May 17, 2018

San-Francisco-based Après, a plant-based protein drink startup launched in 2017, has secured a $1.1 million seed round, led by Rocana Venture Partners. New investors include Cruise Automation CEO Kyle Vogt, former Rockstar Energy EVP Joey Cannata, Twitch Co-Founder Kevin Lin, and Cambridge Companies managing partners Filipp and Polina Chebotarev. Angel investors and re-ups from a previous round were also participants in this funding.

Après, whose product is targeted towards female fitness enthusiasts between the ages of 20 and 40 seeking a better post-workout beverage, sells the vegan and non-GMO drink exclusively through the company’s website. Three varieties are currently available – Mint Cacao, Sea Salt Chocolate and Chai Spiced Vanilla – and three more SKUs are planned for launch later this year.

Sonny McCracken, Apres’s co-founder, said that the company spent a year getting to know its consumer through social media channels before it even launched its product.

“We had an established, formed Instagram community built around the brand that we had been developing for over a year prior to launching so it was fantastic to see that community we spent time getting to know while building this product actually convert to sales,” McCracken said of the popularity of the drink when it did become available.

The company has plans to expand into non-traditional channels, such as fitness studios, before pushing into conventional retail. All the while, they will continue their niche focus on their target market, letting the close, tight-knit relationship guide their next move.

“While we are a digital first brand, we do spend a lot of time activating in real life, we do a lot of real life sampling, a lot of influencer-based events, so we’re really bridging online and offline to build a community and have a relationship with our consumer,” Jackson said. “And that will translate into a strong retail presence when she tells us she’s ready for that.”

By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, GAI Media