News & Insights
Cascadia Capital Advises Poler Outdoor Stuff on Minority Investment from Strategic Investor
September 21, 2015
We are pleased to announce that our client Poler Outdoor Stuff, a Portland-based lifestyle brand that designs and sells outdoor gear and apparel, has received a minority investment from a large international strategic investor. Cascadia served as the exclusive financial advisor to Poler in this transaction.
Launched in 2011, Poler’s products have established a new imaginative category of outdoor products based on the notion that the core outdoor consumer spends more time casually outside than summiting peaks in the harshest environments. These “enthusiasts” desire high quality, authentic fashion-forward technical product at a reasonable value.
“There is a shifting consumer preference being led by millennials seeking to purchase unique and unconventional products or brands they have a personal connection with,” says Managing Director John C. Siegler. “Poler is leading a change in the outdoor market away from overly technical products and stodgy brands, towards well-designed, innovative and creative products that are on-trend, functional and at the right price point. This investment will not only allow Poler to accelerate growth, but will broaden distribution internationally as well as allow management to continue to invest in the product design demanded by and useful to today’s users.”
“The completion of this institutional round is a game changer for Poler,” explained the company’s President, Chris Noyes. “The Cascadia team led our outreach process and helped us position the Poler story in a way that did not compromise our brand authenticity. Once we determined our partner, Cascadia helped execute and negotiate this complex growth financing.”
“We really wanted a partner whose vision and goals were aligned with the Poler team,” added Benji Wagner, Poler’s Founder and Creative Director. “We found a strategic investor that provides Poler with enhanced international distribution, a strong balance sheet and supports our creative sense of design that will allow Poler to continue to change the outdoor industry. Cascadia helped us analyze our alternatives and gave us great direction in and confidence with our partner selection.”
Poler represents another successful transaction for Cascadia Capital in the Consumer & Retail space. Recent deals include the growth equity financings of Seattle-based MOD Pizza and Rudy’s Barbershop, the sale of Manna Pro and the acquisition of Pet360 by PetSmart.
For more information about this transaction, please contact the Cascadia deal team:
John C. Siegler
Managing Director
jsiegler@cascadiacapital.com
(206) 436-2550