Start-up venture March Muses, which specialises in luxury gifts, wrapping paper and cards representing people of colour, has secured investment of £50,000 from Dragons' Den angel investors Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden.
The business was set up by Croydon-based mumtrepreneurs Natalie Duvall and Alison Burton after struggling to find gifts that resembled their children.
The brand is known for their Christmas decorations including black angels and Santa baubles that are handmade, paying close attention to skin tone, hair design, body shape and size.
The two angel investors have both invested £25,000 each for a minority stake in the business to support its scale-up plans, which will soon see March Muses also offering Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, wedding, christening and birthday products.
The founders of March Muses, who have been holding down full time jobs while developing their business venture, said: “As parents we are raising the next generation of change makers. Let’s make them anti-racist global citizens. Shops need to not only represent Britain today, but also, they need to be authentic rather than performative in their approach to diversity. This can be achieved by using Black creators like us.
“We are thankful that Peter and Deborah see our vision and are willing to invest in a company that champions diversity and inclusion. We can’t wait to tap into their vast expertise.”
Mr Jones said: “Natalie and Alison blew us away with their business acumen in the den. We were impressed with the growth of their business over such a short space of time and their projections were spot on. They had identified a gaping hole in the market with clear consumer demand for their offering. The business has huge growth potential in the UK and internationally and the products are simply stunning.”
Ms Meaden said: “The Black Lives Matter movement really did highlight the importance of representation, particularly with children. Dolls and action figures, decorations, cards and wrapping paper should be available in a variety of hues and be diverse. I truly admire Natalie and Alison for the important work they are doing, and I look forward to helping them to take March Muses to the next level.”
