Jess Hunichen and Emily Ward, the cofounders of influencer talent management agency Shine Talent Group, are launching an angel investment fund for early-stage start-ups in women’s health, as well as other categories.
“We are excited to invest in bold founders and offer them unique insights about the content creation space, along with a built-in marketing microphone, which many other funds don’t have,” said Ward. “We’re looking for ambitious founders that are exceptional storytellers, with companies featuring strong social proof and community engagement.”
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Shine Ventures will reveal a new category of focus each year. For 2023, it will focus on investments in the women’s health space, with a specific emphasis on all things menstruation through menopause.
The menopause category is growing as brands look to cater to the 1 billion people who are expected to be in menopause in 2025. According to a report from the Female Founders Fund, there’s a $600 billion category opportunity.
The founders declined to disclose how much they are looking to invest, noting that it will differ from company to company.
But of the categories Shine Ventures is looking at, Hunichen said: “We’ve chosen these categories to invest in because of the proprietary trend data that we have ongoing access to through Shine Talent Group, which operates in three key markets — USA, U.K. and Canada. We’ve been immersed in this world for nine years and have seen trends come and go, and we understand the markers for the ones with staying power.”
Shine Talent Group acquired Toronto-based influencer management agency Fourth Floor Management in December 2020. In December 2022, Ward and Hunichen sold The BodCon, the body confidence-centric virtual conference series they cofounded, to the e-commerce group Trafilea. Sale proceeds will help fund future investments.
Shine Talent Group’s roster includes more than 200 notable social talents between the agency’s Los Angeles, Toronto and London offices.