CAVU Consumer Partners Research
Investment Thesis
CAVU Consumer Partners (the name stands for "Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited," a term borrowed from aviation meaning clear skies ahead) exists to "democratize healthy living for all humans." The Los Angeles-based firm invests in and actively builds culture-led, better-for-you consumer brands across food and beverage, beauty and personal care, pet, and wellness. Its stated belief is that consumers increasingly demand cleaner ingredients, greater transparency, and products that genuinely improve everyday life, and that innovation-led challenger brands are taking share from legacy incumbents relying on cost-cutting rather than product truth.
CAVU differentiates itself from typical consumer VCs by positioning as an operating partner rather than a passive check-writer, describing its model as "investment beyond the dollar sign." The firm offers portfolio companies support across nine functional areas: strategy, influencer relations, operations, digital and eCommerce, sales, media, marketing, partnerships, creative services, and exit strategy planning.
Stage Focus
CAVU is not a classic seed-stage venture fund. Its checks span Series Seed through growth equity, with a strong concentration on brands that already have market traction and are ready to scale distribution (Crazy Mountain's $15M raise was a Series Seed; Dolce Glow's $11M raise was a Series A; Recess's $30M raise was a Series B). The firm's longtime specialty is taking meaningful stakes in emerging challenger brands (Poppi, Vital Proteins, OSEA) well before they become household names, then staying involved through scale and exit.
Check Size
Not formally disclosed. Based on recent lead investments, CAVU's checks in led rounds appear to run roughly $5M-$20M, with total AUM of approximately $1.4 billion across five funds as of February 2026 giving it capacity for larger growth checks and follow-ons.
Lead Tendency
CAVU frequently leads. It led Crazy Mountain's $15M Series Seed (April 2026), Recess's $30M Series B (March 2026, its first deal out of Fund V), and Dolce Glow's $11M Series A (August 2026).
Recent Activity
CAVU closed its fifth fund, Fund V, at $325 million in February 2026 (above its $275M target), bringing firm AUM to just under $1.4 billion. More than 90% of existing LPs re-upped, joined by new institutional investors including asset managers, family offices, and endowments. Fund V is earmarked for "culture-led, better-for-you brands" at key inflection points across food and beverage, beauty and personal care, pet, and wellness.
Since closing Fund V, CAVU has made at least three new investments: Recess (magnesium-based functional beverage, Series B, March 2026), Crazy Mountain (non-alcoholic beer co-founded by George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman, Series Seed, April 2026), and Dolce Glow (at-home self-tanning brand founded by Isabel Alysa, Series A, August 2026).
The firm also realized two major exits in 2025: Poppi, the modern prebiotic soda brand CAVU backed early, was acquired by PepsiCo for $1.95 billion (announced March 2025, closed May 2025). OSEA, the Malibu-based clean skincare brand CAVU invested in back in 2020, received a strategic growth investment from General Atlantic in September 2025, with CAVU fully exiting its position at close.
Portfolio Highlights
CAVU's brand partner roster spans roughly three dozen companies and includes some of the most recognizable names in modern CPG: Poppi (exited to PepsiCo, 2025), OSEA (exited via General Atlantic growth investment, 2025), Vital Proteins, The Farmer's Dog, Thrive Market, Whoop, Hims & Hers, Beyond Meat, Oatly, Noom, Bulletproof, Health-Ade, Good Culture, Bai, Guayaki, Kettle & Fire, Kite Hill, Hippeas, WhistlePig, Native Pet, Nulo, SkinnyDipped, Nécessaire, Topicals, Once Upon a Farm, Rebbl, ONE Bar, and Obé, alongside newer bets Recess, Crazy Mountain, and Dolce Glow.
Team
CAVU's Investment and leadership team includes:
- Brett Thomas, Co-Founder & Managing Partner - founder of Thematic Capital Partners; formerly 5 years at Scout Capital Management
- Rohan Oza, Co-Founder & Managing Partner - former CMO of Glaceau (Vitaminwater, Smartwater) and Coca-Cola post-acquisition; recurring Shark Tank guest
- Jared Jacobs, Managing Partner - formerly AEA Investors, Morgan Stanley M&A
- Brandon Neumann, Vice President - formerly Goldman Sachs, Piper Sandler Consumer
- John Copses, Senior Associate - formerly TSG Consumer Partners, Jefferies
- Mo Ghabrial, Senior Associate - formerly S2G Investments, Everytable
- Alexis Kline, Senior Associate - formerly Alliance Consumer Growth, Morgan Stanley
- Grace Wu, Associate - formerly Blackstone Private Equity
- Stevie Clements, Chief Marketing Officer - board member for Poppi and Topicals
- Bella Filer, Chief Financial Officer - formerly Cascabel Management, Scout Capital
- Carmen Collyns, Head of Investor Relations - formerly Bicycle Capital, Social Capital, J.P. Morgan
Decision Process
CAVU operates as a partnership with two co-founders (Brett Thomas, Rohan Oza) and a Managing Partner (Jared Jacobs) driving investment decisions, supported by a dedicated investment team of associates. Given the firm's heavy operational involvement post-investment, diligence appears to weigh brand/founder fit with CAVU's hands-on service model as much as financial metrics.
Founder Preferences
CAVU backs founders building "culture-led" brands with genuine differentiation on ingredients, transparency, or category creation, in categories the partners know intimately (food/beverage, beauty, pet, wellness). The firm's marketing-heavy team and Rohan Oza's brand-building pedigree (Vitaminwater, Popchips, Vita Coco) suggest a preference for founders open to close operational partnership rather than pure capital.
Geographic Focus
Primarily United States-based consumer brands; headquartered in Los Angeles with a New York presence (several Investor Relations and Finance team members based there) and additional team members in South Florida.