HOME AND HYGIENE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RECKITT
Making it easy to switch to natural and sustainable products
Bower Collective is a direct-to-consumer subscription business, on a mission to eliminate plastic waste and make it easy for customers to switch to more natural and sustainable products for their home. They deliver their award-winning home and personal care products on repeat with the ease of scheduled deliveries. The products are delivered in BowerPack™, their market-leading innovative closed loop reuse and refill packaging system.
Our support
Bower Collective joined the programme to launch their D2C subscription platform selling home and personal care products with an innovative reuse and refill system to eliminate plastic waste. Their bold mission is to transform the CPG industry with a waste-free, low carbon service proposition for consumers.
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Through Founders Factory's support, Bower Collective were able to launch and scale the business quickly. With the challenge of launching a D2C subscription business, the team were laser-focused on cost efficiency. Working closely with the growth team, they were able to bring down Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) by 66% within the first few months of the programme, achieving a 250% Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). During the programme, they optimised their subscription model to generate 60% of revenue each month, reaching a forecasted LTV of £579.
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During the programme, they raised £400k in funding, which led to a £2.1m seed round led by Oxford Capital and Doehler Ventures. Pitching at our Investor Showcase, combined with hands-on investor management support, was a huge asset here.
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The Bower team managed to unlock a considerable unfair advantage through their partnership with Reckitt. Marcus and Nick received weekly support from the Head of Surface Care and leveraged expertise from Reckitt’s R&D teams, Washing Experts, Packaging Business Unit, and the Head of Sustainability.
£130k
revenue in first 6 months
392%
increase in website conversion
Marcus Hill, CEO & Co-Founder
“There have been so many talented people across the key parts of the business but the commitment to us has been huge. People have worked so hard with us and are fully on our side—FF really lives up to its vision of wanting to power founders. We felt so supported and encouraged throughout and we do feel the slingshot effect of the accelerator has given us a great head start at making this work."
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Marcus Hill, CEO & Co-Founder
“There have been so many talented people across the key parts of the business but the commitment to us has been huge. People have worked so hard with us and are fully on our side—FF really lives up to its vision of wanting to power founders. We felt so supported and encouraged throughout and we do feel the slingshot effect of the accelerator has given us a great head start at making this work."
Why we invested in Bower Collective
The global household green-cleaning market is expected to grow to £21B in the next few years. Our vision was to curate the best possible products and apply an innovative closed-loop model to Bower Collective’s packaging in order to reduce plastic waste.
Combining Reckitt Benckiser's know-how of FMCG and logistics, with Nick and Marcus’ knowledge of sustainability and packaging, we knew we had a winning combination that would help us achieve a leadership position in the market.
Spotlight
The Design Led Startup: A Guide For Founders
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Read moreThis micro-moment of confusion has a name—the Norman door, named after Don Norman, who discusses this phenomenon in his book ‘The Design of Everyday Things’. So why does this matter...
The Design Led Startup: A Guide For Founders
Read moreThis micro-moment of confusion has a name—the Norman door, named after Don Norman, who discusses this phenomenon in his book ‘The Design of Everyday Things’. So why does this matter...
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Read moreSome siblings form bands together, others play in the same sports team. We decided to go into business together.
It’s been nearly a decade since the inception of Dronamics, over which we’ve designed, built, and gained approval to start operating our fleet of Black Swan drones.
Dronamics: How the Rangelov Brothers’ dream of ultra-efficient cargo drones is taking flight
Read moreSome siblings form bands together, others play in the same sports team. We decided to go into business together.
It’s been nearly a decade since the inception of Dronamics, over which we’ve designed, built, and gained approval to start operating our fleet of Black Swan drones.
Venture Insights From Tom Hulme, Head of Europe at GV
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Read moreIn a recent fireside chat with Founders Factory founder & chairman Brent Hoberman, Tom shared some of his top lessons for founders, which include:
· Growth vs profitability isn’t a binary choice
· Consider how to improve your ‘clock speed’
· Early stage investors aren’t thinking about your product
· Cash is a commodity; advice is a value add
· Approach data-driven investing with scepticism
Venture Insights From Tom Hulme, Head of Europe at GV
Read moreIn a recent fireside chat with Founders Factory founder & chairman Brent Hoberman, Tom shared some of his top lessons for founders, which include:
· Growth vs profitability isn’t a binary choice
· Consider how to improve your ‘clock speed’
· Early stage investors aren’t thinking about your product
· Cash is a commodity; advice is a value add
· Approach data-driven investing with scepticism
Land Vault
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Land Vault
Read moreAt vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi.
How Oxwash Scaled Their Sustainable Laundry Startup
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Read moreWe launched Oxwash in 2018, while I was completing my Synthetic Biology PhD at the University of Oxford. The business was born out of my own frustration with the perpetually broken washing machines in my college laundry.
Armed with a bike and a deliveroo backpack spray-painted blue, I began collecting and washing clothes for fellow students. Things quickly snowballed – and as interest grew, it developed into a growing on-demand laundry business.
How Oxwash Scaled Their Sustainable Laundry Startup
Read moreWe launched Oxwash in 2018, while I was completing my Synthetic Biology PhD at the University of Oxford. The business was born out of my own frustration with the perpetually broken washing machines in my college laundry.
Armed with a bike and a deliveroo backpack spray-painted blue, I began collecting and washing clothes for fellow students. Things quickly snowballed – and as interest grew, it developed into a growing on-demand laundry business.
Lesson for CEOs from Pete Flint, General Partner at NfX
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Read moreAt vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi.
Lesson for CEOs from Pete Flint, General Partner at NfX
Read moreAt vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi.
