Dick's acquires Moosejaw from Walmart, Amazon leads funding

Spreetail raises $250M

Spreetail, an ecommerce logistics and channel management firm, raised $208 million in new funding.

The round was supported by McCarthy Capital, as well as internal management and other investors.

Spreetail operates seven fulfillment centers, and serves over 500 brands. In September, it acquired Buy Box Experts, a performance marketing agency with a specialty in Amazon.

Spreetail said it repositioned for a pullback in ecommerce growth.

“Many brands, aggregators, and agencies are heavily leveraged moving into 2023,” said Spreetail Global CEO Brett Thome, in a statement. “We have read the writing on the wall around post-pandemic shifts in consumer behavior combined with inflationary concerns and have repositioned Spreetail to increase our investment into our brand partnerships, our technology and our organization this year.”

Amazon leads $104M round for FreshToHome

FreshToHome, an online consumer brand for preservative and antibiotic-residue-free fish and meat, raised $104 million in a Series D round.

Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, a fund dedicated to funding startups in India, led the round. Participants included Iron Pillar, Investcorp, Investment Corporation of Dubai, Ascent Capital, E20 Investment Ltd, Mount Judi Ventures and Dallah Albaraka.

Launched in 2016, FreshToHome operates in more than 160 cities in India, as well as the UAE. The company has allowed more than 4,000 fishers and farmers to auction their produce through its online platform.

Kiwibot raises $10M for autonomous food delivery

Kiwibot, a company that makes food delivery robots, secured $10 million in financing through a partnership with Kineo Finance.

Launched in 2017, Kiwibot provides last-mile delivery from restaurants on 27 college campuses and in 41 cities globally.

The funding will assist the company with manufacturing and scaling, as it seeks to grow its robotic fleet.

Tracksuit raises $5M for accessible brand insights

Tracksuit, a New Zealand-based startup that provides technology offering brand insights, raised $5 million, according to TechCrunch.

The round was led by Blackbird, and also included participation from Shasta Ventures, Icehouse Ventures, Ascential and brand consultant Mark Ritson.

The company is aiming to provide more affordable and accessible market research through surveys, and offers information from customers as well as recommendations for positioning. Clients include Made by Nacho, Charity: Water and Athletic Brewing Company.

Dick’s acquires Moosejaw from Walmart

Ecommerce-focused outdoor retailer Moosejaw will be acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods from Walmart.

Walmart acquired 30-year-old Moosejaw in 2017. For Dick’s, it’s a move to expand share in the outdoor market, where it has a specialty retailer called Public Lands that competes with the likes of REI.

Along with the ecommerce platform, Moosejaw operates brick-and-mortar locations in several states.

Starco Brands to acquire Soylent

Starco Brands is set to acquire Soylent, the maker of a line of plant-based shakes, powders and bars that provide complete nutrition.

Soylent initially became popular among gamers and technologists looking for a convenient way to fill up on nutrients. It has since expanded a mass market presence into Walmart, Target, Publix and more.

Going forward, the company will operate under its existing name, and continue to be led by Soylent CEO Demir Vangelov.

Terms were not disclosed.

MikMak adds international ecommerce enablement

MikMak, an ecommerce acceleration software company, is set to acquire Swaven, an ecommerce analytics and enablement company serving EMEA, APAC and LATAM.

MikMak’s software is designed to provide product discovery and checkout for brands working across multiple channels.

The acquisition will advance MikMak’s software, and provide increased global reach. Combined, the companies will serve a gross merchandise value of $2.4 trillion.

Terms were not disclosed.

Running brands Janji and Oiselle merge

Running apparel brand Janji and womens athletic apparel brand Oiselle are set to merge in a deal facilitated by Digsbury Ventures.

The merger brings together two mission driven brands. Boston-based Janji has a mission to expand access to safe drinking water, while Oiselle is committed to supporting women runners.

With the deal, the brands will continue to operate as separate entities, while continuing to build community from a large existing base of runners.

Oiselle founder Sally Bergesen will move to an advisory role, while Atsuko Tamura will lead the brand as president. Janji cofounders Mike Burnstein and Dave Spandorfer will continue in their roles leading that brand. Matt McCalpin will serve as managing director across both brands.

Terms were not disclosed.

IPSY and BoxyCharm consolidate operations

Beauty subscription brands IPSY and BoxyCharm are merging operations.

The companies previously operated as separate entities, but shared a parent. Now, they will consolidate under the IPSY umbrella. Following the pandemic, the brands reduced subscription boxes from six to three following the pandemic.

Now, IPSY will have four boxes, which are delivered with beauty products each month. These include sample sizes, full size, celeb-curated and clean beauty.

Terms were not disclosed.