JACKSONVILLE, Fla.,
Aug. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Swisher, a category leader in adult consumer lifestyle
brands, today announced a major initiative to
fund innovative, experiential, and emerging brands
through the launch of Matchbook
Capital.
Matchbook Capital will be led by Zack
Crafton, who also serves as Vice President of Swisher's
Innovation Platform. Crafton has built companies in industries such
as cannabis, wine, and beer, as well as held board and advisory
roles in the for-profit and not-for-profit
spaces. Building on a successful career scaling companies,
including leading NakedWines to success as
the largest online winery in the world and holding the first
permit for a cannabis delivery service in California. Crafton brings a balance of
analytical, M&A, and value-creation experience to
bear at Matchbook Capital's helm.
"Swisher has grown into the collection of iconic brands it is
today by fueling an endless quest to uncover fresh ideas,
innovative technologies, quality products and the people behind
them," said Crafton. "Matchbook Capital will continue that
tradition by making significant investments of capital and
resources into new categories to build a robust portfolio of
products for adult consumers."
Joining Crafton at Matchbook Capital is a team
of former entrepreneurs who bring a new and refreshing
approach as they expand Swisher beyond tobacco
through corporate venture. In addition to having a
powerful ability to scale brands through Swisher's
extensive retailer footprint, the team brings a level of
empathy to the corporate venture process rooted in its
members' experience on 'the other side' of the
table.
"We have more than 250,000 distribution points and invest with
cash," Crafton added. "As a former entrepreneur, I know how
exciting this value proposition is for new brands seeking rapid
growth. We are uniquely positioned to be a strategic partner for
founders who are in it for the long run. We want to help
them build their legacies and launch their brands to iconic
status."
Matchbook Capital invests in or acquires companies that are in
the test, build, or scaling stages of growth, and looks for leaders
who have an insatiable passion for success.
"Given the climate of disruption from which the country is
emerging, now is the time to find and fund the
next big idea," added Crafton. "During COVID, consumers
were forced to change almost every part of their daily lives …
from shopping and finding entertainment to communicating and
learning. This represents a massive disruption and period of
transformation that will bring about a 'new normal' for
retailers and consumers alike. We can support this movement by
assisting innovators with capital, strategic guidance and
access to Swisher's dominant distribution network."
Matchbook Capital is most interested in the following
sectors:
Emerging Industries – Cannabinoids
entering mainstream retail is a fact. Matchbook
Capital will invest in brands and platforms operating in the
federally legal space, with the goal of establishing national
brands that consumers can trust.
Experiential Categories – Matchbook Capital is
looking for entrepreneurs building platforms to capture large
audiences, create rich experiences and generally fuel the social
interactions that make us human.
Innovative Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) – For companies
looking to shake up CPG categories with new products,
Matchbook Capital provides access to national distributors and
retailers, backed by Swisher's legendary reputation.
The Matchbook Capital website offers more information
about Swisher's commitment to supporting innovation and creativity,
as well as investment criteria and an easy-to-use submission
form for companies seeking funding.
About Swisher:
Swisher is an international leading lifestyle company for adult
consumers. Best known for its Swisher Sweets Cigars, the
company is headquartered in Jacksonville,
Florida. Swisher also has a global manufacturing presence in
Santiago, Dominican
Republic; Esteli, Nicaragua; and
Wheeling, West Virginia. Swisher's
superior customer relationships matched with an unwavering
commitment to innovative thinking and action have driven the
company to grow and adapt to the evolving preferences of adult
consumers for 160 years. Visit www.swisher.com to learn
more.
About Matchbook Capital:
Matchbook Capital is a division of Swisher and serves as
the portal for innovative companies, brands and products
to receive capital and access to hundreds of thousands of retailers
and millions of consumers. Led by former entrepreneurs, Matchbook
Capital plans to shake up traditional Corporate
Venture practices and seeks that same spirit of disruption
in the brands it will fund. With a deep understanding of
the passion and work required to make a new company, product or
brand successful, Matchbook Capital
empowers entrepreneurs in a variety of
categories with a unique set of resources and
support to scale. For more information,
visit www.matchbookcap.com.
Media Contact: Laura
Peet
PeetCom Inc
316441@email4pr.com
(917) 860-6285
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swisher-creates-matchbook-capital-301354042.html
SOURCE Swisher