness and health companies.
Launched in 2019 with a $10m first fund, Selva Ventures’ portfolio is 50% made up of female or minority founders.
It focuses on seed and series A start-ups with proven early momentum.
Beauty space investments to date include sexual wellness firm Cake, OneSkin longevity skin care, luxury hair care brand Crown Affair and ‘clean’ skin care label Kinship.
“Health and wellness is a powerful driver of the consumer economy,” said Kiva Dickinson, founder and Managing Partner of Selva Ventures.
“We believe that by supporting brands that offer new and engaging products we can simplify and enhance the way people lead healthier lives.
“Our goal and mission is to make healthier living more accessible, affordable and enjoyable.”
Madeline Kaplan, Principal at Selva Ventures, added: “Beauty is an incredibly emotional category, where both brand and product innovation are crucial.
“We aim to support emerging brands that provide innovative products that resonate emotionally with consumers, ultimately making self-care easier, more affordable and more enjoyable.”
Selva Ventures also received backing from PagsGroup and Obelysk as part of the second fund.
Earlier this year, Unilever Ventures put $2m in pre-seed investment towards Australian hair and scalp care start-up Straand and the end of last year saw it lead a $6m series A funding round in Indonesian brand ESQA.
Its investment portfolio also includes beauty players Saie, Kopari, BYBI and Beauty Bakerie.