Startups Directory

Berlin Brands Group is a vertical commerce roll-up company that acquires and scales consumer brands in home electronics, kitchen appliances, garden & living, and home fitness. Operating 34 brands selling 3,700+ products across 100+ online channels in 28 countries, BBG differentiates itself through product-first expertise—founded by a product entrepreneur, not a financial buyer—and ability to launch and scale brands from zero. The company was acquired by HPS Investment Partners in March 2024 after reaching unicorn status in 2021.

Forum Brands is a technology-driven e-commerce acquisition platform that identifies, purchases, and scales high-potential digital-native brands—primarily Amazon FBA sellers and DTC companies. Using proprietary algorithms analyzing 60+ million data points, the company can evaluate acquisition targets and make offers within 48 hours, providing founders with payment in 30 days or less. Forum then applies operational expertise and omnichannel infrastructure to transform acquired brands into category leaders. The team is 75% ex-Amazon and led by McKinsey/PE veterans, giving them deep consumer operations and M&A expertise.