Author: Jason Wargon

The Topspin Consumer Partners portfolio company creates one of the sleep space’s most comprehensive partnerships with shared mission to help people everywhere achieve a more comfortable night’s rest.

COSTA MESA, CA (July 28, 2023) – Coop Sleep Goods, a Topspin Consumer Partners portfolio company, has merged with Comphy, thus leveraging the complementary nature of their brand portfolios and offering the very best sleep experience possible for every type of sleeper. This partnership combines and expands the companies’ award-winning offerings of fully adjustable sleep products and luxurious comfort and feel linens. As partners, Coop and Comphy provide a combined offering of functional luxury – an unmatched proposition in fit, form and feel thus far.

Aligned in innovation and core values, Coop and Comphy are both family-founded companies, created to solve universal issues within the sleep industry – for Coop, offering comfort and support customization for consumers, and for Comphy, blending durability & sustainability with supreme softness. The new family of brands offers one seamless destination to design the perfect sleep environment from start to finish: personalize your sleep with Coop’s adjustable pillows and bedding options, complemented and enhanced by Comphy’s promise of luxurious comfort.

Coop Sleep Goods is the creator of innovative sleep solutions, including the top-rated pillow by Consumer Reports for four straight years. Created by sibling-team Jin and Kevin Chon, Coop was founded in 2013 following the fruitless search for a solution for Kevin’s severe sleep issues that stemmed from chronic neck and back pain. The brand designs high performance, adjustable sleep products that cater to each individual’s unique size, shape and sleep position, so that every person can rest comfortably and wake up feeling their best.

Founded in 2003, Comphy is the world’s leading luxury hotel and spa linen, beloved by global hospitality icons, such as The Ritz Carlton, Miraval and The Four Seasons for blending supreme softness with sustainability and durability. While working as a Spa Director, Founder Mia Richardson recognized an unmet need for luxury linens that could withstand the rigors of commercial use and laundering. Through years of meticulous research and development, she pioneered Comphy’s signature high performance linen. Upon launch, Comphy quickly became the leading hotel and spa linen brand, with an impressive 97% adoption among Forbes 5-Star rated properties.

By leveraging the unique strengths of these two exceptional brands, Coop and Comphy further cement their positions as industry leaders, while increasing their scale and driving future innovation. “The unwavering goal of Coop has been, from the start and above all, to improve the lives of as many people as possible through better sleep,” said Kevin Chon, Co-Founder of Coop Sleep Goods. “In Comphy, we have found a partner that shares our values and vision. Comphy is making it possible for us to continue to enable a seamless journey for customers, focused on delivering your personal best sleep.”  “We are excited and honored to partner with Coop Sleep Goods, a combination of two companies dedicated to creating the ultimate sleep possible and elevating the everyday,” said Mia Richardson, Founder of Comphy. “This is the beginning of a new and exciting journey – one that is also the culmination of a voyage of discovery that began nearly 30 years ago. This merger will allow us to deepen our reach in the sleep category and bring our products to more homes across the country.”

MAMARONECK, NY and KANSAS CITY, MO, June 20, 2023 — Topspin Consumer Partners (“Topspin”), an operationally driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, today announced that the firm has acquired the consumer products division of Three Dog Bakery (“TDB” or the “Company”), the creator of humanized dog treats sold at traditional and online retailers. TDB’s existing management team will continue to lead the Company in their current roles. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, TDB is a leading manufacturer and marketer of branded, humanized dog treats whose product portfolio disrupted the indulgent dog treat category with real ingredients, fresh-baked aromas and texture, and innovative products, many of which are inspired by human snacks and cookies. TDB has achieved strong growth through its longstanding relationships with key retail partners and innovative products including Lick’n Crunch^®, a sandwich crème cookie, Assort“Mutt” ^® Trio, a soft baked cookie, and Quiche Bites^™, a savory breakfast treat. TDB bakes many of its products in-house, enabling quick-to-market newness of soft-baked, aromatic treats as well as small batch runs of specialty items.

“Topspin has extensive experience building consumer brands and a strong network within the pet sector, making them the perfect partner as we enter our next phase of growth,” said Jerry Dear, President of Three Dog Bakery. “Pet parents are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of providing their best furry friends with more wholesome options, and we are confident that our unique product offering, which directly taps into pet humanization trends, is changing the way people think of dog treats. As the pet food industry continues to evolve, we will be well-positioned with Topspin’s support to expand our brand and increase our market share in the U.S.”

“We see enormous opportunity in the pet consumables sector, and are excited to partner with Three Dog Bakery, whose innovative products have generated an avid consumer following,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin. “TDB’s management team has successfully scaled the Company through its product launches, established customer relationships, and thoughtful distribution expansion, and we look forward to partnering with the team to enter new categories and provide even more pet owners with unique, high-quality treats for their dogs.”

Lowenstein Sandler LLP served as legal advisor to Topspin.

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – March 1, 2023 – Topspin Consumer Partners (“Topspin”), an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, today announced the appointment of tennis champion and entrepreneur, Venus Williams, as its newest Operating Partner.  In this role, Venus will work closely with Topspin and its portfolio companies to broaden marketing strategies, gain brand exposure, and identify innovative ways of enhancing value, as well as help source new investment opportunities.

“Venus is not only one of the greatest athletes of all time, but she is also an established entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin. “Having had the pleasure of getting to know Venus for some time through our Operating Partner, Josh Shaw, who has worked closely with Venus and her family for over a decade, all of us at Topspin have been impressed by her strong business acumen, competitive spirit, wellness expertise, and vast professional network. She will serve as an invaluable resource for our portfolio companies, and we look forward to working with her to identify new and exciting investment opportunities.”

As the founder of several innovative consumer brands and one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports, Venus will leverage her collective experiences to enhance Topspin’s investment portfolio and pipeline. Businesses that Venus has founded include Happy Viking, a plant-based superfood nutrition company, lifestyle and activewear brand EleVen, and interior design firm V Starr. In May 2020, Venus partnered with Credo Beauty to debut an award-winning line of clean, mineral-based SPF products under the EleVen by Venus umbrella. Additionally, she currently serves as Chief Brand Officer to Asutra, a growing health, wellness, and beauty brand.

“What resonated with me most about Topspin was the team’s deep understanding of consumer investing and genuine desire to help entrepreneurs and visionaries reach their full potential,” said Venus. “I’ve learned so much about navigating the competitive consumer landscape from my own ventures, and strongly believe this is the perfect opportunity for me to leverage my expertise to add value – whether it be helping the firm’s portfolio companies improve their marketing efforts or identifying up-and-coming businesses to partner with. I’m excited to be working alongside such a talented group of investment professionals and advisors in this new role.” 

Topspin invests in fast-growing, branded consumer companies that are capturing market share through their differentiated offerings. The firm focuses on companies that sell consumer “essentials,” are leveraging digital marketing and e-commerce platforms to build brand exposure and expand distribution, and that benefit from the strong secular trends driven by consumers’ growing interest in health & wellness. Topspin partners with founders and executive leadership teams looking to transform their businesses into leading middle market companies, and works collaboratively with them to implement operational best practices, upgrade product development processes and capabilities, and enhance sales, distribution, and marketing strategies.

About Venus Williams

With 7 Grand Slam titles, 5 Wimbledon championships and 4 Olympic gold medals, tennis champion Venus Williams is arguably one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports. In addition to her accolades on the court, Venus parlayed her fine-tuned business acumen with her healthy competitive spirit to launch several successful businesses. In 2002, Venus founded V Starr, a full-service commercial and residential design firm. Continuing with her love for design, Venus obtained an Associate of Science in Fashion Design and in 2012 she launched fashion-forward activewear and lifestyle brand, EleVen by Venus Williams. Her entrepreneurship in the health and wellness space additionally includes her plant-based protein company, Happy Viking. Venus recently served as Executive Producer on the Academy Award-winning Warner Brothers biopic King Richard, which detailed the influence her father and coach, Richard Williams, had on her childhood and careers as she became a tennis icon and changed the sport for generations to come. Throughout her career, Venus has been a steadfast advocate for equality. In 2007 it was her unwavering fight which led Wimbledon to award women players the same pay as their male counterparts and in 2021, she launched an awareness initiative called the #PrivilegeTax in conjunction with EleVen to bring attention to the wage inequality and unveiled a platform of resources for young women to get inspired and address the issue on a grassroots level. Venus is a graduate of Indiana University East where she received a BSC degree in Business Administration in 2015, and of The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where she received an Associate of Science in Fashion Design in 2007.

Deerfield Beach, FL (February 7, 2023) – reCommerce, a Topspin Consumer Partners portfolio company and global strategic partner to consumer brands selling through Amazon, has acquired Firefly Buys, a high-growth, full-service e-commerce accelerator and one of the largest North American Amazon sellers.

Established in 2006 by Ryan Flanegan, Ryan Kuelpman, and Jonathan Katz, Firefly Buys is a full‑service e-commerce accelerator.  The Company partners with brands to provide end-to-end supply chain management, listing optimization, and a proven formula for increasing product visibility and sales on Amazon. Firefly has grown rapidly by helping partners expand and optimize their sales through Amazon and other eCommerce marketplaces.

“We’re excited to welcome Firefly and their brand partners to reCommerce,” says Taylor Hamilton, reCommerce CEO. “As brands are increasingly seeing Amazon and other marketplaces as vital avenues for growth, our acquisition of Firefly and its service offering increases the value we provide to our brand partners.”

Firefly founder Ryan Flanegan commented, “We’ve been very impressed by the capabilities and professionalism of the reCommerce team. They bring the additional selling capabilities we were looking for and the ability to further accelerate sales and elevate brand image for our partners on Amazon. This was the perfect match for Firefly. We couldn’t be more pleased to join the reCommerce team.”

SAN RAMON, CA (Aug. 16, 2022) — Japonesque, in partnership with Topspin Consumer Partners, has acquired the Barefoot Scientist brand. The acquisition reflects Japonesque’s continued investment in the fast growing, premium at-home beauty care space. Barefoot Scientist was established in January 2019 and has become an innovative force in premium foot care, making it easy to treat feet in the same specialized way that we care for the face, hair, and body, by combining science backed formulations with lifestyle friendly product design. The company offers a wide range of foot care treatments and tools which have expanded distribution across national retailers in addition to driving strong sales online.

The brand was founded by Dana Ward, who initially conceived the company’s award-winning innovation, PreHeels+ blister prevention spray after suffering from blisters while working long hours on red carpets in Hollywood. Several years of research and hundreds of formulations later, PreHeels+ became a viral sensation and led to the development of a full collection of scientifically advanced foot care products. To learn more please visit www.barefootscientist.com.

Simon Worraker, CEO of Japonesque, said, “We are delighted to welcome Dana and the Barefoot Scientist brand to our portfolio of female founded brands and look forward to growing this business together. There is enormous potential within the beauty & wellness space, but also in the performance sports arena.”  Dana commented, “I’m very proud of what we have achieved to date. It is exciting to consider the next phase of brand expansion leveraging Japonesque’s expertise and resources. To be able to bring happier, healthier feet to the world is a dream — and now we can get there even faster.” Stephen Parks, Partner of Topspin Consumer Partners, said, “We are excited to support Barefoot’s growth plan and believe that Japonesque’s impressive distribution network will help Dana expand the brand across the U.S. and internationally. We warmly welcome Dana and the brand to the Japonesque family.”

MAMARONECK, NY (June 1, 2022) – MISSION announced today that consumer industry veteran, Hugh Rovit, was appointed as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective May 16, 2022.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for MISSION where we see brand strength and momentum throughout the US and great opportunities for future growth in cooling, heat relief and beyond,” said Leigh Randall of Topspin Consumer Partners. “I am excited that Hugh will lead our high-performance team in this next phase of growth and expansion.  His deep expertise in consumer goods, health & wellness, product innovation and omni-channel commerce combined with his strong relationships in the active lifestyle category, make him ideally suited to accelerate our growth as the leader in the market.  I’m confident Hugh will take MISSION to the next level and execute on our vision for continued market leadership.”

“It is an honor to become CEO of this innovative and disruptive company, and to join the incredibly talented and passionate team at MISSION dedicated to serving active enthusiasts everywhere,” said Rovit. “Over the last decade, I’ve been a loyal consumer and evangelist of the MISSION instant cooling solutions, not just for me, but my family, friends and colleagues, and I’m honored to be chosen as the next CEO to build upon MISSION’s success and seize the many opportunities ahead.” Rovit was most recently the CEO of S’well®, one of the leading hydration brands, where he successfully led the company through a strategic transaction.  Prior to S’well, Rovit served as CEO of Ellery Homestyles, a market leading manufacturer and distributor of Eclipse® home fashion products.  Prior to Ellery, Rovit, served in senior executive roles across a number of top consumer brands in the industry.  Rovit currently serves on the Board of Directors at Spectrum Brands and GSC Technologies. 

MAMARONECK, NY (January 11, 2022) – Topspin Consumer Partners (“Topspin”), an operationally driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, announced today that it has made a growth investment in MISSION® (“MISSION” or the “Company”), a pioneer in cooling solutions used in sports, outdoor and jobsite applications. Topspin is partnering in the deal with the Founders of Mission, as well as DCF Capital and Allstar Innovations. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009 and based in the New York metropolitan area, MISSION is an innovative developer of proprietary temperature-regulating and cooling technologies that improve users’ safety, performance and comfort at work, rest and play. These innovative technologies provide instant cooling and heat relief in widely adopted consumer categories such as cooling towels, cooling neck gaiters, cooling hats, cooling socks and more. The Company sponsors a state-of-the-art thermoregulation performance lab (the MISSION Performance & Safety Lab) at the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute, which researches heat safety in athletic pursuits and other activities. Among MISSION’s co-founders and partners are several world-class athletes including 23-time tennis champion Serena Williams, three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade and NFL champion Drew Brees.

Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin, said, “We are thrilled to invest in the Company and work alongside the MISSION founders and the Allstar Innovations team. We see enormous opportunity in the growing active consumer market segment, and MISSION’s focus on science-based technologies, along with its status as both a thought-leader and pioneer in the category, will give the Company a strong advantage as it scales its business and pursues additional avenues and adjacencies for growth.”

“MISSION is focused on delivering world-class solutions that help active consumers get cool and stay cool,” said David Floren, DCF Capital Managing Partner. “We look forward to partnering with Topspin. The firm’s operational resources and omnichannel consumer expertise will be invaluable as we expand our product offerings and continue exploring opportunities to use our technology in fitness, health and wellness and jobsite settings.”

For more information, visit www.mission.com and follow us @missioncooling on Instagram and Facebook.

Waukesha, WI (November 11, 2021) – SportPet, a Topspin Consumer Partners portfolio company, strengthened its position today as a leading manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label pet products with its acquisition of Mission Pets. Since 1999, the San Francisco-based Mission Pets has been a leader in the pet lifestyle space, developing functional and novelty apparel, collars, leashes, bowls, bedding and home décor items for dogs and cats. Mission Pets’ products can be found in major brick-and-mortar retailers and through the Company’s website, Harrybarker.com.

“We’re thrilled to add Mission Pets to our platform and believe their products will be highly complementary to our existing offerings,” says Adam Kellogg, SportPet’s CEO. “As more families continue to bring pets into their homes, our business will be well-positioned to service those families with high quality, reliable products that can be used by furry friends for years to come.”

Michelle Elliott, Co-founder of Mission Pets, stated, “Since the launch of our first pet product line, we have helped serve countless pet families across the U.S. and internationally. Looking forward, we are excited to join SportPet and Topspin to accelerate our growth and continue servicing our customers with exceptional products across a broad array of categories.”

Ojas Vahia, Partner at Topspin, stated, “The combination of SportPet and Mission Pets is compelling for a multitude of reasons. Aside from the immediate scale and distribution opportunities, Mission Pets’ creative design team coupled with SportPet’s manufacturing capabilities will create a formidable player in pet durable products. We look forward to working with the Mission Pets team and welcome them to our SportPet family.” Cowen served as the exclusive financial advisor for Mission Pets and Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe served as the exclusive legal advisor for SportPet.

Mamaroneck, NY (September 27, 2021) – Topspin Consumer Partners (“Topspin”), an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, announced today that it has sold its portfolio company Remedy Health Group, LLC (“Remedy” or the “Company”) to Amulet Capital Partners, LP, a middle-market private equity investment firm that focuses exclusively on the healthcare sector. Remedy, through its portfolio of high caliber digital brands, delivers authoritative, authentic, and action-oriented digital content to patients and healthcare professionals, creating a high value, healthcare ecosystem that catalyzes action. Over the past four years, the Remedy team has worked closely with Topspin to build the Company into a diversified health media platform, expanding and elevating Remedy’s product offerings and content, improving its technology infrastructure, and acquiring Vertical Health, Oncology Business Review and Patient Power in three separate add-on transactions.

“Over the last few years, Remedy Health Media has evolved into a highly differentiated, innovative, and nimble player in the digital health media industry, providing patients, caregivers and healthcare providers with informative and inspiring content through a novel storytelling approach. The management team has done an exceptional job navigating an everchanging digital media landscape and positioned the company for continued growth well into the future. We thank our management partners and all Remedy employees for their commitment and great work, and wish them the very best in their next chapter,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin. Michael Cunnion, CEO of Remedy, stated, “As we reflect on our success and growth over the last four years, we are grateful to have had the Topspin team as our partners. From the very beginning, they shared our view for the potential of our business and provided invaluable support and guidance as we executed on both our organic and acquisition-driven growth strategies.”

Mamaroneck, NY (August 17, 2021) – Topspin Consumer Partners, an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on the consumer sector, announced today that it has made an investment in Coop Home Goods (“Coop” or the “Company”). Coop is a leading digitally-native designer and marketer of branded adjustable memory-foam pillows and other bedding accessories, which are sold through the Company’s website and various e-commerce marketplaces. Coop’s flagship product has been the number one-ranked pillow by Consumer Reports for the past two years. Star Mountain Capital, LLC and BHI, the U.S division of Bank Hapoalim, provided a unitranche loan facility and a revolving credit facility.

Topspin is partnering with sibling founders, Jin and Kevin Chon, who will continue to oversee the business going forward.  Jin and Kevin founded Coop in 2013 with the mission of improving sleep quality, since Kevin had struggled with severe sleep issues stemming from chronic neck and back pain. The management team brings extensive experience in developing innovative products with consumer-centric designs and in growing the business through e-commerce channels. Co-founder Jin Chon stated, “Kevin and I are excited to partner with Topspin. Topspin understands how to build and shape digital consumer brands. With their guidance and support, we believe Coop is well-positioned to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

Stephen Parks, Partner of Topspin, said, “We are thrilled to work alongside Jin and Kevin in continuing to grow Coop into a leading sleep and wellness brand. Their innovative, best-in-class products have disrupted the sleep category and generated an avid consumer following, driving the success of the brand. Coop’s growth has been extraordinary, and the team has created a great foundation to build off of.”

For more information on Coop Home Goods, please visit www.coophomegoods.com.