Company Snapshot
Core Facts
| Company | Cleancult / Clean Cult |
| Source file | Cleancult Deck.pdf |
| Document type | Public reference deck |
| Deck date | October 2019 |
| Deck stage | Series A pitch deck |
| Category | Sustainable home cleaning, refillable CPG, plastic-reduction packaging |
| Founders | Ryan Lupberger and Zachary Bedrosian |
| Current operating read | Active in 2026 with strong retail expansion signal |
| Current headcount read | Mixed / modest: LinkedIn and Wellfound 11-50, Tracxn 37 as of July 2024, Wellfound 0 jobs |
Status Overlay
Operating And Headcount Evidence
| Signal | Current Read | Source Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Operating status | Active | Official site, LinkedIn activity, 2025-2026 retail launches, and product expansion. |
| Retail distribution | Growing | Walmart 3,000+ stores case study; Target launch; Whole Foods four-region launch; Costco national laundry sheets; Amazon availability. |
| Headcount | Mixed | LinkedIn/Wellfound 11-50; Tracxn 37 in July 2024; LeadIQ key roles; Wellfound lists 0 jobs. |
| Funding | Raised after deck | $25M Series B and $5M Series B extension are directly announced; total funding reports conflict. |
| Confidence | High on active status, medium on totals | Use event-level funding amounts instead of a single total until logged-in funding databases are reconciled. |
Funding
Round Evidence And Conflicts
| Date | Round / Event | Amount | Source-Specific Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Pre-seed / grant context | ~$200K | Founder recalled about $200K pre-seed in Meb Faber interview. |
| 2019 deck | Series A term-sheet claim | $6M term sheet | Deck says term sheet was signed and $2M co-investment remained. |
| 2019-12 | Series A database entry | $4M | Startup Intros gives a lower public close amount. Keep both claims separate. |
| 2021-09-28 | Series B | $25M | PR Newswire announcement; clearest post-deck financing event. |
| 2025-05-16 | Series B extension | $5M | Announced alongside Target expansion; latest quantified direct financing event. |
| 2026 | Reported total funding | $36.8M to $53M+ | Tracxn reports $36.8M; Everywhere/Fortune summary says $53M; PitchBook snippet says $60.7M. |
Team
Deck-Era Team And Current Signals
| Person / Signal | Role | Reference Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Lupberger | Co-founder and CEO | Founder-market fit and mission narrative across public interviews. |
| Zachary Bedrosian | Deck CTO/co-founder; later CDO/founder signal | Product and technical leadership continuity. |
| Brian Ma | Previous BarkBox growth marketing lead | DTC acquisition and retention credibility. |
| Rob Gordon | Previous supply-chain manager at Vertex | Physical-goods supply chain credibility. |
| Gerardo Mellado | Retail designer / art-director signal | Packaging and shelf-design credibility. |
| Sonia Duenes | Previous BarkBox affiliate marketing lead | Performance marketing and partnerships. |
| Carlos Pinzon | PhD in Chemical Engineering | Formula and product-development credibility. |
| Mark Zurcher | Advisor / board; former Boomchickapop CEO | CPG scale and retail operator credibility. |
| Dave Heath | Advisor; CEO of Bombas | Consumer brand and early investor network signal. |
| Seth Cohen | Reynolds Channel Managing Partner; board signal | Post-Series B governance and investor credibility. |
Slide Inventory
Deck Structure And Feedback Notes
Several early slides did not OCR cleanly, so this table combines OCR with visual review from the contact sheet.
| Slide | Title | Section | Feedback Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cover | Intro | Clear brand and date; add category and round context instantly. |
| 2 | The Problem | Problem | Good mission-led problem, but regulation and ingredient claims need citations. |
| 3 | Meet The Company | Company | Brand moment works, but should quickly move back to evidence. |
| 4 | Our Solution | Solution | Strong simple promise; needs measurable behavior-change proof. |
| 5 | The Last Bottles Of Soap You'll Ever Need | Product | Good product-system visualization; add price and refill behavior. |
| 6 | Soap In Milk Cartons | Product | Best product-differentiation slide; add manufacturing and recyclability proof. |
| 7 | The Team | Team | Strong operating bench; separate full-time team, advisors, investors, and extended team. |
| 8 | Total Addressable Market | Market | Helpful TAM framing; needs sources and serviceable-market logic. |
| 9 | Why Now | Timing | Useful if tied to shopper, retailer, and regulatory timing. |
| 10 | Competition | Competition | Axes need quantitative definitions and a sharper answer to why Cleancult wins. |
| 11 | Unit Economics | Traction | Excellent metrics block; needs cohort retention, payback, and LTV assumptions. |
| 12 | Retail Strategy | GTM | Good channel roadmap; add sell-through, reorders, margin, and buyer proof. |
| 13 | Online Acquisition Channels | GTM | Good DTC channel logic; add CAC by channel and conversion benchmarks. |
| 14 | Consistent Growth | Traction | 6.2x MRR growth is useful but needs chart labels and monthly values. |
| 15 | Term Sheet Signed For $6M | Fundraise | Creates urgency; reconcile with public $4M Series A database record. |
| 16 | Projections | Financials | ARR/headcount forecast needs assumptions, channel mix, cash, and working capital. |
| 17 | Vision | Vision | Good ambition; tie to milestone path. |
| 18 | Closing | Close | Clean product close; add contact and final ask. |
Feedback Uses
Reusable Patterns For The Feedback Product
| Pattern | Use This Deck When | Coach The Founder To Add |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging wedge | The founder has a physical-product difference that is easy to visualize. | Manufacturing proof, cost comparison, and customer behavior evidence. |
| Unit economics block | The founder has CAC, AOV, margin, reviews, and LTV metrics scattered across the story. | Cohort retention, payback, channel mix, and LTV assumptions. |
| Team-market fit | The founder has a real bench but the deck undersells it. | Clear separation of full-time team, advisors, investors, and contractors. |
| DTC-to-retail path | The founder is transitioning from ecommerce to retail. | Door count, velocity, margin by channel, reorders, promotions, and working capital. |
| Behavior-change risk | The product asks consumers to use a new routine. | Evidence of reduced friction, repeat purchase, and channel-specific adoption. |
Source Audit
Primary And Secondary Sources
| Source | Facts Used | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Cleancult Deck.pdf | Deck artifact, slide count, team, metrics, projections, term-sheet claim. | Company-authored; good for deck claims only. |
| Official Cleancult site | Current product positioning and active brand status. | Official, current, not audited. |
| LinkedIn / Wellfound | Headcount band, locations, founders, jobs. | Directional headcount and hiring data. |
| PR Newswire | $25M Series B, $5M extension, Target, Whole Foods, Costco news. | Company press releases; strong for announced events. |
| Walmart Marketplace | Marketplace-to-3,000-store retail expansion. | Retail partner case study; promotional but useful. |
| Packaging World / Packaging Strategies / Packaging Insights | Packaging evolution, retail rollout, manufacturing complexity, scent expansion. | Independent trade press; strong operating context. |
| Meb Faber / Venture Everywhere / Wavebreak | Founder interviews, early funding context, DTC-to-retail lessons. | Founder voice; useful but should be distinguished from audited data. |