Jinx, the clean-label dog nutrition brand designed to meet the needs of the modern dog, announces a $28 million series A round of funding. Led by investment advisory firm The Merchant Club (TMC), which represents the interests of high-profile entrepreneurs and long-established top family offices, the raise will allow Jinx to expand its product portfolio and extend its footprint beyond a direct-to-consumer model, launching in major brick and mortar retailers across the country in early 2022. The round also includes investments from comedian and dog owner Trevor Noah, actor Chris Evans, NFL star Odell Beckham Jr., Creative Artist Agency (CAA) co-founder Michael Ovitz and other notable names across the tech, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality industries.
As founding executives of Casper Mattress, Jinx's co-founders Terri Rockovich, Sameer Mehta and Michael Kim were responsible for helping to grow Casper from a startup into the major direct-to-consumer brand it is today. The team launched Jinx in January 2020. Partnering with brands like Postmates, Spotlight Oral Care, Barry's, and most recently to create a menu of dog-friendly dishes at Saison Hospitality's Michelin star restaurant Angler in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Jinx has become known as a lifestyle brand that speaks to the modern dog owner.
"Our vision is to elevate the way we care for our dogs by providing premium nutrition at an attainable price point and creating a single destination for wellness products that are clean-label and better for your dog," said Terri Rockovich, CEO & founder of Jinx. "This funding round included a very strategic slate of investors with a lot of heart for our brand and our mission. The round will ultimately allow us to step onto a bigger stage creating mass premium options for our customers. We will double down on our team and introduce product assortments within new pet health categories allowing us to continue offering dogs the highest-quality diet available." Rockovich continued, "Early next year, we will expand beyond the DTC model making Jinx available at major retail locations across the country."
Jinx is also backed by a roster of A-list investors and dog lovers including: Will Smith, Halsey, Nas, Michael Strahan, Zachary Quinto and Lily Singh who were part of a SEED funding round led by Initialized Capital. Since then, Jinx has become available online via major retailers including Petco, Target and Bloomingdales. This series A will allow for further extension into physical retail locations nationwide, giving more dogs and their parents access to quality nutrition without compromising on value or convenience.
Jinx offers products across kibble, treats, toppers and dental chews, all of which are rich in essential nutrients for truly holistic dog nutrition. Jinx's expertly crafted recipes are free of fillers and preservatives and feature only real ingredients like organic chicken plus 20+ natural superfoods for added benefits including improved gut health. Every Jinx product is formulated by animal nutritionists and approved by certified veterinarians. Jinx proactively publishes its digestibility scores in an effort to provide more transparency to dog parents and all products are thoroughly tested via in-production labs, post-production analysis and extended feeding trials to ensure quality.
