lifestyle
(6)
Brit + Co put creativity in a box. Then it had to rethink the business.
A craft kit, a collapsed traffic engine, and a school for women founders: Brit + Co’s story shows what happens when a publisher tries to turn inspiration into something people can use.
Jennifer Powell’s next big platform is the store shelf
Jennifer Powell, Inc. helps creators turn an audience into a product business. With Sincerely Jules reaching more than 400 Macy’s stores, the agency’s bet on licensing has an address beyond the feed.
ME, Inc. and the business of being a mess
Madeline Elizabeth puts fashion, personal storytelling and public relations in the same frame. Her “A Mess in a Dress” identity makes the person behind the polished image the point of the story.
UPROXX
UPROXX is a Los Angeles-based digital media and entertainment company that grew from a music and pop-culture website into a connected-TV and social-video powerhouse reaching more than 160 million monthly viewers. Founded by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, it owns brands including UPROXX, HipHopDX and Dime Magazine, produces original music and culture programming, runs a content studio for brand campaigns, and - after going independent again in 2024 alongside will.i.am and Rich Antoniello - sells media across YouTube and CTV while folding AI into how it makes and monetizes content.
Cookies
Cookies is a global cannabis and lifestyle brand co-founded in 2010 by Bay Area rapper-entrepreneur Berner and cultivator Jai. Built on proprietary genetics like the iconic Girl Scout Cookies strain, it has grown into a network of 70+ dispensaries across more than 20 markets in 6 countries, plus a streetwear arm (Cookies SF) that helped legitimize the brand long before federal legalization caught up.
Joy
Joy is an all-in-one wedding planning platform that helps couples build custom wedding websites, manage registries with zero fees, coordinate guests, and stream virtual events. Founded in 2016 by three former Microsoft and Adobe engineers, Joy has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of couples worldwide with a free-to-use model, 600+ website templates, and a universal registry that pulls from any online retailer. Backed by General Catalyst and Sound Ventures, Joy has raised over $108M and is expanding beyond weddings into all major life milestones.