Trevor Nelson
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Hey Trevor — similar IB → PE path. Been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in consumer growth equity lately. Would be good to connect.
Hey Trevor, see we share a similar PE path, though I was in London doing growth equity not backing consumer brands in NY. most funds at this stage have stacked up a pretty solid toolkit — PitchBook, a CRM like Affinity or DealCloud, maybe Grata, sourcing consultants, the works. but even with all of it, proprietary deal flow often stays thin or inconsistent. the off-market stuff doesn't compound because thesis, network, and intelligence never fully sync into one system — so origination basically resets every cycle instead of building a real edge. does that ring true at Aria, or have you built around it differently? — Russ
Hey Trevor, see we share a similar PE path, though I was in London doing growth equity not backing consumer brands in NY. most funds at this stage have stacked up a pretty solid toolkit — PitchBook, a CRM like Affinity or DealCloud, maybe Grata, sourcing consultants, the works. but even with all of it, proprietary deal flow often stays thin or inconsistent. the off-market stuff doesn't compound because thesis, network, and intelligence never fully sync into one system — so origination basically resets every cycle instead of building a real edge. do you disagree? — Russ
hey Trevor — this kept rattling around. when I was doing growth equity we had every subscription going — PitchBook, CRM, enrichment tools, the lot — and I still spent half my time manually pulling origination together across all of it. always wondered if that was just us being disorganised or if it's genuinely universal. did you ever run into that at Aria, or was it just us? — Russ
hey Trevor — appreciate the connect either way. I'm in and around consumer growth equity origination all day — if you ever want to swap notes on what's working, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Trevor Nelson Title: Founder & Managing Partner Fund: Aria Growth Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: Trevor Nelson CURRENT FOCUS Trevor is the Founder and Managing Partner at Aria Growth, a New York-based consumer growth equity firm. He specializes in providing capital (typically $10 - $30 million) and "elevated partnership" to emerging consumer brands. His current portfolio and interest areas include beauty, personal care, food, beverage, household, baby, and pet products. BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE Trevor has over 20 years of experience in private equity and finance, with a heavy emphasis on the consumer sector. - Prior to Aria, he spent 8 years as the Co-Founder and Partner at Alliance Consumer Growth (ACG), where he backed major brands like Shake Shack, Harry’s, and BarkTHINS. - Earlier experience includes serving as a Principal at The Lessing Companies, a Senior Associate at TPG Capital, and an Associate at Harvest Partners. - He began his career as an Analyst at Lehman Brothers after graduating from Northwestern University in 2000. KEY SKILLS - Growth Equity & Venture Capital - Consumer Brand Scaling - Strategic Partnership & Mentorship - Deal Structuring & Minority Stakes - Market Analysis (specifically in Prestige Beauty and Amazon ecosystems) POSTS & RECENT ACTIVITY Trevor frequently posts about fund milestones and the success of his partner brands. - June 25, 2025: Trevor reposted the announcement of Aria's second fund, noting: "We are excited to announce the closing of our second fund, Aria Growth Partners Fund-II. A big thank you to our limited partners who have supported us and to our wonderful founders who have trusted us as partners." - April 4, 2025: Following the news of The Hershey Company's intent to acquire LesserEvil, Trevor wrote: "it's been a career highlight to have had a front row seat for part of LesserEvil Brand Snack Co.'s journey... LesserEvil's success keeps fresh an old truth: the best brands have both excellent products as well as rock-solid values." - April 28, 2023: Welcoming a new executive to a portfolio company, he posted: "Congrats Stephanie [Davis Michelman]. We're so excited to be working with you! Aria Growth" (referencing her new role as CEO of The INKEY List). - March 10, 2022: Trevor shared insights on market shifts, stating: "It's an honor and a joy for us at Aria Growth to be partners to The INKEY List and Hero Cosmetics, who are redefining the future of their categories by putting consumers at the heart of everything they do." He also noted in an interview that "Amazon is becoming a much bigger player in prestige beauty." - May 12, 2021: Regarding a Series A investment, he posted: "Jackie Dunklau, Dawn Techow and I at Aria Growth are thrilled to partner with Onda, its amazing co-founders... and an all-star team... Thanks to Martín Caballero at BevNET.com, Inc. for the coverage." Fund details: - Description: Based in New York City, Aria Growth Partners is a leading consumer growth equity firm that provides capital and elevated partnership to extraordinary consumer brands. Aria typically invests between $10 - $30 million for minority stakes in growth-stage consumer brands. For the last decade, Aria principals have been growth partners to many of the most successful emerging brands across beauty, personal care, food, beverage, household, baby and pet products. - Website: https://www.ariagrowth.com - Location: New York, New York, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Aria Growth Trevor Nelson recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Aria Growth Partners focuses on minority investments in consumer brands, with recent investments in The Inkey List and Onda Sparkling Tequila. Trevor Nelson and Jackie Dunklau lead the firm, which targets brands with $5-$50 million in revenue.