deck

2. Pitch Deck (15 slides)

Slide 1 - Cover (LAVisions layout)layout: title_hero · 16:9
Tola
Clinical skincare, powered by African bioactives.
Slide 2 - Problem (LAVisions layout)layout: problem_split · 16:9
the problem
The premium skincare shelf has run out of new actives.
01
Five molecules, endlessly reformulated
78% of 2024 prestige launches reused the same five actives: vitamin C, retinol, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and bakuchiol. The clinical buyer already owns all of them.
02
A pipeline that stays dry
The industry has studied fewer than 50 of the 45,000 plant species with documented bioactivity. Reformulating a known active costs less than de-risking a new one, so the shelf keeps repeating itself.
03
Retailers asking out loud
Across 2024 and 2025, Sephora briefed vendors in three buyer meetings for a new active backed by clinical proof. Launches with a new active outsold reformulations by 23% to 40% per store.
+71%
Year-over-year growth in US search demand for clinical skincare, 2023 to 2024.
Statista, Q1 2025
Slide 3 - Solution (LAVisions layout)layout: solution_image_left · 16:9
the solution
Four new molecules, each with clinical proof at a premium price.
TOLA sources four African botanical actives the industry has barely touched, then tests each one with the protocols premium brands reserve for retinol. Marula for barrier lipids, baobab for moisture retention, a Kalahari vitamin C analog for stable antioxidant defense, and rooibos for polyphenol clarity. Two of the four already carry third-party IRB studies.
Slide 4 - Product (LAVisions layout)layout: product_split · 16:9
the product
Four hero products, four actives, one routine.
01
Marula Renewal Oil, $68
Cold-pressed Namibian marula at 60% oleic acid, formulated for overnight barrier restoration without occlusion.
02
Baobab Repair Cream, $94
Senegalese baobab seed extract. An 8-week IRB study (n=120, double-blind) measured a 31% reduction in skin moisture loss against a ceramide control.
03
Kalahari Defense Serum, $84
A Kalahari melon vitamin C analog with four times the formulation stability of L-ascorbic acid. An 8-week study measured an 18% reduction in oxidative damage markers.
The Rooibos Clarify Cleanser at $42 anchors the daily routine. Two bundles at $165 and $245 lift the 20-month customer value to $358.
Slide 5 - How it Works (LAVisions layout)layout: how_it_works · 16:9
How it works
Two products each morning, two each night, one 8-week check.
Step 01
Cleanse
Rooibos Clarify Cleanser decongests without stripping the acid mantle, morning and night.
Step 02
Treat
Marula Renewal Oil restores barrier lipids overnight on weekdays.
Step 03
Defend
Kalahari Defense Serum layers under sunscreen for daytime oxidative defense.
Step 04
Repair
Baobab Repair Cream runs overnight and carries the routine's headline clinical claim.
Step 05
Measure
At week eight the customer compares photos against the IRB-study benchmark.
The customer who sees a measurable result at week eight is the customer who reorders on tola.co for the next 18 months.
Slide 6 - Value Proposition (LAVisions layout)layout: value_prop · 16:9
Value proposition
Clinical proof on a frontier ingredient, at a mid-prestige price.
Current Solutions
The Ordinary
  • Commodity actives
  • Limited published proof
  • Mass price, $5 to $15
  • Ingredient-list culture
Drunk Elephant
  • Marketing-led proof
  • Established actives
  • Prestige price, $40 to $100
  • Strong brand awareness
Augustinus Bader
  • Patent-led proof
  • Single molecule, TFC8
  • Ultra-prestige, $300 and up
  • Narrow product line
  • IRB-published proof
  • African frontier actives
  • Mid-prestige, $42 to $94
  • Operator-led team
Each axis alone has a competitor. The combination of all four does not.
Slide 7 - Features (LAVisions layout)layout: product_split · 16:9
Features and benefits
Five things the customer can read on the carton.
01
Clinical proof on the box
The 31% moisture-loss reduction is printed on the carton, not buried in a press-page PDF.
02
Named sourcing
Each product lists its farmer cooperative: Eudafano in Namibia, Baobab Senegal SARL, and Cape Rooibos Direct.
03
Active dose printed
Every product states its active concentration, because the clinical buyer now chooses on dose, not brand.
04
One active per product
One frontier active doing one job. No kitchen-sink stacking, no diluted claims.
05
Stack-compatible
The range layers alongside the retinoids, acids, and prescription products the customer already uses.
Why now
Demand, supply, and retail are pointing at the same gap.
01
Consumer search is moving
US clinical-skincare search demand grew 71% year over year in 2023 to 2024. African-ingredient searches grew 134% off a smaller base.
02
Retailers are briefing for it
Sephora ran three buyer meetings across 2024 and 2025 asking vendors for a new active with clinical proof.
03
The clinical slice is compounding
The clinical segment of US premium skincare is growing 14% per year, ahead of the 8% category rate.
Market opportunity
A $4.8B clinical slice, growing 14% a year.
TAMSAMSOM
$19.2BUS premium skincare
2025 market size, growing 8% per year (Circana)
Reaches $26.1B by 2029 on the category growth rate.
$4.8BClinical skincare
The clinical slice of premium, growing 14% per year
The fastest-growing part of premium beauty and the part retailers are briefing for.
$13.75MTOLA revenue by 2030
About 0.3% of the 2025 clinical slice
Small share by design. A deep moat on a defined position, not market dominance.
Slide 9 - Business Model (LAVisions layout)layout: business_model · 16:9
business model
Meet the customer at Sephora, keep her on tola.co.
Main income
Sephora wholesale plus direct online
The 450-door Sephora rollout acquires the customer at a retail reach paid digital cannot match. Direct sales on tola.co retain her at roughly double the wholesale contribution margin. 41% of customers reorder within 90 days.
Unit economics
LTV $358 against CAC $87
A 4.0x ratio today. Customer value of $358 over 20 months against $87 to acquire. Bundle attach and a Q3 2026 subscription lift retention as the category crowds.
Slide 10 - Go To Market (LAVisions layout)layout: product_split · 16:9
Go to market
Five surfaces, each tied to a contracted partner or a validated metric.
01
Sephora, 450 doors
The 50-door pilot sold 89% of stock against a 65% to 70% benchmark, which contractually triggered the full rollout for 2026.
02
Direct on tola.co
41% of customers reorder within 90 days at roughly double the wholesale margin. Online earns the customer value that funds retail acquisition.
03
US specialty
Credo, Bluemercury, and Goop place the brand in the premium-clinical tier and drive dermatology and press word-of-mouth.
04
International
Selfridges, Sephora Middle East, and Lane Crawford launch in Q1 2027 through partner-of-record agreements.
05
Bundles
The $165 Starter Set and $245 Ritual Set lift customer value. Bundled buyers reorder at 1.7 times the single-product rate.
Slide 11 - Team (LAVisions layout)layout: team_grid · 16:9
The team
A formulation scientist and a Sephora operator, with a bench to match.
Sarah Chen
Co-founder and CEO
Ex-Glossier brand lead and ex-Drunk Elephant Director of Marketing. Ran the Sephora rollout playbook into the 2019 Shiseido acquisition. Owns brand, channel, and the contracted 450-door rollout.
Dr Maya Patel Co-founder and Chief Scientist PhD in Cosmetic Chemistry from Columbia. Nine years at L'Oreal R&D Paris, then Estee Lauder advanced research. Four issued patents on oil-bound actives, two more filed under TOLA. Amara Okonkwo VP Provenance and Supply
The first five hires, funded by the seed
  • Built cooperative sourcing programs at Aesop across Southern Africa. Holds TOLA's multi-year contracts with three farmer cooperatives at 28% above commodity pricing.
  • Rebecca Alvarez
  • VP Retail
  • Former Sephora prestige skincare buyer, then Tatcha national accounts. Runs the 450-door rollout, front-of-aisle programs, and door-level productivity.
  • Dr Lena Fischer
Slide 12 - Competitive Advantage (LAVisions layout)layout: competitive_matrix · 16:9
Competitive advantage
One corner of the map is empty. TOLA occupies it.
Clinical proof on a frontier ingredient, held by one brand.
01
Clinical proof: two IRB-published studies carry the brand through Sephora vendor diligence at a level reformulation brands cannot reach.
02
Ingredient frontier: four African botanical actives the category has barely studied, each with documented bioactivity.
03
Supply moat: direct contracts with three cooperatives at 28% above commodity take multiple growing seasons to copy.
04
Operator team: two prior nine-figure online-brand exits and a contracted Sephora rollout already on the calendar.
Clinical credibility
Ingredient frontier
The Ordinary
Drunk Elephant
Augustinus Bader
TOLA
Slide 13 - Roadmap (LAVisions layout)layout: roadmap_3phase · 16:9
Roadmap
The Sephora wave, then international, then self-funded scale.
2026
Series A deployment
The Sephora wave
450-door Sephora rollout, 150 live by Q1
Clinical study round two reads out in Q2
Fourth cooperative signed for Kenyan moringa
Subscription launches on tola.co in Q3
Selfridges and Sephora Middle East letters of intent
2027 to 2028
Scale
International
Selfridges UK, Sephora Middle East, and Lane Crawford live
US specialty in full distribution
Men's line formulation foundation
Operations approach break-even by 2028
Revenue reaches $3.3M in 2028
2029 to 2030
Self-funded
Compounding
First operating profit in 2029 on $10.83M revenue
28% operating margin by 2030 on $13.75M revenue
Working-capital revolver paid off
Men's line and medspa channel live
Strategic buyer conversations open
Slide 14 - Forecast (LAVisions layout)layout: forecast_kpi_chart · 16:9
Forecast
The Series A funds the plan to first profit, with no further round required.
Capital Raised$15.0M2 rounds
Revenue (24m)$2.45Mcumulative
Minimum Cash$8.5MMonth 13
Cash at Month 24$8.6Mperiod end
The Series A funds the 450-door Sephora wave and the 2027 international launch. Cash bottoms near $8.5M in late 2027, then recovers as wholesale revenue compounds. The plan reaches first profit in 2029 without a further institutional round.
Slide 15 - Ask (LAVisions layout)layout: ask_kpi_charts · 16:9
The ask
$15M Series A to clear the moat before incumbents can respond.
The Ask$15MSeries A at $60M post-money
Runway30 monthsFunds the plan through to first profit
Profitable from2029First operating profit, no further round required
Use of funds · %
Cost allocation