The Craftory

What The Craftory does

The Craftory is a London-based consumer venture capital fund founded in 2018 by Elio Leoni Sceti (former CEO of Iglo Birdseye and EMI Music) and Ernesto Schmitt, deploying permanent capital into growth-stage (Series A/B/C) responsible Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands. The firm manages $550MM of capital, structured as permanent capital to avoid the short-term exit pressures of conventional 5-7 year VC funds, and invests in brands generating $15M+ annual revenue with 30%+ growth trajectories across nine CPG categories including food and beverages, beauty and personal care, pet care, health and wellness, household, and women's health. The Craftory's operational model combines capital deployment with deep functional support: its team includes specialized partners for Go-to-Market, Marketing, Product Innovation, and Scale Up, drawn from senior backgrounds at Reckitt Benckiser, P&G, EMI Music, Iglo Birdseye, Goldman Sachs, and large retailers, providing portfolio companies with industry networking, founder mentoring, business strategy, brand development, retail optimization, and sustainability guidance.

The firm's value proposition is differentiated by three structural elements: permanent capital (allowing patient 3-5+ year holding periods), operator-led investment thesis (principals are entrepreneurs and brand experts rather than financial-only investors), and an explicit focus on category-transforming responsible brands that deliver measurable social and environmental impact. Notable portfolio companies include SEED (probiotics, Target's fastest-growing probiotics brand with 500%+ revenue growth in three years), NotCo (AI-driven plant-based food), Hippeas, Dropps, Tomboy X, Needed, Freddie's Flowers, Syllable, and Polymateria. The firm's marquee outcome to date is the 2024 exit of Edgard & Cooper to General Mills at over 5x growth in 3.5 years (from €20M AAR entry to over €100M retail sales). The Craftory is a certified B Corporation (one of only 2% of certified B Corps that are investment entities), operates dual offices in London and San Francisco, and uses a relationship-driven direct deal sourcing model supplemented by content marketing, industry event presence, and podcast thought leadership.

Name

The Craftory

Legal name

The Craftory Limited

Website

https://thecraftory.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Craftory is a London- and San Francisco-based $550MM consumer venture capital fund founded in 2018 that provides permanent, patient growth capital to responsible Series A/B/C CPG brands. It serves mission-driven consumer entrepreneurs across nine categories with operator-led support and B Corp-certified values.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital - Consumer Packaged Goods

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Venture Debt Providers (FSANAAAL)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Consumer packaged goods investing
• Responsible brand capital
• Growth equity investment
• Startup scale up capital

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: The Craftory generates returns through equity investments in consumer brands. They provide growth capital (Series A/B/C) to responsible CPG brands and realize returns upon exits or liquidity events. Their portfolio includes brands across multiple CPG categories including food & beverages, beauty, health & wellness, pet care, and household.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Craftory is a venture capital and private equity firm that invests growth-stage equity capital (Series A, B, and C) in responsible consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. It pairs capital deployment with hands-on operator expertise across brand development, marketing science, product innovation, retail optimization, and sustainability, supporting founders from early commercial traction through scaled market expansion. The firm manages $550MM in permanent capital and has backed 25+ brands including GOLDE, Olipop, Surreal, and The Supplant Co.

Product overview

The Craftory is a $550MM consumer venture capital fund based in London and San Francisco, offering a single unified investment service focused on growth-stage consumer brands. Their offering centers on providing patient growth capital (Series A/B/C) to responsible CPG brands, combined with deep operational support including industry networking, founder mentoring, data tools, business strategy, brand development, marketing science, product innovation, retail optimization, and sustainability guidance. The Craftory's portfolio spans multiple consumer categories including Health and Wellness, Food and Beverages, Petcare, Beauty and Personal Care, Household, and Women's Health, with notable investments in brands like SEED, NOTCO, NEEDED, DROPPS, HIPPEAS, TOMBOY X, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth Capital Investment (Series A/B/C)

Quantifiable outcome

• Edgard & Cooper achieved over five times growth in three and a half years (from €20M AAR entry to over €100M)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lerer Hippeau: Early-stage consumer and media VC investing in category-defining brands and platforms. Comparable to The Craftory on consumer-brand focus and New York-origin venture thesis.
• BBG Ventures (Brand Building Group): Early-stage consumer brand and retail investor, focused on next-generation CPG and commerce brands. Comparable to The Craftory on growth-stage consumer thesis and operating support.
• Female Founders Fund: Early-stage venture fund investing in female-founded consumer and enterprise technology companies. Comparable to The Craftory on mission-aligned investing and consumer-brand exposure.
• L Catterton: One of the largest consumer-focused private investment firms globally, investing across growth-stage consumer brands with a permanent-capital-like structure. Directly comparable to The Craftory on thesis (category-transforming consumer brands), stage focus, and operational value-add model.
• Forerunner Ventures: Leading consumer-focused VC firm investing in early- and growth-stage consumer brands across categories including beauty, food, wellness and apparel. Closely aligned to The Craftory on thesis and stage focus.
• Silas Capital: Consumer-focused venture and growth equity firm investing in emerging CPG, retail and restaurant brands. Comparable to The Craftory on consumer-only thesis and growth-stage focus.
• VMG Partners: Growth-stage consumer brand investor with deep CPG operating expertise, known for investments in Method, Seventh Generation and other mission-aligned brands. Closely comparable to The Craftory on consumer focus and operational value-add model.

Emerging players

• Big Idea Ventures: Venture fund focused on alternative protein, foodtech and CPG innovation. Comparable to The Craftory as a mission-driven consumer-brand investor with a narrower category focus (alt-protein).

Broad incumbents

• Unilever Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Unilever investing in early- and growth-stage consumer brands across CPG categories. Comparable to The Craftory on consumer-brand focus, but operates as a CVC with strategic objectives rather than independent financial returns.
• P&G Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Procter & Gamble investing in emerging consumer brands. Comparable as a large CPG-incumbent CVC operating in similar categories, though with a strategic mandate rather than financial-return focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-craftory

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Craftory