GoBe’s $8 million valuation cap is a steal for investors in its current Crowd SAFE round, especially in the online private markets. With $1.3 million in revenue for the most recent fiscal year, GoBe’s $8 million valuation is worth more than six times its most recent annual revenue numbers. On average, consumer goods companies are valued at two to five times their annual revenue. 

Not straying far from industry averages is actually a huge advantage in the online private market, which typically sees very overvalued deals. Even if this opportunity doesn’t yield 10x returns, it is very likely that GoBe will be worth more than $8 million at follow-on rounds. This increase would make it more likely that investors in this round will see returns. A higher future valuation seems especially likely considering traction to date, as founders Joseph Blanch and Solanda Moran-Blanch report being on track for $3.8 million in revenue for 2022.

GoBe is a new take on the legacy food storage market. The US food storage market is expected to reach $51.9 billion by 2025 at an annual growth rate of 3.4%, making the current market approximately $46.8 billion. Only about a sixth of that market is comprised of rigid plastics, the addressable market for GoBe products. Within that market, only a fraction of the market is tailored toward children. 

Slicing and dicing this massive market tells us a few things. First, GoBe is playing to a very niche customer base that’s growing sluggishly. Second, there is no shortage of existing alternatives. Ziploc bags and Tupperware serve the same purpose as GoBe’s Snack Spinner. GoBe’s Snack Spinner is not solving a classic problem, so the product is definitely a “nice to have” and not a “must have.”  

That said, if anyone is going to shell out money for a convenience product, it is parents of young children. GoBe may not have a massive market, but the team knows how to play to their customer base. GoBe has been strategic in carving out its niche market opportunity. Parents love products that make life easier, and word-of-mouth marketing is often quite effective with this demographic

Joseph Blanch and Solanda Moran-Blanch founded GoBe in 2018. Blanch’s background is in mechanical engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. Outside his experience as a research assistant in college, Blanch spent two years as an engineer at Hall Labs creating robotic kitchen technology. 

Moran-Blanch holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from Brigham Young University. She also worked as a research assistant at the institution prior to founding GoBe. Both Moran-Blanch and Allison Dugger, GoBe’s chief operating officer, are part-time employees. Dugger does not appear to have a highly relevant background either. She spent the majority of her career in sports management as an athletic facilities manager. 

The team has very limited collective business experience prior to GoBe, never mind entrepreneurial expertise or food storage industry experience. If they don’t learn on the job or hire outside talent for leadership positions, it could severely limit GoBe’s ability to raise capital and meet goals in the long term. 

The team does, however, have a few things working in their favor. First, Blanch and Moran-Blanch are parents of young children. The pair understands firsthand the needs and wants of their customers. What they lack in industry experience, they make up for in empathy. They have also partnered with Legacy Retail, a consumer packaged goods advisory firm, for distribution. In fact, many of the profiles of team members on the raise page belong to Legacy Retail, not GoBe — specifically, all of the individuals in sales and operations. 

Overall, the founding team has a lot to make up for by way of business acumen. Their choice to bring on Legacy Retail was a smart move. 

The GoBe Snack Spinner is one of a kind. The company holds one patent with three pending, which seems to have done enough to stave off competition — that or competitors just haven’t caught on. Food storage is not exactly a haven for innovation. There are no direct competitors. GoBe owns much of the real estate on a Google search results page for “snack spinner,” much like Kleenex would for “tissue.” There does not appear to be an alternative that has both separate compartments and the spinning feature. With little direct competition, GoBe can sustain higher price points. One Snack Spinner costs $24.95. 

The other GoBe products (only available in preorder) are not innovative. The lunchbox and no-spill cup compete with plenty of alternatives. The company is really depending on the marketability of its Snack Spinner. But that product truly stands out. The design is simple and easily replicable, but so long as the company has a strong patent portfolio, it could carve out some of the food storage market and offer investors some modest returns.

GoBe has made impressive sales progress thus far. GoBe Snack Spinners sold out at Sam’s Club as a seasonal item. Oftentimes, consumer goods companies enter wholesalers at the regional level. But GoBe was in Sam’s Club locations nationwide. Walmart will be testing GoBe products on the shelves of 500 stores. Target is also on the list of future wholesalers but has yet to finalize details. 

Founders Joseph Blanch and Solanda Moran-Blanch reported that 80% of their sales are from North America. GoBe’s small global presence can be attributed to its online store and Amazon offerings, which also ship domestically. Amazon customers gave the Snack Spinner 4.5 stars out of more than 800 ratings, showing high levels of customer satisfaction. 

These sales channels amounted to $1.3 million in revenue for 2021, up from $717,578 in 2020. Blanch and Moran-Blanch project the company will end 2022 with $4 million in sales and reach close to $6 million in 2023. Blanch did mention that the company is currently profitable despite the Form C figures that are likely outdated. He also reported 10 to 12 months of runway, meaning the company can survive that long without additional funding. Generally speaking, a startup needs at least 12 months of runway to be in good financial standing and de-risk an investment. The revenue growth paired with the runway should be a strong bullish indicator for investors. The company is on a growth trajectory, and should anything happen, it has a 10 to 12 month safety net. 

Altogether, GoBe’s stellar performance metrics to date set it apart from most consumer goods companies in the early stages of funding.

GoBe has a modest risk profile. The product has already hit the shelves, and customers have responded. There are a few elevated risk factors, though. For one, this round is being raised on a Crowd SAFE, one of the security types with the fewest investor protections. Additionally, the Snack Spinner is both a “nice to have” and likely a one-time purchase, significantly limiting future revenue growth. None of the other GoBe products are particularly differentiated and will likely not reach the same level of popularity as the Snack Spinner, subjecting GoBe to some growth restraints. In essence, this is a single-product company, which elevates risk should competitors create a product that parents like better.

GoBe last raised capital on Republic in August 2020. The team has not grown from the three members that began the raise in 2020. In fact, co-founder Joseph Blanch is still the only full-time team member outside of GoBe’s Legacy Retail partnership. Since its core team members lack both consumer goods and general business experience, this lack of change is unimpressive.

When the 2020 raise went live, revenue stood at $210,946, and it was the company’s first year with revenue on the books. GoBe still has just one product available on shelves, the same product that began revenue generation back in 2020: the Snack Spinner. Revenue is now $1.3 million annually, and several new products are available for preorder, including a larger Snack Spinner, lunchbox, and no-spill cup. It is clear that the Snack Spinner can offer solid returns on its own, as revenue has grown 512.3% since GoBe’s initial Republic round. Despite the massive revenue growth, the valuation from round to round has only doubled from $4 million to $8 million. GoBe’s current valuation is appropriate, if not undervaluing the company. The current valuation paired with GoBe’s traction makes this raise optimal timing for potential investors.

GoBe is a single-product company. And that single product, the Snack Spinner, is a one-time — maybe two-time — buy. It’s also not a necessity. The team has tried to overcome the single-product constraints by launching more products, like a spill-proof cup and a lunchbox, but none of these other products are particularly differentiated in the way that the Snack Spinner is. Once competition finds ways to work around GoBe’s patent or the next exciting product in the space is released, GoBe’s revenue growth could slow, halt, or reverse. 

The GoBe team is small and lacks both consumer goods experience and general business acumen. A majority of the team members listed on the raise page work for Legacy Retail, a consumer packaged goods advisory firm and GoBe’s partner. Management’s lack of experience could lead to problems down the road, especially when it comes to sourcing funding, which is a risk to potential investors. 

Finally, the food storage market is growing slowly. While it may be immune to dips in the general economy, the steady growth rate is not likely to explode anytime soon. Large incumbents that are household names litter the space. Once the novelty of this product wears off, revenue growth will likely slow, so consequent return on investment is therefore limited. 

GoBe has very strong performance metrics, and the Snack Spinner remains heavily differentiated in the market. No other product directly competes. Either competitors have not caught on or GoBe’s patent portfolio is strong enough to stave off competition. Founders Joseph Blanch and Solanda Moran-Blanch know their target audience. If anyone is going to shell out money for a convenience product, it is parents of young children. This demographic also supports word-of-mouth advertising. Parents are likely to gift this product or tell other parents about it in passing. Sending a child to school or a playdate with the Snack Spinner could prompt other parents to make the same purchase. The Snack Spinner sold out of Sam’s Club nationwide as a seasonal product and has strong reviews on Amazon. Parents clearly appreciate the product. 

GoBe is also, by online private market standards, undervalued at this round. With a valuation cap of $8 million, it is highly likely that the company will increase in value in the coming years or even months with its eventual rollout in Target and Walmart. 

GoBe is a kid-friendly food storage company that started with the Snack Spinner. The Snack Spinner is a food storage ring with individual compartments surrounding a button. Kids can press the button, spinning the compartments around until they reach the desired snack, promoting controlled autonomy. GoBe’s traction is carried by a single product, the Snack Spinner. The Snack Spinner is not a necessity. Parents will buy this once or twice until their children age out of it. Nothing about the other products in the GoBe line is differentiated from competing products, so the Snack Spinner will likely continue to make up the majority of the company’s revenue. In order to stay on this growth trajectory, this single product will have to stay relevant and defensible. The GoBe team also has very little business, industry, and entrepreneurial experience. It is possible that the founders will learn on the job, but their limited backgrounds could put them at a disadvantage when it comes to decision-making and maintaining a high level of execution. That could limit returns for investors. 

That said, the GoBe solution has made a mark on parents. If anyone is going to spend extra money on a convenience product, it is parents of young children. The Snack Spinner brought in $1.3 million in revenue in 2021, and revenue growth is expected to continue as GoBe products roll out in Target and Walmart locations. Founders Joseph Blanch and Solanda Moran-Blanch report that the company is currently profitable, which somewhat limits risk for investors should the company run into an unexpected problem, like supply chain issues. At an $8 million valuation, GoBe could definitely provide some modest returns for investors. The most likely exit scenario would be an acquisition by a larger children’s brand like Munchkin or a food storage company like Ziploc. 

The Snack Spinner is a winner among parents of young children but may not be enough to  sustain GoBe’s strong revenue traction in the long term, making GoBe a Neutral Deal.

For questions regarding the KingsCrowd analyst report or ratings for this company, please reach out to support@kingscrowd.com.

Analysis written by Olivia Strobl, August 1, 2022.