Hydration brand Cure is now worth $22 million as it adds new funding to its growth plans.

TreatmentA useful hydration model is getting into a brand new section of progress that features practically quadrupling its retail presence from 2021, finishing its management crew and shutting US$5.6 million in Collection A funding.

It has been a scorching minute since TechCrunch took management of the model that has created a novel area of interest within the $10 billion useful beverage combine market, which founder and CEO Lauren Picasso says TechCrunch has “exploded” over the previous 12 years – in truth, virtually three years – months.

Picasso attributes a lot of this to client conduct in direction of extra environmentally pleasant merchandise, together with the benefit of utilizing powders versus ready-to-drink liquids which are heavier to ship and have extra packaging.

Hydration is not a brand new idea (who might overlook The Proper Stuff?), however shoppers in search of more healthy choices have created a extra aggressive surroundings lately.

Picasso touts Remedy as “the one female-built electrolyte model” and considers Liquid IV to be its greatest competitor. Acquired by Unilever in 2020. He additionally stated that “previous gamers are doing rather well as a variety of new gamers have entered the market over the previous few years”. A few of the different useful beverage initiatives are additionally venture-sponsored. For instance, Hydrant once more in hydration, Olipop and Poppi in soda, and The Ryl Firm in tea.

Remedy rebranded in 2022 to focus extra on substances to additional differentiate itself from the quite a few hydration choices. Picasso stated, for instance, he makes use of coconut water powder and pink Himalayan salt, whereas different beverage combine firms use cane sugar, dextrose, excessive fructose corn syrup, and artificial and synthetic substances.

“We actually needed to rebrand and higher talk our clear, plant-based substances,” Picasso added. “We expect we’re as efficient as merchandise like Liquid IV, however we use significantly better substances. There’s a actually clear level of differentiation and due to this fact we appeal to shoppers who’re very totally different from any of our opponents. Our product tends to be a really lively client who could be very distinctive and has a well being acutely aware females are typically crooked.

Picasso has grown a mean of 230% in income every year since launching in 2019 and says it can improve its retail footprint from 4,000 in 2021 to fifteen,000 in 2023.

The corporate’s merchandise are already at CVS and Walgreens, however will now even be obtainable at retailers akin to Sprouts, Albertsons, Kroger, Cease & Store, Wegmans and HEB. General, there are 9 flavors, 4 of that are new: lime and orange launched in 2022, and lemonade and strawberry kiwi this yr.

Picasso stated that whereas Remedy accelerates its retail presence, it continues to have roughly 60% penetration in e-commerce, surpassing the earlier yr’s quarter progress by 121% within the first quarter of 2023, all with simply 9 full-time workers. .

Having already raised $2.6 million in preliminary funding in 2020, Remedy’s $5.6 million Collection A financing, which closed in March, gives the corporate with $8.2 million in whole venture-backed capital. With the brand new capital, the corporate is now valued at $22 million, greater than double what it was price in Remedy’s earlier spherical, Picasso stated.

Collection A is deliberate and Picasso stated, “This shall be our final spherical. Any longer, we’ll work for profitability, aiming to be worthwhile originally of 2024.”

Remedy’s hydration mix flavors. Picture Sources: Remedy

Lerer Hippeau, who led Remedy’s seed spherical, returned to guide the brand new funding, and a bunch of recent and present buyers joined, together with Valedor Companions, Easy Meals Ventures, Nice Oaks Enterprise Capital, Joyance Companions, Silas Capital and Kim Clijsters.

Remedy plans to speculate new capital in quicker retail progress, develop its management crew, purchase new clients and develop new merchandise, together with the majority jar choice that subscribed clients are demanding.

Concerning its management crew, the corporate not too long ago employed Laura Kendrick, former advertising supervisor of SmartyPants, and Stacey Gillespie, former vice chairman of innovation at Gaia Herbs, to assist scale distribution and total income.

Remedy has excelled in influencer advertising, bringing collectively 700 influencers as a part of its ambassadorial program, however Picasso will deliver Kendrick “to essentially assist with model scale,” whereas Gillespie will lead the corporate’s growth into product improvement and different useful classes. akin to power and well being.

“We had been on the lookout for somebody who would scale all these totally different advertising channels and actually drive the model technique going ahead,” Picasso stated. “By the way in which, Stacey is an trade veteran who has introduced 1,500 new merchandise to market all through her profession.”

To that finish, Remedy merchandise have hit the cabinets at a variety of new retailers within the final 4 months, doubling its CVS footprint. Picasso stated it is at the moment engaged on some new merchandise that may launch inside the subsequent yr.

“We’re planning a variety of growth in retail, so the subsequent two years shall be about placing collectively a advertising playbook to apply at these doorways and reach shops,” he added.