Reduced trade deficit, full employment, inflation stabilizing... the United States is still the world's leading economy, and will remain so for the next few years.
Thanks to an entrepreneurial mindset and the presence of historic Private Equity funds, US companies are doing extremely well. In a gloomy global macro-economic climate, they are posting solid results and deploying strategies that are proving to be models of resilience.
Around 40% of Altaroc portfolios are invested in US companies. Many of these companies boast impressive growth figures. This is the case for 4 leading companies in the BtoC segment: Albert, whose ambition is to make financial advice accessible to as many people as possible. Ole Smoky Distillery, the world's most-visited distiller, with sales approaching $200 million. A figure to remember: 70%! That's Cadence Education's growth rate. With 280 schools across the country, the company now generates annual sales of $400 million. And let's not forget Vegamour, the benchmark brand for organic hair care, which recorded a 43% increase in sales in 2022. So, these companies are not in the doldrums!
Albert makes financial advice accessible and affordable
Featured in Vintage Odyssey 2021, Albert offers its 5 million customers affordable financial services available directly from their smartphones. Founded in 2016, the California-based company offers its customers services ranging from mobile banking to savings and investment management, all online.
The app is designed to bring together all a user's financial data on a single platform to provide advice on daily spending and encourage saving. In this way, it aims to improve the financial health of the 47% of American families who say they are unable to cope with an unexpected expense of $400, as reported by the US Federal Reserve.
Yinon Ravid, Albert's co-founder, is a graduate of Colombia University.
At the age of 5, he asked for an unconventional birthday present: a safe to store his money. "I've always been a saver. I don't think it surprised anyone that I created an app that helps people save money," he explains.
With co-founder Andrzej Baraniak, also a Columbia graduate, they decided to call their app Albert to evoke "an intelligent and discreet friend" to whom we could ask all our personal finance questions.
Ole Smoky Distillery, the most visited distillery in the world
When the State of Tennessee amended its law to allow the distillation of spirits, Ole Smoky Distillery became the first federally-licensed distillery in East Tennessee history, opening its doors on July 4, 2010.
Ole Smoky Distillery is one of the fastest-growing spirits companies in the United States, renowned worldwide for its high-quality, award-winning whiskeys. Its products are sold in all 50 US states and in over 20 countries through 45,000 distribution outlets.
Featured in Vintage Altaroc Odyssey 2021, the company is the subject of impressive media coverage in the USA, with journalists rushing to report from the heart of the company's 4 craft distilleries. The Today Show and Martha Stewart Living Radio have both recorded there.
In 2021, the Beverage Information Group awarded Ole Smoky 5 the "Growth Brand Awards". It has also won Shanken's "Impact Hot Brand Award" every year since 2017.
Its four experiential distilleries welcomed over 5.7 million visitors in 2021.
For the 4th year running, the company has been included in the Inc.5000 ranking, which lists the 5,000 fastest-growing American companies.
"At Ole Smoky, we're very proud of this achievement, and to be listed alongside the world's most successful companies and thought leaders is a great honor," said Robert Hall, the company's CEO.
Cadence Education: bringing excellence to children
Founded in 1992, Cadence Education is one of the leading early childhood educators in the United States, with more than 300 private preschools and elementary schools in 30 states.
The company's schools cater for children aged from six weeks to 12 years. With over 27 years of experience, Cadence Education schools offer an exclusive curriculum developed by experts to give students the skills and confidence to excel in their next phase of education.
The company is present in Vintage Altaroc Odyssey 2021 and offers caring learning methods that respect children's individual rhythms.
Cadence Education is proving phenomenally popular with American families.
Vegamour: healthy, shiny hair
Founded in 2016, California-based Vegamour has designed a comprehensive range of organic hair products that combine sustainably harvested plant-based actives combined with the latest advances in molecular science. Its teams use clean plant ingredients to treat the symptoms of poor hair health, combined with clinically tested ingredients to address underlying causes.
Vegamour sells a serum every 2 seconds worldwide.
The brand promotes strong values: respect for biodiversity, fair trade and the social responsibility of its Partners to offer its customers high-quality, environmentally-friendly products.
The company, which has appointed actress Nicole Kidman as its international ambassador, saw its sales grow by 43% in 2022, to $128 million. Experts forecast sales in excess of $155 million in 2023.
"After years of observing the way things develop in nature, it's clear that when it comes to healthy hair, we need to take into account the body's entire ecosystem," explains Vegamour co-founder Daniel Hodgdon, previously CEO of the company.
"At Vegamour, we've developed a 360-degree approach to hair health, which seeks to answer these questions and support a balanced physiological ecosystem conducive to healthy, beautiful hair."
