Men's grooming company Oars + Alps raises $1.3 million

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jun 28, 2017

Oars + Alps, the Chicago-based men’s grooming company, has raised $1.3 million in seed funding from Chicago's early stage investment firm Levy Family Partners and venture capital firm Breakout Capital.
 

Launched in October 2016 with deodorant, eye cream and facial soap, Oars + Alps offers men’s grooming products suited for active lifestyles and perform in extreme outdoor conditions. Co-founders Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox were inspired to enter the men’s grooming market after growing frustrated with finding products to protect their husbands’ skin from their outdoor lifestyles as rowers, skiers, snowboarders and cyclists. In fact, the brand gets its name from their husbands’ sports.
 
Mia and Laura put their respective MIT science and engineering expertise and e-commerce and marketing experience together to launch Oars + Alps.

The duo sources Alpine Caribou Moss, a lichen native to the Arctic Tundra, to make Oars + Alps products. The ingredient has been scientifically proven to improve skin elasticity and contains antioxidants that help fight UV radiation and guard against environmental pollution.
 
“Our goal is to create a year-round skincare line for millennial guys,” said Mia in an email to TechCrunch. “We aim to own exceptional men’s skincare online, without the typical retailer’s markup and toxins. Everything is designed for the millennials on-the-go lifestyle, which means it does not spill in their bag and you can easily bring it on a carry-on for a flight.”

Oars + Alps currently sell their products directly to consumers on its website.