Sortis Holdings (SOHI), a Portland, Oregon-based alternative investment fund manager, has launched Sortis Growth Venture Fund. The USD10 million fund is a hybrid venture capital and consumer-focused private equity fund dedicated to accelerating the speed at which rising consumer brands can reach their full potential. Open to accredited investors, Sortis Growth Venture Fund has a target return of 20 per cent on invested capital.
“Sortis has developed a unique platform that aggregates highly experienced operators, advisors and investors with a world-class e-commerce agency, providing promising consumer brands with critical support and structure as they focus on achieving the next level,” says Butch Bannon, fund manager and principal. “With access to our network, resources, means and expertise, Sortis Growth Venture Fund portfolio companies can tap into their growth potential more efficiently and effectively.”
Unlike many private equity firms that bypass companies with less than USD5 million in EBITDA, Sortis identifies compelling investment opportunities within this niche. Prospective portfolio companies will be based in North America and have a domestic or global reach that can quickly leverage the fund’s category expertise and e-commerce capabilities.
“During the salad days, every scalable business has a moment most ripe for acceleration. You hate to miss it, and you can’t always predict it, but you can harness it,” says Adam Shearer, founder of the Pacific Northwest’s premier Shopify Plus D2C studio, WLCR.io. “The ecosystem we’re creating with Sortis allows us to intervene at the most opportune time by creating a confluence of the merchant, the money and the moment.”
The Sortis Growth Venture Fund considers branded consumer and retail companies in various categories — including apparel and accessories, health and wellness, pet, beauty and personal care, food and beverage, and footwear — that are led by exceptional founders and management teams.
“We are very excited to work with Butch and WLCR.io on this new fund,” says Paul Brenneke, Sortis founder. “This opportunity has allowed us to bring additional expertise to the Sortis family of funds.”
Sortis Growth Venture Fund is team managed and led by experienced entrepreneurs and investors. The fund is open to accredited investors and accepts up to USD1 million per investment, with a USD25,000 minimum investment.
