Vital Proteins Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Vital Proteins was acquired by Nestlé Health Science for $750M in June 2020, a 4.2x multiple on $180M of revenue.

Vital Proteins acquisition price

$750M

Acquired by Nestlé Health Science · Jun 2020

Vital Proteins revenue at acquisition

$180M

Last twelve months · Jun 2020

Vital Proteins revenue multiple at acquisition

4.2x

EV/Revenue · Jun 2020

Cumulative funding Vital Proteins raised

$26M

across 1 funding round

Vital Proteins Overview

About Vital Proteins

Vital Proteins is a Chicago-headquartered nutrition company specializing in collagen peptides derived from grass-fed bovine hides. It produces powders, capsules, gummies, and ready-to-drink beverages supporting joint health, skin elasticity, and hair growth, available in retailers like Whole Foods and Target. Acquired by Nestlé Health Science in 2020, the brand sources from sustainable South American ranches and offers NSF-certified products. Vital Proteins expands into marine collagen from wild-caught fish and plant-based performance blends.


Founded

2014

HQ

United StatesChicago, IL

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales

Revenue

$180M (Jun 2020)

Valuation

$750M (acquired Jun 2020)

Vital Proteins Acquisition

Vital Proteins was acquired by Nestlé Health Science for $750M on 10 June 2020.

The acquisition price implies a 4.2x revenue multiple on $180M of revenue.

Before the acquisition Vital Proteins had raised $26M across 1 funding round.

Vital Proteins is a Chicago-based manufacturer of collagen-based supplements, beverages, and food products, and was America's leading collagen brand at the time of acquisition. The company offered 150 SKUs across 35,000 retail doors in North America and Europe, including major retailers such as Whole Foods, Costco, Target, Walgreens, and Kroger. Founded and led by Kurt Seidensticker, Vital Proteins experienced significant momentum during 2020, with demand for its products growing more than 50% amid the pandemic as consumers increasingly focused on health and wellness. Nestlé Health Science, a global leader in nutritional science and subsidiary of Nestlé SA, agreed to acquire a majority stake in Vital Proteins in June 2020 for an implied transaction value in the range of USD 700-800 million. The acquisition was structured to allow Vital Proteins to continue operating as a standalone business to preserve its innovation capabilities and brand identity. Nestlé's primary strategic rationale was to add a loyal customer base and complementary products to its existing portfolio of vitamins, minerals, and supplements brands (including Garden of Life, Pure Encapsulations, and Persona), while providing Vital Proteins with resources to expand geographically and innovate its product line. Nestlé later completed the acquisition to full ownership in 2022, with Tracey Halama taking over as CEO from founder Kurt Seidensticker. This marked Nestlé Health Science's first acquisition of a collagen-based wellness company and positioned the company to capitalize on the collagen market, which was projected to reach $6.6 billion globally by 2025 with an annual growth rate of 6.5%.

Vital Proteins acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/Revenue
  • Nestlé Health Science
10 Jun 2020Strategic M&A$750M4.2x

Vital Proteins Funding History

Vital Proteins has raised a total of $26M across 1 funding round.

Vital Proteins funding rounds

Vital Proteins funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Nov 2017Undisclosed stageCAVU Consumer Partners (lead)$26MVital Proteins is a Chicago-based wellness company specializing in collagen-boosting nutrition products, positioning itself as the leading lifestyle brand in the collagen nutrition space with clean-label, whole food-based offerings. The company secured a $19 million investment from CAVU Venture Partners (also referred to as CAVU Consumer Partners) on November 1, 2017, described as growth equity or Series A funding to accelerate expansion into mainstream retail and support market education efforts. Key investors included CAVU co-founders Brett Thomas and Bader Alam, who highlighted the company's strong organization, digital marketing expertise, and innovation pipeline in the growing ingestible beauty and collagen segment. At the time of the investment, Vital Proteins had achieved over 240% consecutive year-over-year growth for the prior three years and expanded distribution to over 8,000 retail doors, including major partners like Whole Foods, Sprouts, GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Neiman Marcus. Founder and CEO Kurt Seidensticker noted the funding would fuel leadership in collagen nutrition amid 200-300% annual growth rates, despite having sufficient prior capital for operations. The investment aligned with CAVU's portfolio of better-for-you consumer brands like Bai, Bulletproof, and Health-Ade Kombucha. No specific post-money valuation, revenue figures, ARR, EBITDA, or valuation multiples were disclosed in announcements or related coverage for this round. Vital Proteins later pursued further developments, including an acquisition by Nestle Health Science in February 2022, with total funding across rounds listed at $19M by some trackers, though this round represented the primary CAVU infusion.

Who has invested in Vital Proteins?

1 investor has backed Vital Proteins across its funding rounds, including CAVU Consumer Partners.

Lead investors include CAVU Consumer Partners.


Vital Proteins Investors

Investors in Vital Proteins by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check

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Vital Proteins Competitors

Vital Proteins competitors include listed companies like Agthia Group, Westrock Coffee, Carozzi and First Milling, and private ones like Eat Just and Hungryroot.

Public and private companies comparable to Vital Proteins
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Eat JustUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate--$750M-
HungryrootUnited StatesNew York City, NYPrivate$175M-$750M4.3x
Agthia GroupUAEUAEPublicly listed$1.3B$126M$754M0.8x
Westrock CoffeeUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$1.2B$14M$758M1.3x
CarozziChileChilePublicly listed$1.7B$217M$759M-
First MillingSaudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaPublicly listed$306M$110M$761M3.3x

Vital Proteins Public Comps

Vital Proteins is no longer listed, but its public comps include Agthia Group, Westrock Coffee, Carozzi, First Milling, Juhayna Food Industries, Suedwestdeutsche, Synsam, Coca-Cola Embonor, Yantai Shuangta Food and Tempo Scan Pacific.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Agthia Group$1.3B$126M0.8x0.8x8.8x7.2x
Westrock Coffee$1.2B$14M1.3x1.3x107.9x17.7x
Carozzi$1.7B$217M0.9x-6.8x-
First Milling$306M$110M3.5x3.3x9.7x9.5x
Juhayna Food Industries$574M$79M1.6x1.4x11.4x9.5x
Suedwestdeutsche$396M$74M1.8x-9.5x-
Synsam$734M$130M1.5x1.4x8.3x5.8x
Coca-Cola Embonor$1.4B$172M0.7x-5.7x-

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Common questions about Vital Proteins

When was Vital Proteins founded?Vital Proteins was founded in 2014.
Where is Vital Proteins headquartered?Vital Proteins is headquartered in Chicago, IL, United States.
Is Vital Proteins publicly listed?No, Vital Proteins was acquired by Nestlé Health Science in June 2020.
Who acquired Vital Proteins?Vital Proteins was acquired by Nestlé Health Science in June 2020.
How much was Vital Proteins acquired for?Vital Proteins was acquired for $750M in June 2020, a 4.2x revenue multiple.
How much funding has Vital Proteins raised?Vital Proteins has raised $26M across 1 funding round.
What was Vital Proteins' last funding round?Vital Proteins' last funding round was a $26M undisclosed-stage round in November 2017, led by CAVU Consumer Partners.
Who are Vital Proteins' investors?Vital Proteins' investors include CAVU Consumer Partners.
Which companies are comparable to Vital Proteins?Companies comparable to Vital Proteins include Eat Just, Hungryroot, Agthia Group, Westrock Coffee, Carozzi and First Milling.

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