Refined Capital Partners teams up with leading US DTC investor Digital Fuel Capital to accelerate Disturbia’s next phase of growth
Refined Capital Partners (“RCP”) is delighted to announce that Digital Fuel Capital (“DFC”) has acquired a minority stake in its investee company, Disturbia, the digitally native, global alternative lifestyle brand. Carson Biederman, Founder & President at DFC, will join the Board of Disturbia, together with DFC Operating Partner Chris Colbert. This partnership will further reinforce Disturbia’s accelerated expansion in the US, which already represents nearly half of the brand’s global turnover. Alongside local expertise, DFC bring deep knowledge of DTC e-commerce from within their existing portfolio, as well as adding specialist support from their internal performance marketing, conversion rate optimisation, data engineering and analytics’ operating partners.
The Refined Capital Partners team led the investment in Disturbia in 2023 alongside its founders, Frank and Helen Major, and continue to retain a significant shareholding in the business, whilst delivering a 10.2x multiple of money for our co-investors on this transaction. Partnering with DFC marks the next stage of Disturbia’s growth journey, positioning the brand to excite many millions more customers, whilst creating further shareholder value through continued organic growth, alongside the addition of strategic brand acquisitions to develop our brand reach.
Richard Leeson, CEO at Disturbia, comments:
“Over the past two years, the team at Refined Capital Partners has played a meaningful role in shaping our evolution and refining our vision. With their support, we have expanded our design, buying and merchandising teams, greatly enhanced our performance marketing capability and built resilience into our global operations. The result has been a near tripling of revenue to £55 million in the LTM, alongside strong cash generation to reinvest in our continued growth. We are looking forward to their continued support, alongside that of the DFC team, as we continue to meaningfully enhance our presence in the US market and strengthen our digital capability.”
Ben Barnett, Chair of Disturbia, commented:
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Carson, Chris and the DFC team to the Board of this iconic alternative fashion brand. Their investment will further support the exceptional management team led by Richard Leeson and allow us to accelerate our global development of the Disturbia brand. I am also delighted that Frank and Helen will remain on the board as significant shareholders and partners for the next leg of the journey; continuing to act as custodians for the shared vision and values of the brand as we relentlessly ‘disturb the comfortable’.”
About Refined Capital Partners
Refined Capital Partners invests alongside founders and entrepreneurs who have built exceptional consumer brands, or the technology on which they depend. Our team of entrepreneurs provide hands-on support, accelerating growth through the investment of our capital (£5 million – £25 million), development of management capability, implementation of operational best practice and digital transformation. In partnership, we help to build responsible businesses that stand the test of time. For more information, visit refined-capital.co.uk
About Disturbia
Disturbia is a high-growth, digitally-native, global lifestyle brand empowering those who dare to stand out from the crowd. The brand fuses the attitude and authenticity of alternative subculture, with the accessibility and wearability of more mainstream fashion. Disturbia has created a multi-category lifestyle range, gaining attention for its unique designs that challenge the ordinary and built a >1 million strong global community. Gaining traction with customers across the globe, it has delivered over 70% pa revenue growth over the last 4 years, successfully expanding and gaining operational footholds in the US, EU and beyond. For more information, visit disturbia.co.uk
