Unilever Ventures

Unilever Ventures is the venture capital and private equity arm of Unilever, headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Established in 2000 and operational globally, it focuses on investing in early-stage and growth-stage companies that align with Unilever's strategic priorities, particularly in sectors such as personal care, beauty, health, wellness, and sustainable living.

They invest across a variety of emerging brands, supporting businesses that operate in both digital and physical channels. Their investment approach is value-added, providing not only capital but strategic support, operational expertise, and leveraging Unilever's extensive market reach to accelerate portfolio companies' growth.

Unilever Ventures specializes in companies within the consumer goods space, with emphasis on innovation in personal care and beauty products incorporating natural and organic ingredients, as well as wellness and health-related brands. They are also involved in companies offering groceries delivery and commerce technologies. Sustainability considerations are integral, reflecting Unilever's commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

The firm manages over 70 companies globally, with a current fund corpus exceeding $400 million and total funds over $1 billion. Their stage focus includes seed through growth stages (Series A to Series C), typically investing between $2 million and $10 million per deal.

Unilever Ventures operates a lean team in the United Kingdom with fewer than 10 employees and maintains a modest number of physical selling points primarily in distribution centers and warehouses rather than retail storefronts. The company positions itself as a nexus for its portfolio companies, enabling founders to tap into networks of industry experts and collaborative partnerships to drive innovation in consumer goods.

This entity is distinct from Unilever's consumer goods retail operations; it functions as a strategic investment and growth partner focused on emerging brands in the FMCG sector, particularly within food, drinks, and beauty categories.