NatureBox, a US-based monthly subscription service which provides home delivery of healthy snacks, has raised $8.5m in series A funding led by General Catalyst Partners, a seed investor in NatureBox, and new investor Softbank Capital, the strategic investment affiliate of Japan-based telecommunications, internet and media conglomerate Softbank Group.
The series A round brings total funding raised by NatureBox to $10.5m. Previously, in December 2012, NatureBox raised seed funding of $2m co-led by General Catalyst Partners and Redpoint Ventures.
NatureBox will use the latest proceeds to enhance its data analytics in order to better anticipate and respond to customer preferences. It will also invest in hiring within its engineering, product and marketing functions.
Gautam Gupta, co-founder and chief executive officer of NatureBox, said: “Everyone loves to snack, and if given the opportunity, most of us would choose to make it part of a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.”
NatureBox was launched in January 2012 by co-founder Gautam Gupta, who weighed in at over 210 pounds by age 12, but managed to lose 70 pounds by the time he was 19. He earned a venture capital internship at General Catalyst Partners and continued to work there after graduating.