Manual Raises $30M Series A, becoming the Global Destination for Men’s Health 

• The round features new US-based Sonoma Brands and Waldencast, and Manual’s existing European investors Felix Capital and Cherry Ventures. 
• Manual’s platform destigmatises how men approach their health by offering easy access to advice, free medical support, community and a range of treatments to help men proactively improve their wellbeing.
• According to research, nearly 90 per cent of men* don’t seek health care without a serious problem – Manual aims to challenge this.
• The funding will be used to address more problems for men through health treatments and services, and continue its expansion in new markets across Europe, Latin America and Asia. The company has already expanded to Brazil.

London, UK March 30th 2021:Manual has today announced the raise of a $30m Series A round for product development and international expansion, as the company sets its sight on becoming the go-to global platform for men’s health and wellbeing. In the last 12 months, Manual has grown at a fast pace, quadrupling its revenue and expanding from the UK to Brazil, with a team of only 30 people.

Manual’s international investors will bring their unique experience to the table, supporting the company in its mission to help more men worldwide. US-based Sonoma Brands, Europe-based Felix Capital and Cherry Ventures have deep-rooted experience in the branding and scaling of consumer businesses. Waldencast will be able to bring its extensive knowledge of the beauty and wellness industries and GISEV lends its deep expertise in the pharma sector. FJ Labs also participated in the round. 

The investment bolsters Manual’s chief mission to remove the stigma surrounding how men approach their health and will be used to develop impactful products and solutions, building a vertically integrated healthcare and wellness platform for men. Providing everything from diagnostics to treatments to ongoing care. Manual will continue to expand across Europe, Asia and Latin America and, to support this growth, will be hiring more world-class talent across its product and expansion teams. 

George Pallis, Founder and CEO of Manual, said: “We’ve been encouraged to see men of all ages increasingly turning to Manual to solve multiple health problems, with almost half of our customers seeking help for more than one issue. It’s clear that a health concern may have more than one cause, and we can provide customers with the ability to treat their health in a more holistic way. Using different treatments to understand and improve their wellbeing.”

Manual now offers a suite of diagnostic tools and blood tests, providing customers with personalised advice and a treatment plan to help them achieve their goals, all while giving them unlimited medical support along the journey and access to a community of like-minded men. Allowing users to tackle multiple aspects of their wellbeing, including heart health, gut health, testosterone, sleep, energy and immunity. 

Manual’s mission is to become the global wellness platform for the modern man. Its end-to-end solution fixes the health journey by helping men overcome barriers such as limited time, stigma and lack of information and proactively address their health concerns early. Research shows that nine in ten* men would rather endure an illness or health problem, than visiting a doctor. 

Pallis continued, “Changing the narrative on men’s health and their approach to wellbeing is incredibly important for us. We believe that through building a platform and community where men have easy access to medical support and health treatments, we can drive positive change for men not just in the UK, but all over the world.”
“This investment will allow us to expand our offering and we’re excited to continue to grow our community, normalising health conversations among men, breaking the stigma, and championing a holistic approach to men’s health.”

Antoine Nussenbaum, Co-Founder and Partner of Felix Capital, added, “There is still much work to be done to remove the taboo when it comes to men looking after their wellbeing and talking openly about health concerns. But we’re starting to see a shift happen amongst consumers. Men of all ages are coming to Manual for help, showing the importance of an authentic brand, built on passion and community. Manual is challenging modern masculinity and we’re excited to continue to support them as they address this issue globally.”

Kevin Murphy, Managing Director of Sonoma Brands, commented, “We are thrilled to be investors in Manual. The business exists to empower men to take better care of themselves and to live fuller lives by doing so. George and his team have the clarity of vision and the skill to make Manual a leader in this exciting and important area. We look forward to collaborating with our fellow investors in helping Manual’s mission to support more men and their health, globally.” 

For more information go tohttps://www.manual.co/

ENDS

Notes to Editors

*Report by the National Pharmacy Association

Additional Quote: 
Michel Brousset, Founder and CEO of Waldencast, said, “Manual’s brand authenticity, simplicity, and relevance are helping redefine the concept of masculinity.  It has built a business model and community that is universally scalable and that has the ambition to become the premier global wellness destination for men.  George and the team have done a terrific job at building a scalable platform and is super exciting for us to be part of the next stage of growth for the brand.”

Press Contact:
CEW Communications for Manual : [email protected] / +44 (0)7791 232834

About Manual
Manual is the go-to men’s health platform, providing men with access to medical support, advice and the treatment choices they need to help them make positive, proactive decisions about their health and wellbeing. 
Manual offers health testing and diagnostics to offer data-driven medical advice and treatments plus a community to help destigmatise conversations around men’s health. 

The team of 30 is split between headquarters in London, Athens, and Sao Paolo. 

Website:https://www.manual.co/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/MenofManual
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/menofmanual/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MenofManual

Cherry Ventures 
Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs  Europe’s boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to-market strategy and the scaling of their businesses. Cherry  Ventures has previously invested in the seed stage of over 50 companies across Europe,  including FlixBus, Auto1 Group, Infarm, Rows, Forto, and flaschenpost. Cherry Ventures is based in Berlin and invests across Europe with operations in London, Paris, and  Stockholm. To learn more, visit www.cherry.vc

About Felix Capital
Felix Capital is a London-based venture capital firm for the Creative Class, operating at the intersection of technology and creativity. Felix focuses on digital lifestyle, investing in emerging digital consumer brands and related enabling-technologies. The firm’s mission is to be a partner of choice for entrepreneurs with big ideas and help them build strong brands that stand out and move the world forward.

Since its launch in 2015, Felix has raised over $600m for early-stage and growth. Illustrative investments in Europe and North America include Farfetch, an online marketplace for the fashion and luxury; Mirakl, a Saas platform for Marketplaces; Mejuri, a modern jewellery brand; Moonbug, a media platform for kids; Papier, a personalised stationery brand; HungryPanda, a food delivery business for the Chinese community; and Peloton, a fitness technology and subscription service.

More information on https://www.felixcap.com/ and https://medium.com/felix-capital

About Sonoma Brands
Sonoma Brands is a specialist growth equity firm exclusively dedicated to disruptive, high-growth consumer brands. Sonoma seeks to partner with passionate entrepreneurs and founders ushering in the new wave of bold, innovative products. 

About Waldencast
Waldencast Ventures is a holding company and investment fund that incubates and accelerates early-stage beauty and wellness brands and helps them rapidly create scale and profitability via industry-specific operational.  Waldencast Ventures has offices in New York and London and has an investment portfolio in North America, Europe, and Latin America.