Where is Eutopia?
Eutopia*, the early-stage Venture Capital firm formerly known as Otium Brands, is now open for business.
We open into a market of shifting consumer habits, where the purchasing norms of yesterday are increasingly rejected in favor of more authentic, ethical and personalized experiences. We support entrepreneurs who have responded to this shift by creating a wave of brands rethinking how we eat, sleep, dress, exercise and feel. Brands which don’t compromise quality, sustainability and intrinsic value for the sake of profitability.
The next great investment opportunity
We’ve taken inspiration from the US, where consumer startups like these are thriving.
Between 2012 and 2017, nearly $15 billion in sales was lost by the largest FMCG companies as Dollar Shave Club with razors, Warby Parker with glasses, Casper in bedding, Bonobos in clothing, Glossier for cosmetics, Chobani in food, Blue Buffalo for pet food and Soulcycle in active leisure experienced rapid growth by shaking up their markets and the respective leaders in each category, many of whom then acquired the upstart business.
As the consumer startup phenomenon reaches Europe, we’re the first fund in France solely dedicated to this category, and there are a number of reasons why.
Recent investment activity in France, for example, has seen a sharp rise in capital raised by venture funds, with the total amount tripling between 2014 and 2017 to 2.5€ billion. At the same time, the total number of funds has increased, with that expansion coming from smaller, boutique and specialized funds focused on a specific niche. From 2016 to 2017, the number of funds under 200m in France increased to 217, an annual rise of 30%.
All of these funds are focused primarily on tech though, with not a single one dedicated to consumer businesses.
This is despite the fact that Angel investment, which generally detects the health of any given sector and predicts downstream investment, has seen the share of funds in consumer goods and service businesses double during 2017 to reach almost 20% of the overall amount invested.
This growing band of new consumer startups will need a different kind of partner than traditional VC’s.
A new type of fund for a new type of startup
Since forming our fund as Otium Brands in 2015, we’ve found trailblazers building the companies that match our excitement. In that time, we’ve closed 14 investments from more than 1000 requests and are extremely proud of those that make up our current portfolio, believing they compare favorably with the global successes we’ve mentioned here.
With technology acting as facilitator rather than the entire value proposition, consumer startups face specific issues with their growth related to production, physical location, brand building and distribution, requiring specialized expertise in these areas to succeed. We’re in a position to help them, thanks to the diverse range of skills and experiences within our team:
Antoine Fine, Founding Partner
Antoine carries the vision for our fund, structuring new deals and investment opportunities.
Cyrille Bessire, Operating Partner & Co-Founder
An Operations and Omni-Channel expert, Cyrille also helps businesses launching into the US market.
Antoine Régis, Partner & Co-Founder
Co-founder of a fashion startup, Antoine specializes in online sales and growth marketing.
Camille Kriebitzsch, Principal & Co-Founder
Camille is the fundraising and product guru with strong expertise in beauty and food.
Gabriela Salord, Chief Marketing Officer
Gabriela has a wealth of experience in agency, corporate and startup Branding and Communications.
Stella Walter, Head of Talent
Our chief talent scout, Stella has spent her career sourcing the best staff for corporations and startups.
We are well aware of the pitfalls of business, the stress of corporate life and the impact corporations can have on the world, which is why we continually strive to make a positive impact and at the same time, aim to be the very best in our sector. It is true that it is rare in finance to consider the values behind a business, rather than just the numbers on a balance sheet before investing. At Eutopia we ensure our founders align with our values, which we consider to be the greatest guide to future success:
Ambition — For us, ambition isn’t a dirty word. Anyone trying to build the businesses which change the way we live, needs the ambition and drive to succeed, no matter the obstacles placed in their way.
Care — We Eutopians must take into account their impact upon those around them, their customers, suppliers and their world. We don’t consider dollars, cents, equity and exits more important than value, sustainability, quality and kindness.
Transparency — Honesty, trust and communication are the keys to all successful relationships. We work with businesses who nurture engagement with us as well as their audiences and our founders know they can reach us, anywhere, anytime.
So, if you’re a trailblazer, rethinking the way we eat, sleep, dress, exercise and feel; Helping make everyone’s everyday better; Healthier, Smarter, Happier. Then follow the directions and get in touch with us. Like you, we don’t believe in the status quo. We’re here to guide you on your path to shake things up and would love to work with you.
Welcome to Eutopia.
- From the book Utopia, a master work of socio-political satire by Sir (Saint) Thomas More, released in 1516 and written in Latin. Utopia means ‘no place’ in Greek, a place that does not exist. The world More created in his book was one of extreme idealism and in the process he made the case that perfection was impossible for a human world to attain. Aiming for the ideal therefore was a waste of time, and the goal for humanity should instead be something more realistic and tangible which was Eutopia, ‘good place’ in Greek, not an impossible world without frailty or fault.
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Thanks to Philippe Vella!
