Iris Ventures is planning the fourth edition of its Glow Up beauty and wellness accelerator, a series of weekly online sessions for female founders beginning April 23.
The event will run over five weeks, with sessions led by industry experts including Gemma D’Auria, senior partner and global leader of apparel, fashion and luxury, McKinsey. The aim is to help early-stage founders build and scale consumer brands.
The program focuses on core areas of brand development and growth, and will cover topics such as retail strategy and unit economics, including how retailers assess product performance, and category opportunities.
There will also be sessions on brand positioning and communications, covering awareness, community, and marketing effectiveness, and on global operations, including sourcing, procurement, logistics, and cost structures.
Other topics on the agenda include fundraising fundamentals, such as investor expectations and term sheet negotiation. There will also be talks on strategic positioning for M&A, with insights into how larger groups evaluate and acquire brands.
Applications are now open.
Iris Ventures has recently invested in Innerskin, which specializes in noninvasive skin care treatments at its clinics across France.
Iris Ventures is a thematic growth equity fund that invests in high-growth, consumer-centric brands and tech-enabled businesses across Europe and the U.S. The firm focuses on sectors including beauty, health, wellness, nutrition, family, lifestyle and modern commerce.
Last week Iris published a 20-page report, “Beyond Community: How Brands Build Belonging,” that looks at the changing needs of the consumer, and why it’s important for them to have meaningful, enriching experiences that have little to do with consumption or social media opportunities.
The report said brands with strong cultural pull “consistently generate higher repeat rates, lower-paid acquisition dependency, and greater resilience to competitive pressure. Belonging creates compounding returns.”
Last December Iris led a $15 million investment in Innerskin, which specializes in noninvasive skin care treatments at its clinics across France. It also has stakes in Healf, a leading online retailer selling premium wellness products, and Goddess Maintenance Co., a biotech beauty company that develops solutions to promote the long-term health and vitality of hair.
