RUTI is a women's fashion label and boutique chain founded in 2009 by Israeli-American designer and former tech executive Ruti Zisser. Built on three rules - cool, flattering, and practical - the brand designs ready-to-wear clothing, shoes, bags and accessories aimed at women over 35, and pairs its slow-fashion boutiques with a homegrown AI platform (including opt-in facial recognition and a purpose-built retail CRM) that personalizes both in-store and online shopping. Headquartered in the Bay Area with stores across California, New York, Arizona and Dallas, RUTI raised a $6M Series A in 2019 led by Viola Ventures.
Jimmy Lion is a New York-founded designer sock brand launched in 2014 by two Spanish MBA classmates, Felipe Cortina and Alvaro Gomis, who left banking to make original, premium-quality socks at accessible prices. Known for bold prints and licensed collaborations spanning artists and pop culture (Basquiat, Friends, Alfred Hitchcock, Jurassic World), the brand sells direct-to-consumer online and through roughly 400 multi-brand and department stores across 50+ countries, and has expanded beyond socks into tees, underwear, swimwear and slippers.
francesca's® was an American women's fashion and lifestyle retailer known for its eclectic mix of clothing, jewelry, accessories and giftable items sold across hundreds of small boutiques and online at francescas.com. Founded in Houston in 1999, it grew from a single store into a national chain of more than 700 boutiques, went public on the Nasdaq in 2011, and built a loyal following of women shopping for affordable, trend-driven, occasion-ready style. After two Chapter 11 bankruptcies, the company wound down and closed its remaining locations in early 2026.