Puck News founding partner left for The Times
Startup life ain't for everyone.
Hello everyone. I hope you’re on the train to Montauk, or sitting in a grassy backyard somewhere, or drinking a spritz on someone’s roof, or trying to figure out the New York City ferry map, or just ordering takeout and appreciating the three-day weekend. And subscribing to Feed Me. Thank you for your ridiculously motivating enthusiasm around Feed Me’s new Hamptons column. Send all and any tips to emily@readfeedme.com
I’m on Long Island for a few days. I guess I should brag about this.
Today’s letter includes:
The inevitable crumbling of the Instagram cookware empire (empire is generous)
A tiiiiiny bit of Hamptons gossip
One of Puck’s founding writers has left the startup
NEWS:
This weekend, I’ll be watching Stella Blackmon’s new masterpiece. Stella has been an internet crush of mine for years, and her recent film work (often portraits of summer in Ozark, Missouri) is so good it makes me angry — the lipstick application, awkward mother-daughter relationships, American teens. I texted her about her new doc which revolves around a young trick riding team and she said, “A few years ago, I went to the Ozark rodeo, and among all of this hyper masculinity, was this team of teenage girls wearing glitter all around their eyes, dangling off a horse running 40 mph, their head inches above the dust as they performed. I initially just wanted to film their makeup routines being done in the rear view mirrors of trucks or through their iPhone cameras, but there was more to their story. We hoped to capture a portrait of a team and a summer, and the everyday joys and sorrows of middle America.”
True Beauty Ventures is wrapping up a $75mm raise. The beauty and wellness-focused fund has invested in brands like Dieux, Moon Juice, and Vacation. They have a really great reputation from friends I know who have worked with them. Obviously the consumer investing space is trash right now, but I think their niche focus has helped them succeed. True Beauty Ventures raised $42mm for its first fund in 2021. The firm exited 3-year-old biotechnology-driven haircare brand K18 to Unilever Prestige last year, and going forward, the fund is is zeroing in on brands in the fragrance (SHOCKER!), clinical skincare, scalp care and hair health areas. Cristina Nuñez, co-founder and partner at True Beauty Ventures, told Beauty Independent, “You almost have to be absolutely perfect to be able to raise money right now.” And I agree.