Needed PBC, a perinatal nutrition company announced this month it had raised $14 million in a funding round led by The Craftory.
The West Los Angeles-based company also received money from existing investors Seae Ventures in Boston and Crescent Ridge VC.
The funding will be used to accelerate product innovation, content creation, and the launch of Needed Labs, the company’s clinical insights and research arm, according to a Nov. 7 release from Needed.
Julie Sawaya, Needed co-founder and co-chief executive, said that nutrition is an overlooked part of women’s health during pregnancy and is often relegated to an afterthought and women are left with more questions than answers about their nutritional needs.
What’s more, standard prenatal vitamins are designed to meet the bare minimums, leaving over 95% of women depleted, she added.
“Needed is setting a new, radically better standard for perinatal nutrition combining the products, education, and access to nutritional experts that all women need and deserve,” Sawaya said in a statement.
The Craftory, based in London with U.S. offices in San Francisco, made its first move into women’s health with its investment in Needed.
Jamie Swango, a partner at The Craftory, said that Needed stands out as a marker of quality, efficacy and trust in a category that needs to do better.
Needed is uniquely positioned to challenge the failed status quo and improve health outcomes for women and their families, added Swango, who leads investments across the pet, beauty, and baby categories at the socially responsible venture firm.
“We are incredibly impressed by Needed’s products, the scale and diversity of their practitioner partnerships, their rigorous, science-backed approach, and Julie and Ryan – strong female founders in a category designed around women’s needs,” Swango said in a statement.
Since launching its goods in 2021, Needed has rapidly expanded its product offering to become the most complete perinatal nutrition system on the market with a wide range of targeted support for egg and sperm quality, lactation, stress, sleep and hydration, according to its release.
Needed’s products and educational content are designed around the latest research and clinical insights from the more than 4,000 women’s health experts who recommend Needed, the company said.
Prices for Needed products start as low as $14.99 a month for a three-month supply of a single product and go up to $329 a month for a one-month supply of 10 products.
