Influencer activewear brand Tala raises £4.2m

Tala, the sustainable activewear brand founded by fitness entrepreneur Grace Beverley, has announced that it has raised £4.2m in funding co-led by Active Partners and Venrex. Additional participants in the oversubscribed round include Pembroke VCT, as well as angel investors including Nicola Kilner (CEO and founder, Deciem), Michelle Kennedy (CEO & founder, Peanut) and Simon Mottram (founder, Rapha). Tala said the investment will be used to further its mission of “bringing sustainable activewear into the mainstream”, investing in inventory, hiring and international growth. Jason Mahendran, investor at Active Partners, will also be joining its board. Tala’s product range includes leggings, shorts, sports bras, tops, hoodies, tracksuits, outerwear, underwear and more and are packaged using upcycled, recycled and natural materials. Beverley said: “Tala is a labour of love. I founded the business out of a genuine passion to help as many people as possible to shop more sustainably, without compromising on quality or price. “I’m incredibly proud of - and grateful for - the amazing community we’ve built in the past two and a half years, and I cannot wait to see what we can achieve as we continue to grow our Tala community around the world. Sustainability is the future of business, and I’m thrilled to have found investors in Active and Venrex who not only champion our mission but are genuinely aligned with our values and approach.” Mahendran added: “Tala is a breath of fresh air in the activewear space, and what Grace and her team have achieved in such a short period of time is unprecedented in the industry. Tala’s impressive and loyal community is a testament to the team’s unrelenting commitment to producing the best possible products without ever compromising on ethics, sustainability or price. “We are delighted to join Tala for this next phase of growth and look forward to supporting Grace and the team in meeting their exceptional demand and making sustainable activewear more inclusive and accessible to a wide international audience.”