Houlihan Lokey Advises SmartyPants

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that SmartyPants Vitamins, a rapidly growing innovator of premium vitamins for the whole family, has been acquired by Unilever.

Founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs Courtney Nichols Gould and Gordon Gould, SmartyPants Vitamins leads the supplement industry in designing and manufacturing comprehensive, multifunctional supplements in a variety of easy‐to‐take formats for the whole family. Scientifically formulated, made with premium, responsibly sourced ingredients, and delightful to take, their products are made in North America, third‐party lab tested, and free of any synthetic colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives. In partnership with Vitamin Angels, SmartyPants Vitamins has reached more than 14 million mothers and children worldwide with nutrient grants, with a goal of reaching 100 million by 2025. They can be found in more than 30,000 stores across the country, including the world’s leading specialty, club, and online retailers such as Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, and many more. Investors include North Castle Partners, Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, and Balance Point Capital.

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of beauty and personal care, home care, and foods and refreshment products with sales in more than 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers per day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q‐tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington’s, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé, and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever group of companies.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to SmartyPants and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on its behalf. This transaction underscores Houlihan Lokey’s deep expertise in the vitamin, mineral, and supplement sector, following the recent sales of Care/of to Bayer; Foodspring to Mars; and Zarbee’s to Johnson & Johnson. The deal also strengthens the firm’s track record of working with the most innovative and disruptive brands in the health and wellness industry.