Brand Journey Capital

What Brand Journey Capital does

Brand Journey Capital, operating publicly as New Economy Brands, is a privately-held growth investment and advisory firm headquartered in Virginia Beach, United States, founded in 2008. The firm invests up to $250,000 in early-stage, purpose-driven direct-to-consumer (DTC) and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands — primarily in wellness, nutrition, home, and consumer goods — and has extended its thesis into SaaS and martech startups serving the consumer/retail space. It is led by two General Partners, David Wolfe and Matt Hayes, who previously co-founded and scaled Leesa Sleep to $125M in revenue in three years, raising over $32M in two funding rounds, winning the 2015 Shopify Build-a-Business competition, and securing exclusive placement in 90+ West Elm retail stores.

The firm's offering bundles capital with hands-on operating support. Core products include Seed & Series A Investments, Fractional or Interim C-Suite Support, Board & CEO Advisory Services, Venture Launch Partners (Day One venture co-building with equity-plus-fee structures), and Brand Incubation & Corporate Venturing — the last delivered alongside large CPG partners including Nestle and General Mills. There is no proprietary technology platform; the business is a relationship-driven professional services and investment model, monetized through equity stakes in portfolio companies and case-by-case advisory/consulting fees, with engagement contracts typically spanning multiple years. Customer acquisition is sales-led, running through warm introductions, an inbound 45-minute introductory call, and partnerships with CPG venture studios.

Brand Journey Capital targets three primary customer segments: early-stage purpose-driven DTC/CPG brand founders, the founders themselves as a persona needing strategic and operational guidance, and corporate CPG venture studios seeking authentic, lean brand-launch capabilities outside large-company constraints. The firm has 11–50 employees (per firmographic data), with an expanded leadership bench including a VP and additional Managing Directors beyond the two founding GPs, and derives its primary competitive advantage from the operators' direct track record at Leesa and accumulated credibility across the DTC operator ecosystem.

Name

Brand Journey Capital

Legal name

New Economy Brands

Website

https://brandjourney.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brand Journey Capital (operating as New Economy Brands) is a privately-held growth investment and advisory firm that invests up to $250,000 in early-stage purpose-driven DTC and CPG brands, pairing capital with fractional C-suite, board advisory, and brand incubation services for founders and large CPG corporates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital & Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB), Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF), Customer Experience (CX) & Journey Strategy (MPAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Growth investment advisory
• DTC brand scaling
• Fractional executive services
• Venture launch partners
• Corporate brand incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Virginia Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns (Equity): The firm invests up to $250,000 in early-stage DTC / CPG brands in exchange for equity. Returns are realized through exits (acquisitions, IPOs). This is the primary economic engine of the business.
2. Advisory and Consulting Fees: Fractional C-suite support and board/CEO advisory services are provided on a fee basis. Engagement structures are tailored on a case-by-case basis using a combination of equity and fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brand Journey Capital is a holding company that, through its subsidiary New Economy Brands, invests up to $250,000 of growth capital in purpose-driven DTC and CPG brands (focused on wellness, nutrition, home, and consumer goods) and pairs that capital with hands-on operating expertise. Offerings span fractional/interim C-suite support, board and CEO advisory services, Day One venture launch partnerships, and full-service brand incubation for large CPG corporate venture teams. Engagements are structured case-by-case using a mix of equity and advisory fees.

Product overview

New Economy Brands operates as a growth investment and advisory firm for purpose-driven DTC brands. The company offers a unified service portfolio combining investment capital (up to $250,000 per deal) with hands-on operating expertise. The core offerings include Startup Growth Investing, Seed & Series A Investments, Fractional C-Suite Support, Board & CEO Advisory Services, Venture Launch Partners, and Brand Incubation & Corporate Venturing. These services are designed to work together—investment capital is paired with operational expertise to help entrepreneurs and CPG venture studios launch, scale, and grow disruptive new commerce ventures. The portfolio includes Leesa Sleep (DTC mattress brand achieving $125M revenue).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Growth Investing

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew Leesa Sleep from $0 to $125M in revenue in 3 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NestlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Economy Brands has partnered with Nestle to launch and grow new online businesses as part of its corporate venturing / brand incubation practice. The firm leverages its DTC expertise to build authentic, consumer-connected brands outside the constraints of large CPG structures.
• General MillscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Economy Brands has partnered with General Mills on brand incubation initiatives, leveraging the firm's deep DTC expertise and startup ecosystem connections to launch and grow new online brands within the corporate venture framework.
• West ElmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeesa Sleep became the exclusive mattress of West Elm, distributed in over 90 West Elm retail stores, giving the brand broad physical retail distribution alongside its DTC channel.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Prophet: Global brand and marketing consultancy advising enterprise clients on brand strategy and growth; provides overlapping brand strategy and CPG advisory services at larger scale and a broader portfolio than Brand Journey Capital.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting firm specializing in brand strategy, architecture, and portfolio work for large CPG and consumer clients; competes for enterprise brand strategy mandates that Brand Journey Capital serves via its CPG partnerships.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy and design consultancy serving enterprise and CPG clients; overlaps with Brand Journey Capital's brand positioning and portfolio strategy work, but at a materially larger scale and broader client base.

Direct peers

• Red Antler: Brand strategy and design agency that launches and scales DTC brands for founders and CPG clients; highly comparable service offering to Brand Journey Capital's brand incubation and GTM strategy work.
• Imaginary Ventures: Consumer-focused venture fund co-founded by founders of DTC success stories; their operator-investor model closely mirrors Brand Journey Capital's hybrid capital-plus-advisory approach to purpose-driven brands.
• Lerer Hippeau: Early-stage venture fund focused on consumer and media brands, with comparable check sizes and a similar thesis of backing mission-driven founders; directly competes for the same early-stage DTC deal flow.
• Forerunner Ventures: Leading DTC-focused venture firm that invests across consumer brands and commerce infrastructure; one of the most established players in purpose-driven commerce investing and a primary competitor for early-stage DTC mandates.

Emerging players

• Smartypants: Emerging brand studio that partners with founders from Day One to launch and scale purpose-driven consumer brands; overlaps with Brand Journey Capital's venture launch and brand incubation services in a smaller, emerging practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brandjourneygroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brandjourney

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Brand Journey Capital