Cleancult Series A Pitch Deck
Embedded October 2019 source PDF. This is a useful reference deck for mission-led CPG founders because it combines product differentiation, DTC unit economics, early retail strategy, and a signed term-sheet signal.
Active Retail-Expanding Brand, But Headcount Growth Is Mixed
Cleancult is clearly active in 2026: the official site is live, LinkedIn has current company activity, and public sources show expansion across Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Walmart, Amazon, and other retail channels. Headcount is more nuanced: LinkedIn and Wellfound show an 11-50 band, Tracxn shows 37 employees as of July 2024, LeadIQ lists current operating roles, and Wellfound lists 0 open jobs.
Operating Status
Official site, recent press, retail launches, current product expansion, and LinkedIn activity support active operations.
Headcount Trend
Public team signals imply a modest active team, not clearly accelerating hiring.
Funding Outcome
Public evidence supports later $25M Series B and $5M Series B extension events.
Cleancult
A refillable home-cleaning brand that pitched soap-in-cartons as a packaging wedge, then validated the broader thesis through major retail expansion, a $25M Series B, and a later $5M extension tied to Target.
Funding Raised
Event-level funding bars use public/deck-specific amounts. Reported totals conflict: Tracxn shows $36.8M, while an Everywhere/Fortune summary says $53M.
A Strong Reference Because The Thesis Worked, But The Product System Evolved
The 2019 deck correctly identified a real consumer and retailer wedge: cleaning products had ingredient trust issues and too much plastic packaging. The later public story shows capital raised and retail expansion, but also a key lesson for founders: the original empty-glass starter-kit behavior was too much friction for mass retail, so Cleancult moved toward filled aluminum bottles, cartons, and laundry sheets.
Best for sustainable CPG, packaging-led differentiation, DTC-to-retail expansion, and unit-economics feedback.
$25M Series B
Cleancult announced a $25M Series B in September 2021 with Reynolds Channel, Anchor Capital, Box Group, Vanterra, Blue Scorpion, Hartbeat Ventures, and Rachel Zoe Ventures.
Active in 2026
Costco, Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and official-site signals support active operations.
Mixed Signal
LinkedIn and Wellfound show 11-50; Tracxn says 37 in July 2024; Wellfound shows 0 jobs.
Behavior Change
Packaging World reported the glass format required too much consumer behavior change, explaining the later aluminum-bottle system.
What The Deck Does Well
- Memorable product wedge: soap in milk cartons is visually simple and differentiated.
- Investor-useful metrics: Slide 11 combines CPA, gross margin, AOV, reviews, and projected LTV.
- Team-market fit: the team slide shows growth, supply chain, product chemistry, retail design, advisors, and consumer investors.
- Retail ambition: the deck understood early that DTC would need to lead into mainstream shelves.
What To Challenge In Founder Decks
- Source quality: market, regulation, ingredient, and environmental claims need clear citations.
- Channel economics: DTC CAC/LTV does not prove Target, Walmart, Costco, or Whole Foods economics.
- Adoption friction: founders must show why the customer will actually change behavior.
- Manufacturing risk: paper cartons for cleaning liquids require specialized supply-chain proof.
Opaque ingredients and plastic packaging.
Paper-based cartons and refillable vessels.
CPA, AOV, margin, reviews, and MRR growth.
Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Costco, Amazon.
Filled aluminum bottles plus refills and sheets.
Company Facts
Best Founder-Feedback Uses
Use Slide 6 when a founder needs a simple visual explanation of why the product is different.
Use Slide 11 when a founder has commercial metrics but has not arranged them into an investor-readable proof block.
Use Slide 7 to show how operating credibility can include advisors and investors without hiding the core team.
Use Slide 12 to start a channel strategy conversation, then ask for sell-through and margin detail.
Funding Evidence
| Event | Date | Amount | Investors / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed / grant context | 2018 | ~$200K | Founder recalled about $200K pre-seed around MassChallenge and the carton-packaging pivot. |
| Series A database entry | 2019-12 | $4M | Startup Intros lists Craft Ventures, White Star Capital, Giza Polish Ventures, Infinite Niches, Kitchen Table Partners, Kreos Capital, and Gaetan Japy. |
| Deck term-sheet claim | 2019 deck | $6M term sheet | Deck says a $6M Series A term sheet was signed and the company was looking for $2M in co-investment. |
| Series B | 2021-09-28 | $25M | Reynolds Channel, Anchor Capital, Box Group, Vanterra, Blue Scorpion, Hartbeat Ventures, and Rachel Zoe Ventures. |
| Series B extension | 2025-05-16 | $5M | Series B lead investors, Sage Hill Investors, Maywic Select Investments, and others. |
| Reported total | 2026 | $36.8M to $53M+ | Tracxn reports $36.8M; an Everywhere/Fortune summary says $53M; PitchBook snippet seen in search results says $60.7M. |
Founders, Operators, Advisors, And Headcount
| Signal | Read | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Lupberger | Co-founder and CEO | Founder voice across official site, PR, Meb Faber, Everywhere, and retail announcements. |
| Zachary Bedrosian | Co-founder; deck CTO; later CDO signal | Shows technical/product leadership and continuity from deck to public profiles. |
| Deck operators | Growth, supply chain, design, affiliate marketing, chemical engineering | Good founder-feedback example for showing the functions needed to scale a physical product. |
| Advisors | Mark Zurcher, Dave Heath, Bill Siegel | Consumer, CPG, and retail experience map well to the company risk profile. |
| Current headcount | LinkedIn/Wellfound 11-50; Tracxn 37 in July 2024 | Supports an active modest team, but not clear headcount acceleration. |
| Hiring | Wellfound lists 0 jobs | Use retail growth as growth signal, not broad hiring evidence. |
Retail And Product Expansion
| Date | Event | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Walmart Marketplace case study | Cleancult reached 3,000+ Walmart stores after Marketplace launch. |
| 2025-05 | Target launch plus $5M extension | Major national retail milestone and latest quantified financing event. |
| 2025-06 | Packaging World Target packaging article | Explains shift from empty glass bottles to filled aluminum bottles. |
| 2025-07 | Whole Foods launch | Adds eco-conscious grocery validation and Green Seal certified product signal. |
| 2026-01 | Costco nationwide laundry sheets | Current operating proof and expansion into club retail. |
| 2026-03 | Scent expansion | Shows product-line activity across Amazon and major retailers. |
Podcast And Interview Trail
| Source | Date | Use For Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Meb Faber episode #230 | 2020-06-22 | Origin, MassChallenge, $200K pre-seed, BoxGroup bridge, packaging shelf productivity. |
| Founders Everywhere | 2022-01-26 | Founder-market fit, industry problem, and sustainability without sacrifice. |
| Wavebreak / Leading Brands | 2023 | Ecommerce to retail transition and leadership-team building. |
| Packaging Strategies video | 2025-09-04 | Manufacturing complexity and paper-based packaging adoption. |
| Venture Everywhere | 2026-01-06 | Custom manufacturing, national retail, price parity, and portfolio expansion. |
Most Useful Comparable Slides
Recommend when the founder needs to make a packaging or product wedge visually obvious.
Recommend when a founder has a real operating bench but needs to separate full-time team, advisors, and investors.
Recommend for CPG decks with CPA, AOV, margin, reviews, LTV, and repeat purchase metrics.
Recommend when DTC founders need to explain how the business becomes omnichannel.
Useful momentum proof, but founders should add actual axis labels and month-by-month values.
Useful forecast pattern, but needs assumptions, cash need, channel mix, and working capital.
Reference Set
| Peer / Category | Why Relevant | Founder Feedback Use |
|---|---|---|
| Blueland | Direct low-waste cleaning competitor. | Compare cartons/aluminum against tablets, refill pouches, and reusable-container systems. |
| Method / Mrs. Meyer's / Seventh Generation | Mainstream natural-cleaning shelf set. | Define why the brand wins beyond being clean or sustainable. |
| Legacy cleaning giants | Massive incumbents shape pricing, shelf space, and consumer habit. | Ask for price parity, performance proof, and repeat purchase. |
| Retailers | Target, Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger, Albertsons, Amazon. | Ask for door count, velocity, gross margin, promotions, and working capital. |
| Packaging formats | Plastic bottles, pouches, cartons, aluminum bottles, tablets, sheets. | Make behavior-change friction explicit. |
Deck Contact Sheet