Rael: From Amazon Challenger to VC Backed Global Brand
Rael was founded in 2017 to empower women to have healthier relationships with their periods via clean, effective solutions that support them throughout their cycle and life. But before becoming one of the world’s most talked-about cycle-care brands, Rael’s three founders pursued an often-overlooked strategy to establish the brand in the marketplace and position it for venture-capital success: find a following on Amazon. Prior to raising over $20 million in venture capital, Rael found product validation and a loyal customer base (not to mention thousands of reviews) on Amazon, which was used to drive product innovation and attract a cadre of top investors. Now a true omnichannel brand, Rael’s products can be found in over 3,000 retail doors from Target to Nordstrom and, of course on Amazon and their own DTC website.
CEO and Co-Founder Yanghee Paik joins us to discuss Rael’s unconventional path to growth, the challenges they faced along the way, the transition to mass retail, and why, to this day, the brand’s focus isn’t to build a traditional DTC business.
This webinar is part of a series sponsored by NetSuite focused on the various paths beauty brands have taken to fund growth and profitability. NetSuite is the world’s leading provider of cloud-based business management software. NetSuite helps companies manage core business processes with a single, fully integrated system covering ERP/financials, CRM, eCommerce, inventory, and more.
What We’ll Discuss:
- Rael’s unconventional strategy of leveraging Amazon to establish their brand
- How the brand transitioned from Amazon to a global, omnichannel brand
- Why it took some convincing to get VC investors interested in a brand built on Amazon - and how things have changed
- Why Rael’s focus isn’t to build a traditional DTC business
Previously Yanghee was Director of the Walt Disney Studios, focusing on Digital Movie Distribution and Sales. She has extensive experience negotiating and working with the leading tech media companies as well as major retailers and growing their businesses in international markets. As part of Global Distribution Strategy team at Disney, she also gained in-depth knowledge in the content distribution and channel partnership strategies.
Prior to joining Disney, Yanghee worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in LA office. She served various global tech and consumer product companies based in the US and Asia and presented solutions to their strategic and operational problems.
A native of Seoul, Korea, Yanghee earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and received a B.A. degree in business from Seoul National University. Now she considers LA her home and loves its sunny weather, diverse culture, and excellent Korean food.
