Sprig
With just a few taps on the Sprig iPhone or Android app, choose from three healthy, ready to eat meal options to be delivered in 15 minutes
Food & Beverage

Sprig Ramps Up with $45 Million Funding to Supply On-Demand Meals

By Zach Seymour, Close-Up Media Staff Writer

Sprig has raised Series B financing of $45 million USD from lead investor Social Capital and existing investor Greylock Partners.

The company also said it will be expanding its service from San Francisco to cities across the country, beginning first with the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago with more cities by end of 2015. This round leads the way for national availability of Sprig, which enables customers to order healthy, organic and ready-to-eat meals from their smartphone.

As part of the funding round, Ted Maidenberg of Social Capital will join Sprig's Board of Directors, which includes Simon Rothman of Greylock Partners and Sprig co-founder and CEO Gagan Biyani.

"Sprig has quickly become a phenomenon in San Francisco. To the customer, the value proposition is simple: tap a button on your phone, get a healthy meal in 15 minutes. It's an experience customers rave about," said Maidenberg. "Under the hood, this is an incredibly difficult challenge and the Sprig team has figured out how to deliver this at scale. We're excited to be a partner and help them bring this magical experience to more customers across America."

In the last 17 months, Sprig has served nearly half a million meals in the city of San Francisco. Since January 2015, the company has increasingly become a habit with customers: the average Sprig customer orders from the service once a week, the Company said.

Since its launch, Sprig has sourced over 400,000 lbs of organic produce from dozens of local farmers such as Frazier Farms in Hollister, California and Petaluma Farms in Petaluma, California.

Rothman said, "The Sprig team has cracked the code on making healthy, quick and affordable eating accessible to millions of people with just the press of a button. We've been with Gagan and the Sprig team since the beginning, and seen their investment in operational efficiency and laser focus on the customer experience, resulting in incredibly impressive growth. This new round of financing will help accelerate their expansion beyond San Francisco and the growth of their world-class team."

Currently available in San Francisco, Sprig will start expanding to the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago and plans to continue expansion to several more cities later this year.

Sprig CEO and Co-Founder Gagan Biyani said, "Sprig is on a mission to make eating well simple. Too often, modern consumers are forced to choose between convenience and quality. With Sprig, you don't have to compromise. We're so proud of what our team has already accomplished and today's funding will help Sprig continue on our mission and bring this experience to more people in more places."

In addition to Greylock Partners, existing investors Accel Partners, Battery Ventures, Pascal Levy-Garboua, 500 Startups, Ludlow Ventures, Haroon Mokhtarzada, Russ Fradin, Jim Payne, and Justin Waldron all participated in the round. Alongside Social Capital, Sprig also welcomes new investors Sozo-Truebridge, Lumia Capital, IDG Ventures, CAA Ventures, Fabrice Grinda, Sam Kass, Jed York, Marc Lasry, Karen Francis, Stewart Butterfield, Brian Spaly, Mark Ayzenshtat, Bryan Goldberg and Amitt Mahajan.

More information:
www.sprig.com

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

THE DAILY VIEW

  • Alexandra Scarborough
    Gilt and Sarah Jessica Parker Unveil SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal Collection for Spring

    Sarah Jessica Parker, in partnership with Gilt, kicked off the exclusive launch of SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Bridal, Gilt’s first foray into bridal ready-to-wear that would have Carrie Bradshaw swooning.

    The collection includes dresses, skirts, bodysuits and other pieces, ranging in price from $295 to $2,395 and from sizes 0 to 14.

    "Collaborating with Gilt on my first bridal ready-to-wear collection was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Sarah Jessica Parker. "The team there is brilliant and allowed me to be imaginative and take risks as I was designing for the non-traditional bride. It has been quite fun to play around with colors, fabrics and details to create unique pieces for all kinds of brides." The collection, comprised of ten styles, is inspired by Parker's vision of a modern, non-traditional bride, and is designed to dress a woman for a variety of wedding milestone moments; from her bridal shower through her wedding reception. Styles offered are a unique mix of classic dresses and gowns, modern bodysuits, full skirts, and a jumpsuit. The color palette includes traditional bridal white, sleek black, plus pops of blush, poppy, light gray and blue.

    Designed in collaboration with Gilt, the collection was produced in New York City utilizing fabrics like cashmere and stretch crepe sourced from Spain, Italy and France.

    The pieces all feature carefully curated details like elegant bows, sophisticated cutouts, feathers, intricate embroidery and beautiful hand-stitched beading. 

    The actress and style icon is no stranger to chic bridal wear. Carrie Badshaw, famously played by Parker, took part in an elaborate bridal photo shoot in Sex and the City: The Movie. The shoot featured gowns from designers like Christian Lacroix and Lanvin. Parker famously wore a black wedding gown for her own wedding to Matthew Broderick in 1997.

    "Not only is Sarah Jessica Parker's style known around the world, her point of view is one-of-a-kind," says Tom Ott, Chief Merchant of Gilt. "Sarah Jessica brings her impeccable taste and fashion sensibility to life in this collection. We think our customers will be delighted with the offering which is stylish and well-priced in the bridal category."

    As part of the bridal launch, Gilt will also offer 15 exclusive styles from the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker footwear line, each of which are complementary to the bridal collection. 

    To correspond with the bridal collection launch, Gilt City will present offers from some of Sarah Jessica Parker's favorite places in New York City.

    The offers were each chosen as a way to help brides plan for and celebrate the big day with highlights including, Leather Spa, Lars Nord Studio Tailoring, Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, among others.

    More Information:
    http://www.Gilt.com/SJP

  • Alexandra Scarborough
    Tea Forté Introduces ‘Matcha’ Collection

    Convenience meets tradition in Tea Forté’s new Ceremonial Matcha Bowl Set and the Matcha Single Steeps.

    The company said its spring harvested, shade grown, stone ground, organic matcha tea is best served in a centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony called chanoyu: a preparation technique known for its centering meditative qualities.

    "The launch of Tea Forté's Matcha collection represents our continued commitment to wellness and cultivating all the potential mental and physical health benefits of tea," says Tea Forté CEO Michael Gebrael. "In addition to our high quality Pure Matcha, we've also blended four distinct flavored Matcha varieties. Prepackaged in pouches measured out for a single serving, our Single Steeps Matcha is ideal for the office, travel, or to keep with you for a boost anytime."

    Tea Forté noted its handcrafted ceremonial tea bowl, handmade bamboo whisk and measuring ladle “encourages serene enjoyment of our premium Kosher, gluten-free and vegan matcha blends.” These include: Pure Matcha, Chocolate Matcha, Coconut Matcha, Ginger Matcha, and Chai Matcha.

    According to a release, in addition to its distinctive taste, matcha is prized for its health benefits. Steeped green tea contains only the antioxidants that can be extracted in water, while with matcha, the whole leaf is consumed.

    Available now in select stores and online at teaforte.com.

 

 

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