While many were still cleaning up the confetti and champagne glasses left over from New Year’s Eve celebrations, kid-focused e-commerce company Rockets of Awesome was ringing in 2018 with a $6 million funding round.
According to an SEC filing, the company closed its Series B round on January 2, bringing its total valuation to $25.5 million. While investors for this current round are not yet known, former backers of Rockets of Awesome include Forerunner Ventures, the Female Founders Fund, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Rockets of Awesome was founded in 2016 by CEO and mother of two Rachel Blumenthal as a solution for the ever-changing tastes (and sizes) of young fashionistas. Similar to other clothing subscription services, Rockets of Awesome sends wearers eight unique pieces of clothing four times throughout the year. After an at-home try-on (and potential living room fashion show) the clothing can either be kept or sent back. Data on the clothes you choose to keep or return influences what you can expect to receive in future boxes.
What sets Rockets of Awesome apart from other clothing subscription services, though, is its exclusive focus on kidswear. Clothing ranges in size from youth 2 to 16, and each piece is priced from $16 to $38. The clothes are not only sized and priced for kids, but they are designed and hand-picked with a child’s desire for fun and comfort in mind: think a pair of sparkly leggings paired with a cotton graphic tee.
Though founder Blumenthal has said that Rockets of Awesome was created to help the problem of dressing her own children, it’s clear that other parents can relate. The company, which designs all of its clothes at its NYC headquarters, has previously boasted waitlists of thousands of parents eager to simplify getting their kids dressed in the morning.
Rockets of Awesome plans to continue adapting based on its own data, as well as the constant stream of feedback being sent to their team. “Moms are now writing us long messages letting us know that their kids are gender nonconforming or have sensory issues and don’t like buttons or zippers,” Blumenthal told Forbes. Kids (and their parents) can be notoriously picky — but Rockets of Awesome is helping to shape that pickiness into stylish perfection.
