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During Miami’s Art Basel, Starco Brands and global artist Cardi B made headlines at The Goodtime Hotel with an epic launch party for their unique invention Whipshots™, a shelf-stable, vodka-infused whipped cream that has been met with a wildly enthusiastic response from would-be consumers. At launch, Whipshots was available for direct purchase on www.whipshots.com for those who were fast enough to secure a can in the brand’s “Whip Drop”. Each day in the month of December the brand dropped 500 cans for sale. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon, selling out each day in a matter of seconds. Considered one of the most successful consumer product launches of 2021, the brand garnered over 1.4 billion earned media impressions. Whipshots became available at www.whipshots.com on the company’s online store as of January 1, and starting February 1st, Whipshots is being distributed by GoPuff, BevMo and Total Wines in most states across the US.
In another headline-grabbing move, Starco Brands announced the launch of a Regulation A+, Tier 2, equity financing of up to $45 million (the “Public Offering”) in December 2021. This landmark Public Offering allows any individual 18 years or older to log onto Starco Brands’ Public Offering website at invest.starcobrands.com, where they can invest directly in the company through the purchase of freely tradable common stock. A copy of Starco Brands’ offering circular for the Public Offering has been posted at invest.starcobrands.com/offering-circular. Investors may also review the offering circular and other securities filings on the Security and Exchange Commission’s website at sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1539850.
In an interview with Forbes last September, Starco CEO Ross Sklar noted how this route for raising capital complements their company culture: “We have a direct relationship with consumers and if you like our product enough to become a customer, we hope you’ll be an equity owner too, so that you’re sharing in the wealth creation story.” The company’s mission has always been to create behavior-changing technologies and brands, and offering this innovative direct public offering under Regulation A+ allows Starco Brands to bring the same ethos to their financial model. Traditionally, companies limit early investment to an elite crowd of investment banking and institutional capital providers; under this Public Offering, anyone over the age of 18 can invest in Starco Brands in its early growth stage. This will bring in a larger audience to Starco Brands portfolio, expanding their audience in a way unprecedented amongst large CPG players, which speaks to their commitment to innovation and a consumer-first approach.
Starco Brands is no stranger to commercializing brands in a number of consumer and packaged goods categories. Prior to launching Whipshots, Starco Brands pushed innovation in household goods by commercializing Breathe®, the only aerosol cleaning line to be approved by the EPA’s Safer Choice program. In personal care, they extended the Breathe® line to include the Breathe® Skin Sanitizer, a patent-pending, first-ever, air-powered spray skin sanitizer, which was a boon during the pandemic. In sun care, Starco Brands commercialized Honu™ Sunscreen, a powered-by-air, reef-safe spray sunscreen that has a patented ratcheting spray arm designed to spray hard-to-reach areas. Honu™ was named Product of the Year in 2019 by POY. In the food category, Starco commercialized Winona® Popcorn Spray, a non-GMO and low-calorie popcorn seasoning spray.
Starco Brands’ partnership with Cardi B marks another high point in the company’s disruptive culture, shaking up the spirits space with one of the largest consumer product launches of 2021. Working with Cardi B was also a natural choice as she embodies innovation, creativity, playfulness, and—above all—authenticity. She is a true partner in the brand, and she has given it her creative direction and so much more.
As the new year has kicked off, Starco Brands is gearing up for another season of disruption and changing the way consumers and investors alike engage with the marketplace with bold new products and innovative marketing programs. CEO Ross Sklar is especially proud to be a democratizing force in the landscape of public security offerings, but is even more excited about Starco Brands’ future. Although he would not say what’s In the company’s product pipeline, he did say that what is on deck absolutely reinforces the company’s mission of only commercializing behavior-changing products. We can’t wait to see what’s next.