Brit + Co., a lifestyle brand focused on helping the world be more creative, today announced it has raised a $6.3 million Series A round of funding. The new investment was led by Oak Investment Partners and will be used to help the company focus on its growth, its community, and eventually the establishment of commerce on its website and shop.
In addition to the new capital, Brit + Co. has added existing angel investor Tina Sharkey (co-founder of iVillage, and Chairman and Global President at BabyCenter) and Oak’s Fred Harman to its board of directors. One Kings Lane’s Vice President of Brand Development Sascha Jamall and West Studios founder and former Apple Vice President of Marketing Communications Allison Johnson are joining as advisors.
The round also includes participation from Lerer Ventures and previous investors Index Ventures, Cowboy Ventures, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and Aileen Lee.
The partnership with Oak appears to be a well-placed strategic one, as the firm has made investments in many Internet and consumer startups, including Demand Media, Federated Media, Kayak, and Thrillist Media Group. As Brit + Co. looks to expand its content empire, this relationship could be exactly what it needs to jumpstart it.
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Brit + Co was started by Brit Morin, who some describe as the “Martha Stewart of the tech world.” She tells us that her team spent the past 18 months focused on building its content base. Now, it’s shifting gears towards growing the community and eventually to implement a commerce platform.
The company is seeing its growth increase 11 times year over year and says that it has healthy engagement from its users — half of its monthly uniques are coming on a weekly basis. Granted, Morin didn’t provide specifics numbers, but in January, it was revealed that since its launch in 2011, Brit + Co.’s website has seen more than 3 million people visit it.
Morin tells us that the idea behind her service was to get people to create something and move beyond the digital realm. Sure, people can go to sites like Good Housekeeping, IKEA, or any company or publication that has a crafts feature, but Brit + Co. offers the chance for them to actually create it themselves — using special “Brit Kits”. These are do-it-yourself starter packs and lets customers build their own project and are available right from the Brit + Co. website.
The company’s founder said in a statement:
What interests us the most is the intersection of do-it-yourself (DIY) and tech, taking advantage of two growing categories to create new ways to inspire creative and simple living. Partnering with these investors gives us the opportunity to connect with even more makers to strengthen our active and passionate Brit + Co. community.
Brit + Co. has spent the past couple years partnering with the likes of Intel, Velcro, and beauty brands to help find that blend of tech, lifestyle, and creativity.
The company has raised to date $7.55 million in funding, with $1.25 million coming from its Seed Round back in April.
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