Blanka, a Canadian pioneering platform facilitating the launch of beauty brands, has successfully closed an oversubscribed seed funding round, raising $2 million. The round was spearheaded by Dundee Venture Capital and drew participation from Storytime Capital, Disruption Ventures, along with notable investors such as Fatima Yusuf, former executive at Shopify, and Manica Blain, a consumer-focused investor and Founder of Top Knot Ventures.
Established in 2021 by Kaylee Astle, Doug Long, and Adam Chuntz, Blanka is at the forefront of catalyzing disruption within the beauty and wellness sector. The platform eliminates high manufacturing minimums, prolonged production lead times, and archaic order processes. With Blanka, launching a new beauty brand takes less than an hour and costs under $200.
Kaylee Astle, Co-founder and CEO of Blanka, underscored the paradigm shift in the beauty industry, from being dominated by a few global players to a landscape defined by diverse direct-to-consumer brands. Astle, who herself encountered challenges while attempting to launch a beauty brand, highlighted the surge of entrepreneurs, content creators, and beauty professionals eager to establish their own brands, emphasizing the scarcity of adequate support until Blanka’s emergence.
Accessible to all with a concept, Blanka’s platform serves as a comprehensive solution—from product sourcing and customization to fulfillment. The platform caters to both established and emerging brands, sourcing and tailoring premium beauty and wellness products crafted in North America.
Glenn Baptiste, former L’Oréal executive and advisor to Blanka, noted the consistent growth of the beauty industry over the years, highlighting the resilience of the market even amid economic fluctuations. Baptiste stressed that Blanka’s platform will expedite innovation across brands of all scales, heralding an exciting transformation for both Blanka and the broader beauty industry.
The investment follows a year of steady growth for Blanka, which has amassed a substantial number of brand subscribers on the platform, largely driven by organic marketing efforts and strategic integrations, notably with Shopify.
Neil Grunberg, Managing Partner at Storytime Capital, recognized Blanka’s impressive growth trajectory, underscoring how the platform aligns with Storytime’s mission of supporting early-stage companies poised to impact the future of work.
Catherine Williams, Partner at Dundee Venture Capital, highlighted the transformative potential of Blanka in an industry that, despite its enormity, remains fragmented and inefficient. Williams lauded Blanka’s approach of significantly reducing barriers to entry for independent brands, predicting a landscape-altering impact that will resonate with consumers.
Blanka offers a technological solution that empowers brands of all sizes to source and personalize high-quality beauty products, all without any minimum requirements. By curating an extensive product selection and managing branding, fulfillment, and shipping processes, Blanka provides an immediate solution devoid of minimum commitments and risks.
