TextureMedia, a hair care media company in Austin, got acquired Monday by Ultra/Standard, a multicultural hair care and beauty distribution company based in New York.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
TextureMedia, formerly known as NaturallyCurly.com, has raised about $2 million since its founding in 1998. It was one of the first investments made by the Central Texas Angel Network in 2007. Jimmy Treybig, founder of Tandem Computers and Billionaire John Paul DeJoria, cofounder of John Paul Mitchell, are both investors. Michelle Breyer and Gretchen Heber, former employees with the Austin American Statesman, founded the company to create a community of people with natural curly hair to share beauty tips and products online.
Texture Media now has 20 employees, with 19 of them in Austin, said Crista Bailey, its CEO. Those employees and the company will remain in Austin and will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ultra/Standard. Breyer is now head of business development for TextureMedia.
TextureMedia reaches 3 million people every month across its four portfolio brands. NaturallyCurly, CurlyNikki, CurlMart and CurlStylists. It also reaches a total of 26 million people every month through those brands’ social media channels, Bailey said. The company also launched TextureTrends in 2010 to provide hair care brands with consumer insights on hair care and style trends and behaviors.
“All of our growth has been organic,” Bailey said.
Ultra/Standard is a leading distributor of textured-hair products to major retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Rite Aid, Sally Beauty Supply, Target, Walgreens and more. It also exports to countries in Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The acquisition of TextureMedia allows Ultra/Standard to closely track trends in the ethnic hair industry and to foster a conversation between retailers, brands and consumers, said Michael Ross, president of Ultra/Standard.
TextureMedia courtesy photo
“This category for us has grown dramatically,” said Ross. “Retailers are super excited about it.”
And TextureMedia will give Ultra/Standard insights in the marketplace that will help it better advise retailers on which products to carry, Ross said.
The acquisition of TextureMedia connects Ultra/Standard to the community of consumers using textured hair products and provides a connection to the social and digital age for interacting with them, Ross said.
In the future, Ultra/Standard will also be able to tie retail events to TextureMedia’s websites, Ross said.
“It’s a win for everyone especially for the consumer,” Ross said.