A special deal for you...
We wanted to send out a special edition of investment newsletter for a very special deal. Our amazing, multi-talented CEO, Andie, is also an advisor to rockstar brand: Buoy.
Think electrolytes but in a convenient, effective, eco-friendly squeeze bottle. Each squeeze bottle contains more electrolytes than 13 gatorades with no sugar, sweeteners, or "natural" flavors. A recent clinical trial shows that hydrating with Buoy is up to 49% more hydrating than competing products. The market seems to love this innovation as they have scaled 40X in the last 3 years and achieved $23M in 2025 just from ecom.
Their priced round just opened, but with the high demand, I wouldn’t be surprised if it closes soon. So check out the deck to see if it’s a fit!
Buoy
Brand Description: Buoy’s flagship line of unflavored liquid electrolytes turns any beverage into an electrolyte drink in just a few drops—even coffee and matcha. Since launching their sugar, sweetener, and additive-free drops, Buoy’s amassed 10,900+ 4.7 star average website reviews, brand awareness case studies with Meta and Klaviyo, scored SuppCo’s cleanest electrolyte and completed a university-led clinical trial published in the academic journal ‘Nutrients’ showing Buoy is clinically-proven to hydrate 64% more than water and 49% more than a leading competitor. Now, their next chapter explores the healing potential of the Australian Rainforest plus a new, unprecedented electrolyte form factor.
Founder Background: Buoy’s first time founding team was laser-focused on creating the cleanest electrolyte despite initial pressure to add sugar-alternatives and flavoring. At launch, they wondered if the mass market was ready for an unflavored hydration product. Then their sixth customer, a Mom whose daughter was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness POTS, left a life-changing Amazon review that spurred Buoy’s function-first expansion across the liquid form. Buoy’s rapid DTC growth leaned on their founder’s viral content that built an organic community—now, they’re expanding into retail, influencer and other channels.
Financial Highlights:
$23M in 2025 revenue (Ecomm only: DTC 75%, Amazon 25%)
$3.6M total raised, including NBA star Chris Paul
4,000,000+ bottles sold
Launching Wegman’s Q1 2026; more retailers later in 2026 and 2027
~$130+ 12 month CLTV; with ~$45 CAC
90%+ gross margin
$100k profitability in last two months
Deal Terms: $3M Priced Round with $46M valuation
Current commitments: $700k+ raised in the first week amongst existing investors, founders, board members, advisors, and employees. Additional $1M+ already soft-circled.
CPGD Insights: Buoy’s DTC and ecom success paint an optimistic picture for what retail expansion could look like with plenty of low-to-mid hanging fruit still to capture on the ecommerce side with their first foray into influencer and community-building events. Plus, recent director-level hires from legacy wellness brands like AG1, Thrive Market, OLLY, Ritual and Seed positions them well for a favorable acquisition.
Portco’s Looking for a Second-Chance?
Our friends at Palm Venture Studio are focused on second-chance capital for mission-driven companies, including consumer brands and tech-enabled services ($5M-$50M+ revenue).
Their model is designed to preserve and restore value for founders, investors, and lenders when a company’s growth becomes constrained by capital structure, operational complexity, or prior financing decisions.
Backed by a family investment office, Palm deploys patient equity capital alongside hands-on operational support focused on stabilizing cash flow, restructuring debt, resetting go-to-market strategy, and/or rebuilding fundamentals.
Consumer investments include MyxFitness (acq. by Beach Body), VidaFuel, Goode Health, Three Day Rule, EVRYMAN, Farmhouse, Juice Beauty, and more.
They welcome warm introductions to consumer founders or portfolio companies that would benefit from our unique approach. They’re also hiring for CEO of Goode Health! Refer us to the leaders you trust (referral bonus available!).
About the writer
And to introduce myself: hi, 👋 I’m Ali Lee! I’ve been leading Partnerships at CPGD and will be curating these founder stories. I graduated from Northwestern University last June, raised a pre-seed round for my bug repellent brand, Swarm (in development), and joined CPGD in the fall.
I’m looking to gain more operating experience at a CPG company in national retail, so if you have a portfolio company who is looking for extra hands, please let me know!
Deal Flow Portal
Looking for even more deals? We’re reopening our password protected Deal Flow Portal (password = betterforyou) for a full list of vetted CPG startups currently raising, with pitch decks! We’ll refresh this portal every month with new brands.