Startup profile for Dollar Shave Club: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Dollar Shave Club funding, valuation and investors

Subscription razor and grooming brand built on viral DTC marketing (acquired by Unilever, 2016).

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Series A

$9.8M · November 2012

Latest known valuation

Not publicly disclosed

Total disclosed equity funding

$11M

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

acquired

acquired · Marina del Rey, California

Investors in latest funding

Lead: Venrock

Other: Kleiner Perkins , Andreessen Horowitz

Sources: latest funding Last verified: 2026-07-25

Overview

Dollar Shave Club sold subscription razors and grooming products direct-to-consumer — built on viral marketing that redefined DTC brand launches. Founder Michael Dubé's 2012 launch video went viral. Raised seed from Kleiner Perkins, Forerunner, a16z, and Battery; Series A from Venrock, Kleiner, and a16z. Unilever acquired DSC for ~$1B cash in July 2016.

Why Dollar Shave Club is interesting

DSC's launch video defined DTC — Kleiner and a16z seeded before Unilever paid ~$1B in 2016.

Product & use cases

Subscription razors and grooming products delivered monthly — disrupting Gillette's retail model with humor and direct relationship.

  • Monthly razor subscription for men
  • DTC grooming product bundles
  • Case study in viral video marketing for consumer brands

Key facts

  • Acquired by Unilever (Jul 2016): ~$1B cash (public reporting)
  • Series A (Nov 2012): $9.8M led by Venrock; Kleiner, a16z
  • Viral 2012 launch video defined DTC marketing

Funding history (newest first)

Series A

2012-11 $9.8M

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2012/11/01/dollar-shave-club-funding/

Seed

2012-03 $1M

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2012/11/01/dollar-shave-club-funding/

Investors in our directory

Funds linked from Dollar Shave Club's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.

Andreessen Horowitz Kleiner Perkins Forerunner Ventures Battery Ventures

Competitive landscape

Edge: First-mover in subscription razors with iconic brand voice — copied by Harry's and others.

Subscription razors became commoditized after DSC proved the model. Unilever acquisition validated DTC but brand has competed for attention within conglomerate portfolio.

  • Harry's direct

    DTC razor competitor; partial P&G acquisition.

  • Gillette incumbent

    P&G-owned retail razor leader.

  • Billie direct

    Women's DTC razor subscription.

  • Amazon Basics incumbent

    Private-label razors at lower price.

Notable stories

  • Michael Dubé's 2012 launch video ('Our blades are f***ing great') went viral — defining DTC brand marketing and leading to Unilever's ~$1B acquisition (TechCrunch).

Industries

Consumer

Related funding articles

Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Dollar Shave Club's financing or category context.

FAQs about Dollar Shave Club

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

Subscription razor and grooming brand acquired by Unilever in 2016.
Unilever in July 2016 for approximately $1B cash.
Kleiner (/fund/kleiner-perkins), a16z (/fund/andreessen-horowitz), Forerunner (/fund/forerunner-ventures), Battery (/fund/battery-ventures).
Michael Dubé.
2012 viral launch video redefined DTC brand marketing.
Both DTC razor subscriptions; Harry's also raised VC before P&G partial acquisition.
Yes — as Unilever brand at dollarshaveclub.com.
July 2016.
No — Unilever brand.
Approximately $1B cash per public reporting.
Website All startups Funding news

By Venture Capital Tracker

Last updated:

Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.