Olivier Garel leads Unilever Ventures, the venture and growth capital arm of Unilever, established in 2002. The unit was one of the earliest investment vehicles in the consumer packaged goods sector and has grown to be a leading investor in the beauty and wellness sector over the past decade under Garel’s guidance.
Unilever Ventures manages a portfolio comprising 70 direct investments in startups across North America, Asia and Europe. It also has numerous partnerships with consumer, technology and deep tech investment funds.
The team looks for potential transformative trends and companies that can provide strategic value to Unilever, while at the same time delivering financial returns.
The team looks for potential transformative trends and companies that can provide strategic value to Unilever, while at the same time delivering financial returns. The fund fosters collaboration not just with Unilever businesses, but also among its portfolio companies, allowing founders to benefit from shared experiences and access a broad network of industry experts.
Notable investments include affordable skincare brand, The Inkey List, developer of clean beauty products Saie, and hair growth supplements company Nutrafol.
Unilever Ventures was also an investor in e-commerce company Instacart, which achieved an IPO valuation of nearly $10bnin September. Noteworthy is that 43% of the companies in the Unilever Ventures portfolio are led by female founders.
UK-headquartered Unilever Ventures has offices in London and Mumbai, India and employs a team of 16. Garel also oversees relationships with numerous venture capital and corporate venture capital funds globally, and has played a key role in expanding Unilever’s investment reach across North America and Asia.
Garel began his career at Unilever as an auditor and has held diverse roles in finance, operations, strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He is a Powerlist veteran, recognised in both 2016 and 2018.