Scottish makeup artist and beauty influencer Jamie Genevieve has announced a £5.5m Series A round – with £1m coming from Pembroke VCT.
Investing alongside the venture capital trust are Venrex and Samos - the early stage investors in Charlotte Tilbury - and Active Partners.
Glasgow-born Genevieve, who has built a following of more than three million social media followers, established VIEVE in 2020 to deliver high performance, yet accessible beauty products.
Curated around a refined vegan, paraben, gluten and cruelty-free formula, the start-up has grown quickly from a select range of staples to a portfolio for both everyday wear and artistry.
VIEVE is led by chief executive Emma Dawson, a beauty industry expert with experience at L’Oreal LUXE, where she left in 2017 to set up her own boutique PR agency, prior to taking on her role at VIEVE.
The investment will be used to further build out the team’s expertise, develop products and expand the brand globally.
VIEVE launched its Esential Collection online in November 2020 and now plans to extend its product offering to new markets, with the US and Australia being the initial focus.
Founder and chief creative officer Genevieve commented: “I feel a responsibility to the beauty community to ensure VIEVE is delivered to give each person the best experience possible tailored to their uniqueness.
“We’re pleased this latest round of investment will enable us to take this message further across the world.”
Fred Ursell, investment director at Pembroke Investment Managers, added: “VIEVE’s impressive growth to date is testament to Jamie, Emma and the world-class management team they have built around them.
“The business is a great example of a brand leveraging community and content to engage with its customers and develop products they love to use.
“We are delighted to join VIEVE for the next phase of growth and look forward to working with the team on building the brand as it expands its product range and scales internationally.”
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