LONDON — Iris Ventures has led seed round funding into Superlativa, a plant-based, drug- and hormone-free supplement that aims to help manage stress and regulate women’s levels of cortisol, a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
Iris Ventures described the Barcelona-based Superlativa as a “trailblazer in the botanical wellness industry.” The investment dovetails with the fund’s focus on purpose-led, European and U.S. consumer-centric brands and tech-enabled solutions.
The supplements are aimed at alleviating everyday stress, anxiety and insomnia, using ingredients common in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine such as ashwagandha, an evergreen shrub; schisandra, a fruit-bearing vine, and bacopa, or water hyssop.
Currently the supplements are sold at more than 400 Spanish pharmacies. According to Iris, the products have undergone rigorous research and been validated through multiple clinical studies.
Montse Suarez, founder and managing partner at Iris Ventures, said Superlativa is “pioneering a new approach to stress and anxiety management, and holds a distinct position in the market as an effective, natural, and clean solution.”
She said Iris would partner with the team to drive growth “and build on the solid foundation of success they have already established.”
Marc Calzada, investor at Iris Ventures, said the fund would support Superlativa “in developing evidence-based, premium supplements that target hormone-related, everyday challenges at their root.”
Superlativa is run by founder and chief executive officer Teresa Pueyo, who certainly knows about stress. A mother of three young boys, Pueyo said she was inspired by the wellness and plant-based treatments she learned about while working as an investor in Singapore.
Pueyo said the new funding will go toward further research and development, with a rollout to other countries planned over the next two to three years.
Iris Ventures has invested in the wellness supplement Superlativa.
“This investment not only provides us with the resources to grow but also a strategic partner that understands our goals and shares our commitment to enhancing well-being for women through natural solutions. We are excited to take the next steps in our journey to help women feel super and manage stress effectively,” she said.
Iris noted that the global stress management and brain health supplements market is projected to reach about $15 billion by 2027, while the sleep aid market is expected to exceed $6 billion within the same time frame.
The fund said the surge in interest around cortisol and stress management with regard to women’s health provides “substantial opportunities” for companies like Superlativa that focus on natural and holistic approaches to wellness.
Cortisol plays a crucial role in the body’s response to stress, influencing various physiological functions, including metabolism, immune response and mood regulation. Chronic stress can lead to elevated cortisol levels, which often result in fatigue, anxiety and other health issues.
Iris has a number of investments in the health and wellness category.
Earlier this year it led a round of investment into Maurten, a global sports nutrition company based in Sweden, and also has a stake in Olistic, a science-backed nutraceutical brand that treats hair loss and the lifestyle factors that contribute to it.
Last year, it invested 5.5 million pounds in Biomel, a market-leading, plant-based gut health brand.
