AOK's Greenhouse: More Than Just an Ecosystem
In our last newsletter, we introduced AOK's Greenhouse, a group of female-founded e-commerce brands who are truly our nearest and dearest. We heard many of you all asking about how we’re building our ecosystem, and wanted to fill you in on where we are.
Reflecting on the first quarter of 2022, some of the most generative conversations we’ve had have been with our Greenhouse companies as they build their brands in e-commerce. We give them feedback, direction, support, and high-level strategy to keep them growing. We couldn’t be happier to help these brands evolve and do amazing things in the world.
Looking back at 2021 fundraising numbers, it’s staggering that female founders only secured 2% of all venture capital funding in the U.S. This 2021 metric represents the smallest sliver of the startup fundraising pie for women since 2016. Alarm bells should be going off all around that collective effort to provide access to capital for women are not doing enough. We’re troubled by this drop and hope to support women’s path to capital with our Greenhouse.
Our Current Greenhouse Family:
Vienero: A fresh take on 100% unbleached hemp, vegan-dyed rolling papers.
Cate’s on Fire: Brought to life through alchemic gem pairings, a passion for light, and powerful protection magic: Cate’s jewelry elevates adornment.
Be the first to know when Cate’s on Fire Launches!
Up Next:
IV & OD: A digital marketplace of curated vintage goods, artist, and maker products from small companies across the USA & UK.
Know a female founder that we should talk to about joining our Greenhouse? Nominate them by completing our form here. We’re planting seeds for Summer 2022 and would love to be connected with anyone building something unique.