Pioneering Latina Babba Rivera closed a $1 million round of pre-seed funding for her clean haircare brand Ceremonia.
WHO: Founded by Babba Rivera, Ceremonia is a clean haircare brand rooted in Latinx heritage with a mission to empower everyone to have easy-to-maintain hair that feels as good as it looks. Ceremonia is creating modern-day rituals, steeped in culture. The brand launched with Aceite de Moska, described as a miracle oil celebrated for numerous hair wellness benefits.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “I knew I wanted to build Ceremonia for scale from day one and to do so, I prioritized the right people over just a check. In a way, I felt as if I wasn’t really raising money—for us it was more important to build the foundation to a category-defining business through the right people. Ultimately, I wanted my cap table to reflect the values of the company I’m building and decided to invite some notable angel investors from my network who could also serve as strategic advisors. Interestingly enough, I found that angel investors have come much further in their bet for diverse founders than traditional VCs. Many angel investors are former founders themselves and can as such relate to the journey of a founder very well, whereas VCs are mainly looking to replicate their known formula of success—which traditionally doesn’t include people like me,” Rivera told Forbes.
“We are strong believers in brands that design for people who were overlooked or misunderstood,” Pocket Sun, partner at SoGal Ventures, said to Forbes. “This unlocks a sense of belonging and community, which is just about the most powerful thing you can build as a brand. Babba is the best person for this—I loved her story growing up as Chilean-Swedish, her influence built around authenticity and creativity, and her dedication to make this her life’s work.”
“The Latinx beauty and haircare market is massive and has been largely ignored by the incumbents, especially in masstige,” Aubrie Pagano, partner of XFactor Ventures, told Forbes. “I’ve known Babba for years and I can’t imagine a better operator to seize this opportunity.”
Adrianna Samaniego, investor at Female Founders Fund, saw the need for Ceremonia in the market very early on, “As an investor and Latina, I clearly saw the unmet need and authenticity Ceremonia will bring to the market. It’s no secret Hispanics represent unparalleled growth opportunities. Nearly one in every five people in the U.S. identifies as Hispanic and have enormous purchasing power. Babba Rivera is building a brand that meets the needs of the hypercultural Latinx consumer who is dynamic and gives you a clean product with your orgullo (pride) at its core.”
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