On Wednesday, sustainable cleaning startup Blueland announced it raised $20 million in a Series B round.
The round was led by Prelude Growth Partners, a woman-led and New York-based venture capital firm that focuses on consumer brands. The majority of the Series B funding comes from women investors, with Able Partners and BBG Ventures also participating.
Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland, told Built In that the decision to take on women investors this round wasn’t intentional. However, as a woman-led startup serving a predominantly female demographic, having these investors on board is not only important to equity but also helps Blueland make the right decisions for its consumers, Yoo said.
Blueland’s latest funding round will go toward growing the startup’s direct-to-consumer and retail reach. Additionally, Blueland’s raise will go to “touching the body for the first time,” by producing a new category of personal hygiene products, Yoo said.
The startup currently offers household cleaners and hand soaps that come in glass bottles. To reduce single-use plastic, consumers can also purchase cleaning solution tabs, wrapped in recyclable paper. These tabs can be dropped into their purchased bottles and mixed with water to develop the solution.
A portion of the Series B round will also go toward hiring. Blueland currently has 25 employees, two-thirds of which are based in NYC. Yoo said she plans to bring on at least 20 new employees this year. The company lists nearly 30 open roles at the moment.
Yoo said Blueland offers employees a hybrid approach to work. Additional company perks include 25 days of PTO, 16 weeks of paid parental leave and two civic engagement days.
Over 95 percent of Blueland’s sales are D2C. With the help of Alicia Sontag, co-founder and partner at Prelude Growth Partners, Yoo is looking forward to expanding retail distribution. Afterall, Sontag brings experience as a former global president of beauty at Johnson & Johnson and has worked with brands like Neutrogena, Aveeno and OGX.
“[Sontag] is a powerhouse and is impressive. She has no shortage of experience selling a range of massive brands through traditional, brick-and-mortar retail,” Yoo said. “It seemed like a no-brainer on our side to work with them.”
