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Oars + Alps: created by women, for men

Oars + Alps, a Chicago-based company, recently raised $5.15M in a third round of funding.  The funding will help the company scale and expand its reach in the personal care product market.

Oars + Alps is a producer and retailer of men’s natural skincare and grooming products without toxins. The Oars + Alps product line includes facial and eye cream, face wash, body wash, natural deodorant, bar soaps, cooling and cleansing wipes and beard oil. These products are available at www.oarsandalps.com or at select Targets.

What makes Oars + Alps so attractive, and why did Target decide to get involved? Back in 2018 Oars + Alps took part in the Takeoff Accelerator Program created by Target. This program was designed as an incentive for sustainable product creation and is now focused on helping grooming and beauty startups learn what it takes to succeed in mass retail. Since its founding, Oars + Alps has been all about taking care of the on-the-go man’s skin and grooming needs all at a price that won’t break the bank. It was this customer-driven attitude that worked so well with Target’s model, which is why Target made sure they had a space for Oars + Alps’ products.

In celebration of the launch of Oars + Alps at Target, the brand decided to expand its collection of natural deodorants and introduce an allergen-free scent, Deep Sea Glacier. This new formula was made exclusively for Target.

According to their website, Oars + Alps, along with the company name, was inspired by the husbands of company founders, Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox; their husbands, avid sportsmen who row and ski, needed good products to protect their skin from the harsh elements of the outdoors.  It was after some thought and a little bit of research that Mia and Laura decided to tackle a market that was either too expensive, full of chemicals, catered towards women, or simply inconvenient. After taking matters into their own hands, Mia and Laura developed a company that produced simple, natural, non-toxic, TSA-approved skin care at an affordable price point.

Before quitting their jobs and starting their entrepreneurial journey, Mia, CEO of Oars + Alps, was a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs. She received her MBA in Finance from Harvard. Laura, CMO of Oars + Alps, holds a Master’s in finance from Brandeis and spent three years as a client solutions manager at Facebook.

For more information about this company, please visit: www.oarsandalps.com

The post Oars + Alps: created by women, for men appeared first on Silicon Prairie News.

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