Brand News
13 December 2022
Here are the 75 fastest-growing emerging brands on Instacart
Liquid Death, Truff and Poppi are highlighted among a host of up-and-coming CPG brands.

Poppi bubbled up to #10. (Courtesy photo)
Liquid Death, Truff and Poppi are highlighted among a host of up-and-coming CPG brands.
Poppi bubbled up to #10. (Courtesy photo)
Instacart is highlighting the up-and-coming CPG brands rising up the digital shelf.
The grocery tech company compiled a list of the 75 fastest-growing emerging brands on its marketplace. The ranking was based on year-over-year sales velocity growth, and limited to certain brands based on age, sales, distribution and investment threshold.
"On this year’s list you’ll find lots of innovative options in the better-for-you category, including vegetarian meals from brands like Tattooed Chef, and allergen-free snacks from MadeGood and Love Corn, to sparkling beverages that pack a little extra punch – like a collagen boost in SkinTe and prebiotics in Poppi," Instacart writes in a blog post.
Here’s a look at the list:
The list arrives in a year in when Instacart has rolled out a number of new ad products that are designed to provide emerging brands with tools to gain visibility and increase sales on marketplace. Earlier this year, Instacart introduced display ads and rolled features that made them shoppable. This was followed by page templates that allowed brands to create shoppable destinations. A new ad-buying experience that centers marketing objectives in self-service ads also arrived this fall, alongside a new tool for promotions.
“Smaller, newer CPG brands are working hard to break into a crowded industry, find the right audience, improve awareness, and grow their distribution – all while managing limited ad budgets and competing with well-funded legacy brands,” Instacart writes in a blog post. “Over the last few years, we’ve been working with small brands to design flexible, accessible, affordable tools to amplify their products on Instacart.”
Instacart is one of the largest retail media platforms, and it’s clear that it is making room for startups looking to harness ecommmerce and marketplaces for growth.
Dealboard has funding and M&A updates from ecommerce aggregators and forecasting software.
Hunter is joining ABG's portfolio. (Courtesy photo)
This week, the aggregator space is active with M&A, IKEA is ready to roll out newly-purchased warehouse management software and Authentic Brands Group acquired a boot icon. Plus, there’s new investment to report for YouTube influencer Emma Chamberlain’s coffee brand and retail forecasting.
Here’s a look at the latest deals:
Chamberlain Coffee, the consumer brand founded by YouTube influencer Emma Chamberlain, raised $7 million in new funding.
The financing included backing from existing investors including Blazar Capital, Chamberlain and United Talent Agency. New investors include Volition Capital, Electric Feel Ventures, L.A. Libations and Noah Bremen, founder of PLTFRM.
The new funding follows the launch of a Ready-to-Drink (RTD) product and coffee pods. Previously, the brand raised a Series A in August 2022.
"Creating a uniquely inviting coffee brand has been my dream for so long now, and having key investors back us allows us to build Chamberlain Coffee in ways that feel fresh and exciting,” said Chamberlain, in a statement. “There are so many products I am eager to develop and projects I'm excited to get working on. With such an incredible team and group of investors I am more excited than ever to see what the future holds for Chamberlain Coffee."
Impact Analytics, a software company for retail supply chain and merchandise planning, raised new funding from Vistara Growth.
The new investment, the amount of which was not disclosed, comes after Impact raised funding in February 2021 and October 2022 from Argentum.
The funding will help Impact Analytics further develop its Impact Analytics SmartSuite product portfolio, which is designed to help optimize forecasting, merchandising and end-to-end lifecycle pricing. Rather than the traditional forecasting approach of basing decisions on the preceding year, Impact Analytics applies a model that includes 150 variables from internal and external sources, while combining recency and history. Clients include BJ's Wholesale Club, Dick's Sporting Goods, Puma and Tapestry.
Selva Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on consumer brands that promote healthier living, closed its second fund at $34 million, TechCrunch reported.
With the new funding, Selva will invest in brands across categories including health, wellness, beauty and personal care. The fund expects to write checks of $1-2 million in seed and Series A startups, while assisting in areas like finance, operations and retail partnerships.
Backers of the second fund include Unilever Ventures, PagsGroup and Obelysk.
Nautica and Forever 21 owner Authentic Brands Group acquired the intellectual property of Hunter, a 160-year-old British outdoor lifestyle brand known for its Wellington boots.
With the deal, ABG appointed longtime partners Batra Group and Marc Fisher to execute retail and ecommerce operations, as well as continue to expand the brand in the UK and U.S., respectively.
“At the intersection of fashion and outdoor, Hunter introduces another elevated global brand to Authentic’s diverse Lifestyle portfolio,” said Authentic CEO Jamie Salter, in a statement.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
DTC cookware brand Great Jones was acquired by Meyer Corporation, a global company that also owns kitchen brands such as Farberware and KitchenAid.
Founded in 2018, Great Jones grew with stylish, colorful cookware that stood out on Instagram feeds. CEO Sierra Tishgart will remain in the lead role, and take on an expanded role as the creative director of Meyer. Previously, Meyer was both a supplier and minority investor in Great Jones through fundraising. Now, Meyer will support product expansion and international retail development.
"I have long admired Meyer's expertise in our category, and I've had the personal pleasure of getting to know the Meyer family and team over several years," said Tishgart, in a statement. "I am ecstatic about the opportunities their support will unlock for Great Jones. We've operated as a small team of less than 10 throughout the company's four-year history, and this collaboration will strengthen our technical capabilities and secure our reach for many, many years to come."
The investment arm of IKEA parent Ingka Group acquired the warehouse management software platform Made4Net.
As a result of the deal, Made4Net’s software will be deployed across IKEA’s 482 stores and fulfillment centers. Made4Net will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of Ingka, with a headquarters in New Jersey. CEO Duff Davidson will remain at the helm of the company.
“Our business currently requires a better fulfillment operations system with more accurate data that better supports handling for our customers,” said Tolga Öncu, head of retail at Ingka Group, in a statement. “Our goal is to become leaders of life at home, serving more people in an omnichannel reality, whenever and however customers choose to meet us.”
European ecommerce aggregator SellerX acquired Elevate Brands, a U.S.-based aggregator.
The combined companies will be known as SellerX Group. It will comprise a portfolio that includes 80 Amazon-native private label consumer brands in categories including sports and outdoors, home, mobile accessories, pets and consumables. The portfolio will span over 40,000 products.
With the deal, SellerX Co-CEOs Philipp Triebel and Malte Horeyseck will lead SellerX Group, while Elevate Brands cofounders Ryan Gnesin, Jeremy Bell and Robert Bell will remain in key leadership positions.
“This acquisition combines our know-how and diversified portfolios of strong brands with a market-leading technology platform and strong operational infrastructure,” said Triebel, in a statement. “By leveraging our combined strengths, I am convinced we are well-positioned to drive further consolidation in the industry.”
Ecommerce aggregator Society Brands acquired Wolf Tactical, a tactical gear company.
Founded in 2017 by Tim Wu, Wolf Tactical makes products including DC belts, range belts to weighted vest and tactical backpacks.
"I started Wolf Tactical by myself as a side hustle with very limited knowledge of business and entrepreneurship. A combination of hard work and relentless learning allowed me to build it into a multi-million-dollar business," said Wu who will remain as brand president, in a statement. "With the help of Society Brands, I have access to untapped potential that I would not be able to achieve by myself.”