# Cleancult Research Record

Accessed: 2026-06-19

Deck reviewed: `/Users/kevinweatherman/Downloads/D2C + Consumer/Cleancult Deck.pdf`

Rendered slide contact sheet: `/Users/kevinweatherman/Documents/deck-review/output/research/cleancult_contact_sheet.jpg`

## Current Status Overlay

| Signal | Current Read | Source Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Operating status | Active consumer brand | Official site is live, LinkedIn is current, and 2025-2026 press shows Target, Costco, Whole Foods, Amazon, and other retail activity. |
| Headcount signal | Mixed / modest team | LinkedIn and Wellfound both show 11-50 employees. Tracxn says 37 employees as of July 2024. LeadIQ lists current executive/operating roles as of April 2026. Wellfound shows 0 jobs. |
| Growth signal | Retail distribution growing; headcount not clearly growing | Distribution and product line are expanding, but current public hiring evidence is limited. |
| Funding outcome | Raised after deck | Public evidence supports a $4M Series A database entry, a $25M Series B, and a $5M Series B extension. Tracxn reports $36.8M total, while a Fortune/Everywhere summary claims $53M. |
| Confidence | High on active status; medium on total funding/headcount | Status is well supported. Funding totals conflict by source. Headcount should stay source-specific. |

## Company Snapshot

| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| Company | Cleancult / Clean Cult |
| Category | Sustainable home cleaning / refillable household cleaning products |
| Source file | Cleancult Deck.pdf |
| Profile slug | cleancult |
| Deck stage | Series A pitch deck |
| Deck date | October 2019 |
| Page count | 18 |
| Founders | Ryan Lupberger and Zachary Bedrosian |
| Current HQ signal | New York, New York; LinkedIn also lists San Juan, Puerto Rico location |
| Current positioning | Paper-based cleaning refills plus refillable bottles and low-waste formats for mainstream retail |

## Research Synthesis

Cleancult is a strong reference profile because the post-deck outcome validates the broad direction of the 2019 deck while also showing that the winning execution evolved. The deck framed the opportunity as refillable, non-toxic cleaning products, with soap in milk cartons as the core wedge, a DTC starter kit, strong unit economics, 6.2x MRR growth, a $6M signed Series A term sheet, and a plan to scale into retail.

Public evidence since the deck shows the company did raise meaningful capital and reach major retail distribution. The cleanest announced post-deck financing is the $25M Series B in September 2021. A later May 2025 announcement adds a $5M Series B extension tied to Target expansion. Walmart's case study says Cleancult went from Walmart Marketplace in early 2022 to products in more than 3,000 Walmart stores within one year. Whole Foods, Target, Costco, Amazon, and other retail signals show the brand is still active in 2026.

The most important feedback lesson is that the product system changed as Cleancult scaled. The 2019 deck emphasized glass starter bottles and recurring refills. Packaging World later reported that the empty-glass format required too much consumer behavior change, so the company moved toward filled aluminum bottles paired with paperboard cartons. That is a founder-feedback goldmine: even if the insight is right, the user behavior and retail packaging details decide whether the model scales.

## Funding Record

| Date | Round / Event | Amount | Source-Specific Notes |
|---|---|---:|---|
| 2018 | Pre-seed / grant context | ~$200K | Ryan Lupberger said on Meb Faber that the company had about $200K in pre-seed after the carton insight and MassChallenge period. |
| 2019-12 | Series A database entry | $4M | Startup Intros lists a December 2019 $4M Series A with Craft Ventures, White Star Capital, Giza Polish Ventures, Infinite Niches, Kitchen Table Partners, Kreos Capital, and Gaetan Japy. |
| 2019 deck | Series A term-sheet claim | $6M term sheet; seeking $2M co-investment | Deck claim. Treat separately from publicly reported close amount. |
| 2021-09 | Series B | $25M | PR Newswire announcement with Reynolds Channel, Anchor Capital, Box Group, Vanterra, Blue Scorpion, Hartbeat Ventures, and Rachel Zoe Ventures. |
| 2025-05 | Series B extension | $5M | PR Newswire Target announcement; participated by Series B leads, Sage Hill Investors, Maywic Select Investments, and others. |
| 2026 database total | Reported total funding | $36.8M to $53M+ | Tracxn reports $36.8M. Everywhere/Fortune summary says $53M. PitchBook snippet seen in search results says $60.7M. Use event-level amounts where possible. |

## Team And Headcount

The 2019 deck's team slide is unusually helpful because it shows an actual operating bench, not just founders. Ryan Lupberger is CEO/co-founder; Zachary Bedrosian is CTO/co-founder in the deck and appears in later public profiles as founder/Chief Digital Officer. The deck also highlights Brian Ma for growth marketing, Rob Gordon for supply chain, Gerardo Mellado for retail design, Sonia Duenes for affiliate marketing, and Carlos Pinzon for chemical engineering/product development.

Advisor and investor names matter here because they fit the business: Mark Zurcher, former CEO of Boomchickapop, Dave Heath of Bombas, Bill Siegel of The Seaweed Bath Co., BoxGroup, Moscoe Group, Vanterra, and DGNL Ventures all map to consumer brand, retail, or CPG operating knowledge.

Current headcount should be described carefully. LinkedIn and Wellfound both show 11-50 employees. Tracxn says 37 employees as of July 2024. LeadIQ shows a current executive/operating bench in April 2026, but Wellfound lists zero open jobs. The right overlay is active with retail growth, not clearly growing headcount.

## Current Distribution And Operating Status

Strong current operating signals:

- Official Cleancult site is live and positions the brand around paper-based refills, formulas without harsh chemicals, powerful cleaning, and aluminum bottles.
- LinkedIn shows a current company page with 5,044 followers, 11-50 employees, and recent Costco-related activity.
- Walmart case study says Cleancult moved from Walmart Marketplace to more than 3,000 stores.
- PR Newswire says the brand launched at Target with a $5M Series B extension in 2025.
- PR Newswire says the brand launched across four Whole Foods regions in July 2025.
- PR Newswire says Costco launched Clean Cult laundry detergent sheets nationwide in January 2026.
- Packaging Insights says new scents are available on Amazon and major retailers in 2026.

## Deck Feedback Lessons

### What Cleancult did well

- **Simple problem wedge:** toxic/opaque cleaning ingredients plus plastic packaging creates a clear consumer pain.
- **Differentiated product form:** soap in milk cartons is memorable and visually distinct.
- **Unit economics slide:** CPA, gross margin, starter-kit AOV, refill AOV, average pricing, reviews, and projected LTV are exactly the type of commercial proof founders should include.
- **Growth proof:** MRR growth is clear, even though axis labels and data table are needed.
- **Retail strategy:** the deck understood early that DTC alone would not define the category.
- **Team-market fit:** advisors and team members have real CPG, retail, supply chain, and brand relevance.

### What to challenge

- **Claim sourcing:** market, environmental, regulation, and consumer-stat slides need explicit source footnotes.
- **Forecast confidence:** the $50M ARR by 2022 projection needs channel assumptions, working capital, inventory, and gross margin by channel.
- **DTC vs retail economics:** starter-kit CAC/LTV does not automatically transfer to Target, Walmart, Costco, or Whole Foods economics.
- **Behavior change:** the later shift from empty glass bottles to filled aluminum bottles shows the deck should have acknowledged adoption friction.
- **Manufacturing risk:** paper cartons for cleaning liquids require specialized filling, quality, leakage, recycling, and supply-chain evidence.
- **Funding precision:** the deck's $6M term sheet should be reconciled with public $4M Series A database records.

## Best Slide References For Founder Feedback

| Slide | Why It Matters | Feedback Use |
|---:|---|---|
| 6 | Soap in milk cartons is the clearest product differentiation slide. | Recommend when a founder needs to make the wedge instantly visible. |
| 7 | Team slide ties founder, growth, supply chain, product, advisors, and investors together. | Recommend when founder-market fit needs more operating credibility. |
| 11 | Unit economics is compact and investor-relevant. | Recommend when a founder has CAC, AOV, margin, review, and LTV proof but has not organized it. |
| 12 | Retail strategy shows how the brand planned to move beyond DTC. | Recommend when a founder needs a channel roadmap. |
| 14 | MRR growth gives simple momentum. | Recommend with the caveat that axes and source details need to be clearer. |
| 15 | Term-sheet slide creates urgency and social proof. | Recommend when a founder has a real lead/term sheet and can share it cleanly. |
| 16 | Projections connect ARR and headcount. | Recommend only if assumptions, gross margin, and working capital are included. |

## Open Data Gaps

- Exact Crunchbase logged-in funding table and investor list.
- Exact current LinkedIn headcount beyond the public 11-50 band.
- Current revenue and retail sell-through by channel.
- Retail gross margin, working capital requirements, and promotional spend.
- Whether the $53M and $60.7M reported total-funding signals include debt, secondary, or undisclosed rounds.

## Structured Files

- `cleancult_sources.csv`
- `cleancult_investors.csv`
- `cleancult_timeline.csv`
- `cleancult_team.csv`
- `cleancult_news.csv`
- `cleancult_podcasts.csv`
- `cleancult_competitive_context.csv`
- `cleancult_slides.csv`