True Beauty Ventures makes its second investment in the fragrance category. Following the 7 Virtures deal, the firm has backed Fresh founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg's new fragrance venture The Maker.WHO: The Maker fragrance brand launched in 2021 as an extension of The Maker Hotel in Hudson, NY, opened by Fresh founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg. After extensive travels, Lev and Alina felt like a highly curated concept was missing, bridging hospitality, lifestyle, and fragrance that captures a bohemian sensibility. The brand is currently available at Sephora US and Canada as well as select retailers like Bluemercury, Goop, and Bergdorf Goodman.WHY: The investment will be used to scale the Sephora North America business, grow its retail footprint, and expand distribution internationally.IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Rich Gersten, True Beauty Ventures co-founder and Managing Partner, told WWD, “There’s something special about backing founders who’ve done it before. You don’t see it very often, and when we see it with founders that we admire and respect, it does make it easier for us to make an investment decision. We’re big admirers of what Lev and Alina did at Fresh and really respect what they’ve been able to pull together at The Maker. It’s very unique and differentiated,” said Gersten. “We now have two in our second fund so the category was exciting to us. The founder background and the executive team that they’ve put together, all who have collectively worked together for many, many years, was a very big, attractive selling point.