Perelel Secures $27 Million Investment From Prelude Growth Partners

Women’s health company Perelel has secured a $27 million investment from female-founded private equity firm Prelude Growth Partners with participation from existing investors Unilever Ventures, Willow Growth Partners and Selva Ventures.

“We’re looking for categories with significant consumer tailwind and categories where women are moving… There’s no question [women’s health is] one of the most exciting, dynamic categories today,” said Prelude Growth Partners cofounder and managing partner Neda Daneshzadeh. “We have been looking to invest and partner with a women’s health brand since Day One of founding Prelude… It’s taken us seven-to-eight years to find the right company.”

Perelel, founded by Victoria Thain Gioia, Alex Taylor and practicing OB-GYN Banafsheh Bayati, launched in 2020 with doctor-developed formulas for prenatal support. Per the Prelude Growth Partners team, Perelel’s prenatals, which feature a different set of ingredients for each trimester, were a significant differentiator.

Since its inception, Perelel has expanded beyond pregnancy and now includes solutions for a variety of need states, such as cycle support, postpartum, menopause, perimenopause, pre-conception and more. It is available direct-to-consumer, on Amazon and at Erewhon. The team declined to comment on specific sales figures but said the company is profitable and has more than doubled its revenue each year since launch. Through the deal, Prelude replaces early angel investors, per the Perelel team.

With this raise, Perelel will continue to expand its assortment in women’s health to address all ages and stages, as well as double down on its commitment to clinical validation.

“We’ve been anchored in the motherhood journey, and that’s still our core,” said Thain Gioia. “We want to create products for women throughout their entire life cycle. We’ve been able to start that this year with our Triple-Support Protein.”

In the way of scientific validation, Thain Gioia said “the goal is to have a clinical that bolsters every product.” To date, Perelel has conducted clinicals on several of its formulas, including its Women’s Daily Vitamin Trio, $47, and Hormone Balance Support, $55.

According to Daneshzadeh, Prelude’s commitment to efficacy and community were key standouts.

“Their retention of this consumer was unlike any metrics I have seen, and I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” she said. “The subscribers ability to stay with Perelel and want to keep staying with Perelel is quite differentiated.”

In terms of growth opportunities for the brand, Daneshzadeh pointed to new product innovation, particularly with complementary products like Perelel’s protein powder, clinical testing, increased marketing for brand awareness and eventually expansion in retail.

With this deal, Prelude Growth Partners is expanding its stake in the growing wellness market, which Daneshzadeh said intersects with nearly every category now. Prior to this round, Prelude also invested in longevity-centric skin care brand OneSkin, clean home care brand Blueland and functional beverage brand So Good So You. The firm has also invested in a number of fast-growing beauty brands, including Sol de Janeiro and Tower28.

This deal also highlights the significance of the women’s health market, which continues to grow as new brands launch and retailers invest more heavily in the category.

“[When] we went to fundraise in April 2020… people didn’t understand this as a category and didn’t see it as a big opportunity,” said Thain Gioia. “There’s more conversation 1764064829, but we still need to see more research, more clinical backing, more brands not just saying the buzz word, but doing the work behind it… There’s a huge opportunity to continue to support women with these specific solutions that have clinical evidence and are made for exactly what she’s going through.”