Brunt raises 20 million dollars in Series B

Brunt Workwear, a modern work boot and apparel brand for construction workers and tradespeople, closed a 20 million dollar Series B round to accelerate growth and meet demand after only 17 months since the company's launch. The latest round is led by Stripes, a leading growth equity firm that invests in consumer businesses around the world including On Running, Reformation, Erewhon, and Califia Farms. Returning investors include TF Cornerstone, Suffolk Technologies, and Bolt. Brunt is on a mission to serve the vital, yet often overlooked population of more than 17 million workers in the construction, installation, maintenance, and repair industries in the United States alone. The additional funding will allow Brunt to increase inventory, grow the team, invest in additional product development to ensure comfort technology and expand retail channels beyond their digital storefront.

In 2021, six months after launch, Brunt added clothing and accessories to its assortment to complement its collection of work boots. Like the brand's boots, every new category Brunt introduced quickly sold out, including work jackets and additional pant styles. Based on this momentum, Brunt will continue to expand its product offering to provide the full seasonal workwear uniform. The company exceeded its 2021 forecast by 80 percent, as sales surged 119 percent between the first half and second half of the year. In 2022, Brunt expects to see more than 200 percent growth over last year.

"Over the last ten years, brands like On Running and Nike have launched dozens of new performance running shoes rich with new features that drive comfort and performance, while construction and trade workers are still stuck with the same legacy shoe styles," said Chris Carey, partner at Stripes, in a statement. "It's no surprise that BRUNT has seen incredible early adoption and consumer love; their direct-to-consumer model, coupled with Eric's fanatical focus on product innovation and quality, has enabled Brunt to deliver shoes and apparel with superior comfort, performance, and value compared to the incumbents. We're thrilled to partner with Eric and the Brunt team to help them double down on their investments in the product and to continue to deliver an incredible value proposition for their customers"

"I launched Brunt to give the true boots-on-the-ground workforce the innovation and attention they deserve when it comes to the tools they wear to do their job every day," said Eric Girouard, founder and CEO, in a statement. "We are so grateful to have new partners like Stripes, and returning partners such as TF Cornerstone and Suffolk Technologies, believe in our cause and in the opportunity to serve this inspiring, yet too often ignored community of tradespeople and construction workers. Despite our success to date, we've only scratched the surface. With this new investment, we hope to scale our team and bring even more high-performance products at an exceptional value to millions of workers."

Prior to launching Brunt, Girouard spent more than a decade working in the e-commerce and direct-to-consumer space at startups including Rue La La, M.Gemi, and Trade Coffee.