Uber Alums Partner with Chicago Hospitality Veterans to Launch Unicorn, The Modern Platform for Spirits and Wine
April 30 2024 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Raise $5.8M in Seed Funding to Transform
Industry With Tech-Driven Marketplace and Vaulting
Experience
Unicorn, a fully integrated, tech-enabled platform for spirits
and wine collectors globally, announced today a seed funding round
totaling $5.8 million. Founded by early Uber alumni, Phil Mikhaylov
(CEO) and Kenny Tsai (COO) in collaboration with Chicago
hospitality veterans Cody Modeer (Chief Business Officer) and AJ
Heindel (Chief Product Officer), Unicorn offers consumers a
comprehensive solution to discover, buy, sell, vault, and digitally
track their favorite spirits and wines. The company was backed by a
combination of leading institutional investors including
Protagonist, Blue Equity, 640 Oxford, Middleton Partners, and
noteworthy angels including: Jason Pritzker, Edward Lando, Andrew
Macdonald, Ken Fredrickson (Master Sommelier), the Wirtz and
Merinoff Families, and co-founders of VII(N)-The Seventh Estate:
Asani Swann and NBA All-Star and entrepreneur, Carmelo Anthony,
further validating Unicorn’s entrance into the world of spirits and
wine.
Unicorn offers users a modern platform for spirits and wine
collecting, allowing consumers around the world to buy, sell,
store, and digitally manage collections through an intuitive online
and app-based platform. Since its inception, Unicorn has
experienced significant growth, facilitating 3.2+ million total
bids, nearing $100M in lifetime platform sales, and vaulting
hundreds of thousands of bottles from around the globe.
“We founded Unicorn to modernize the spirits and wine industry
while improving every step of the customer experience. Growth has
been explosive; I’m pleasantly surprised to see how many people
have heard of us and how quickly we found product-market fit,” said
Mikhaylov, co-founder and CEO. “Unicorn is on a mission to be the
globally trusted marketplace for discovering, buying, selling, and
vaulting, spirits and wine. With cutting-edge technology,
operations, and data at our core, we're dedicated to transforming
the customer experience for the benefit of all, and becoming a
trusted data partner for producers and distributors.”
Each year, billions of spirits and wine bottles are produced,
yet this massive industry is extremely fragmented. Previously,
collectors were limited to building their collections through
high-end auction services or unsecured options like trading through
unverified online forums, and storing bottles in facilities lacking
security, proper infrastructure, and digital capabilities. Unicorn
solves this by bringing the industry a trusted marketplace that
enables anyone to discover, buy, and sell everyday bottles and
ultra-rare collectibles through its proprietary platform. In
addition, the Unicorn Vault offers state-of-the-art storage
solutions, global logistics, and unparalleled security, while
enabling digital collection management.
“It's rare to find companies that have achieved almost $100m in
platform sales while continuing to maintain a low profile. Given
their limited resources and ambitious vision, we were impressed by
how lean and disciplined the Unicorn team was. It's only a matter
of time before they set the new standard for the industry as they
expand internationally, add new categories, and continue to
innovate.” added George Bousis, Co-Founder of Protagonist.
In 2024, Unicorn will leverage its peer-to-peer spirits and wine
marketplace to offer customers, brands, and distributors key
industry analytics, market insights, valuations, and transparency.
Through investments in blockchain and RFID technology, Unicorn will
give users proof of ownership—allowing institutions and individuals
to digitally transact around the globe. The company plans to invest
in further developing the platform, expanding marketing efforts to
broaden its customer base, launching new business lines, and
growing its team locally at its Chicago headquarters.
About Unicorn:
Unicorn is the modern platform for spirits and wine, offering
consumers a full-service experience to buy, sell, store, and
digitally track their collections through an intuitive online and
app-based platform. Founded by early Uber alumni, Phil Mikhaylov
and Kenny Tsai, along with Chicago hospitality veterans, Cody
Modeer and AJ Heindel, Unicorn is revolutionizing the spirits and
wine industry with cutting-edge technology and unparalleled
customer service.
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Lee Eliav, Head of Marketing, Unicorn
info@unicornauctions.com