ROSALINE SHAHNAVAZ
Steamy bubble bath? Check. Thin-stemmed glass of Malbec? Check. Opaque clay face mask and an expensive, minimalist candle? Check and check!
Congrats you re now officially ready for “self-care Sunday.” Er, at least a self-care Sunday Instagram pic. Yes,
you too can “relax” in front of total strangers (ahem, followers) after spending an inordinate amount of time meticulously posing your props so they hit the light
juuusttt right.
You already know this but I ll declare it anyway: We ve officially entered peak Rest Porn. It isn’t just baths. It’s matcha mugs and cozy blankets, furry slippers, and poolside naps. It’s captions riddled with “namaste” and #offthegrid and impossible location tags like “Golden Hour” or “Heaven.” I’m not bitter because everyone’s finding some Zen and getting their “chill” on
In 2020, venture capitalists unceremoniously broke up with D2C brands and product-based businesses.
Some simply monitored the “lackluster” Casper IPO or skimmed articles about Brandless and others “imploding” and started pulling a slow fade on D2C brands not taking pitches, not following up. Many product-based brands, as it turns out, are no longer interested in chasing venture capital.
Last year, investors adopted a wait-and-see approach to all new investments and prayed portfolio brands could cut their burn significantly enough, stay relevant and ride things out.
Product-based businesses fell out of favor and venture capitalists, if they did invest last year, mainly focused on AI startups, or companies focused on data collaboration, data privacy and healthcare (mostly founded by men, might I add).