Japanese beauty house Shiseido has launched Long Term Investments for the Future (LIFT) Ventures for investing in innovative early-stage companies within the beauty and wellness space.
Based in New York City, LIFT Ventures is led by Shiseido Americas President and CEO Ron Gee. The limited liability company is focused on investing in novel technologies, innovative platforms, high-growth brands and new business models.
The creation of a dedicated fund aligns with Shiseido’s goal of becoming a personal beauty wellness company. The fund will primarily focus on encouraging innovation in the Western hemisphere while maintaining a global lens.
Concurrently, the company has announced its inaugural investment in Phi Therapeutics (Phyla), a pioneer in bacteriophage technology. Phyla is based in San Francisco, California and was founded by Yug Varma.
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LIFT Ventures has also invested in Patrick Kidd Holdings’ Patricks, a men’s grooming brand with an elevated lifestyle approach. The brand is headquartered in Sydney, Australia and was founded by Patrick and Aimee Kidd.
“Since Shiseido’s founding in 1872, innovation has served as a foundational pillar of our company and a critical component of our future,” said Shiseido Chairman and CEO Masahiko Uotani. “The creation of LIFT Ventures represents a new opportunity to partner with organisations focused on pioneering beauty wellness solutions and to gain further insights and access for Shiseido’s growth ambitions.
“LIFT Ventures presents a welcome opportunity to build knowledge, create value and ultimately achieve meaningful progress for all.”
Gee remarked: “LIFT Ventures accelerates Shiseido’s continued focus on innovation and represents a natural extension of our commitment to enable the future of beauty and wellness.
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“Supporting, mentoring and empowering new businesses is an important component of our future roadmap. We are excited to share our unique perspective, exercise our extensive experience, forging strategic partnerships and helping like-minded entrepreneurs scale and achieve long-term growth.
“With this in mind, we are delighted to partner with Phyla and Patricks, two companies focused on driving innovation and disrupting their respective categories.” ✈
