Southern California Athletic Brand, Vuori, raises $45 Million from Northwest Venture Partners

The four-year-old, Southern California athletic brand Vuori has picked up a $45 million growth equity investment from the investment firm Norwest Venture Partners.

The company, which says it’s profitable, will now join a stable of consumer startup brands that includes Birdies, Casper Sleep, Grove Collaborative,  Jolyn, Kendra Scott, Madison Reed  and Topo Athletic.

Founded by Joe Kudla, Vuori  began as an athletic wear company focused on selling shorts, sweatshirts, hoodies and t-shirts to men in a more muted palette than other options.

Focused on retailers like REI,  Nordstrom, Equinox and Core Power Yoga, the company’s clothes retail from anywhere between $32 for shirts and hats to $188 for its most expensive jacket. 

“As devoted customers, it was apparent to us that Vuori had built versatile products with tremendous energy and soul,” said Jon Kossow, managing partner at Norwest. “This is exactly the type of positive brand experience we search for in our consumer investments, and we look forward to supporting Joe and the team as they continue to bring new products to market and delight their customers.”

Credit: Jonathan Shieber