蘇塞克斯公爵夫人梅根?馬克爾活躍在全球舞臺上已近五年,向來將推動性別平等當成核心事業之一,其實從很久之前她就是如此。如今她開始打造創業投資組合,將推進性別平等的努力拓展到私營部門。
梅根投資了制作即食燕麥牛奶拿鐵的初創公司Clevr Blends,該公司領導者為聯合創始人兼首席執行官漢娜?門多薩。在宣布投資的聲明中,梅根強調了對支持女性創辦公司的興趣。2019年女性領導的企業獲得風投資金僅占總金額2.7%。該項個人投資是梅根公開的第一筆。
“這筆投資是為了支持充滿熱情,將打造社區當成事業重心的女企業家,”公爵夫人梅根發給《財富》雜志的聲明中稱,“向漢娜投資,支持他們選用合乎道德的原料,打造出我個人喜愛且能實現全方位健康的產品,我深感自豪。我相信她,也相信她的公司。”
梅根向來對健康領域頗感興趣。她曾經經營生活方式博客The Tig,經常發布關于健康空間的文章,不過現在博客已經關閉。2017年,圣巴巴拉一家小型咖啡店首發了Clevr的燕麥牛奶拿鐵產品,梅根品嘗之后主動聯系了該團隊。Clevr公司總部位于南加州蒙特西托附近,今年早些時候梅根和丈夫哈里王子剛搬到那里。
公爵夫人的發言人拒絕透露投資規模,并稱不會有更大規模的后續投資。Clevr只有6名員工,迄今為止一直靠著自籌資金經營。其產品包括零售價為28美元的四種速溶拿鐵,還有奶泡器和旅行杯,收到投資后公司打算擴大業務規模。該品牌還承諾將收入的1%捐給美國為食品正義而戰的機構,當前捐助對象為位于圣巴巴拉的互助和社區組織El Centro SB。
門多薩在一份聲明中表示:“創業者需要資金,也需要聽取關心他們事業的顧問意見。我很高興蘇塞克斯公爵夫人提供了這兩項幫助,她對我們開創的事業相當熱情,雙方合作的目標也非常一致。我們都對今后發展充滿信心。”
2020年初,蘇塞克斯公爵和夫人辭去皇室高級職務,此后兩人一直努力打造平臺,作為常駐美國的公眾人物繼續支持慈善事業,其中包括心理健康、阻止網絡騷擾,支持退伍軍人等。兩人成立的非營利機構Archewell基金會進展順利,梅根也借此持續推動兩性平等。今年秋天,公爵夫人參加了《財富》最具影響力女性峰會和最具影響力女性新一代峰會,主要探討的也是相關問題。
夫婦二人退出皇室遇到了種種復雜狀況,期間兩人還聲明要“經濟獨立”,也就是說不再依靠英國納稅人資助。如果為皇室工作,他們不可賺取任何形式的“職業收入”。
梅根感興趣的不僅包括創業投資領域,由于梅根為演員出身,公爵夫婦進駐私營部門的舉動還包括此前達成協議為Netflix制作內容。(財富中文網)
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
蘇塞克斯公爵夫人梅根?馬克爾活躍在全球舞臺上已近五年,向來將推動性別平等當成核心事業之一,其實從很久之前她就是如此。如今她開始打造創業投資組合,將推進性別平等的努力拓展到私營部門。
梅根投資了制作即食燕麥牛奶拿鐵的初創公司Clevr Blends,該公司領導者為聯合創始人兼首席執行官漢娜?門多薩。在宣布投資的聲明中,梅根強調了對支持女性創辦公司的興趣。2019年女性領導的企業獲得風投資金僅占總金額2.7%。該項個人投資是梅根公開的第一筆。
“這筆投資是為了支持充滿熱情,將打造社區當成事業重心的女企業家,”公爵夫人梅根發給《財富》雜志的聲明中稱,“向漢娜投資,支持他們選用合乎道德的原料,打造出我個人喜愛且能實現全方位健康的產品,我深感自豪。我相信她,也相信她的公司。”
梅根向來對健康領域頗感興趣。她曾經經營生活方式博客The Tig,經常發布關于健康空間的文章,不過現在博客已經關閉。2017年,圣巴巴拉一家小型咖啡店首發了Clevr的燕麥牛奶拿鐵產品,梅根品嘗之后主動聯系了該團隊。Clevr公司總部位于南加州蒙特西托附近,今年早些時候梅根和丈夫哈里王子剛搬到那里。
公爵夫人的發言人拒絕透露投資規模,并稱不會有更大規模的后續投資。Clevr只有6名員工,迄今為止一直靠著自籌資金經營。其產品包括零售價為28美元的四種速溶拿鐵,還有奶泡器和旅行杯,收到投資后公司打算擴大業務規模。該品牌還承諾將收入的1%捐給美國為食品正義而戰的機構,當前捐助對象為位于圣巴巴拉的互助和社區組織El Centro SB。
門多薩在一份聲明中表示:“創業者需要資金,也需要聽取關心他們事業的顧問意見。我很高興蘇塞克斯公爵夫人提供了這兩項幫助,她對我們開創的事業相當熱情,雙方合作的目標也非常一致。我們都對今后發展充滿信心。”
2020年初,蘇塞克斯公爵和夫人辭去皇室高級職務,此后兩人一直努力打造平臺,作為常駐美國的公眾人物繼續支持慈善事業,其中包括心理健康、阻止網絡騷擾,支持退伍軍人等。兩人成立的非營利機構Archewell基金會進展順利,梅根也借此持續推動兩性平等。今年秋天,公爵夫人參加了《財富》最具影響力女性峰會和最具影響力女性新一代峰會,主要探討的也是相關問題。
夫婦二人退出皇室遇到了種種復雜狀況,期間兩人還聲明要“經濟獨立”,也就是說不再依靠英國納稅人資助。如果為皇室工作,他們不可賺取任何形式的“職業收入”。
梅根感興趣的不僅包括創業投資領域,由于梅根為演員出身,公爵夫婦進駐私營部門的舉動還包括此前達成協議為Netflix制作內容。(財富中文網)
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
Throughout her near half-decade on the global stage—and long before—Meghan Markle has made gender equality one of her core causes. The Duchess of Sussex is now extending that mission to the private sector as she begins to build a portfolio of startup investments.
The duchess is investing in Clevr Blends, a startup that makes instant oat-milk lattes. In a statement announcing her investment in the brand—which is led by cofounder and CEO Hannah Mendoza—Meghan emphasized her interest in supporting female-founded companies, which received only 2.7% of venture capital funding in 2019. The personal investment is Meghan’s first to be made public.
“This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business,” the duchess said in a statement to Fortune. “I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and [that] has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her, and I believe in her company.”
Wellness has long been an interest of Meghan’s; she often wrote about the wellness space when she ran a now-shuttered lifestyle blog called The Tig. Meghan reached out to the Clevr team after trying the company’s oat-milk latte product, which debuted through a Santa Barbara pop-up coffee shop in 2017. The Southern California–based business is headquartered near Montecito, where Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, moved earlier this year.
A representative for the duchess declined to disclose the size of her investment, which wasn’t part of any kind of larger funding round. The brand, which has six staff members, has until now been self-funded. Clevr plans to use the investment to scale its business, which currently sells four different kinds of instant lattes retailing for $28, as well as a milk frother and travel mug. The brand has also committed to donating 1% of revenue to organizations fighting for food justice in the U.S., money that is currently going to Santa Barbara’s El Centro SB, a mutual aid and community organization.
“Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building. I’m grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex,” Mendoza said in a statement. “Her passion for what we’re creating is palpable, and I couldn’t imagine a more aligned partnership. We’re excited for the road ahead.”
Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed from their roles as senior members of the Royal Family in early 2020, the pair have been developing platforms to continue to support their charitable causes—which also include mental health, the end of online harassment, and support for veterans—as public figures largely based in the U.S. Their Archewell Foundation, where Meghan is continuing to work on the issue of gender equality through the nonprofit space, is getting off the ground. The duchess joined the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit and MPW Next Gen Summit this fall to discuss these issues.
During their complicated exit from their official roles in the Royal Family, the couple stated a commitment to attaining “financial independence,” meaning they would no longer rely on British taxpayer funding; as working members of the Royal Family, they were barred from earning any form of “professional income.”
In addition to Meghan’s interest in startup investing, the duke and duchess, who is a former actor, have entered the private sector through a deal to produce content for Netflix.