Rich Gersten

Co-Founder and General Partner True Beauty Ventures, Beauty Industry Advisor North Castle Partners

📍 United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 22 investments📅 14 years investing🗓 Last invested Mar 2026
VC🌍 United States20+ investmentsInvested this year
22
Total investments
5
Early stage
5
Mid stage
3
Late stage
14y
Years active

Portfolio

15 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
Mar 2026
Next-generation beauty by The Lipstick Lesbians. Formulas leaked from the lab, directly to you.
Investor
Nov 2025
Norms is a modern self-care start-up on a mission to normalize the conversation and treatment of common yet highly stigmatized personal health conditions. We’re starting with hemorrhoids and will be moving from the butt to the gut (and beyond). Our shame-free selection of maximum-strength, FDA-compliant hemorrhoid relief products combine medical efficacy with modern brand clarity to replace shame and confusion with support and straightforward care. Founded by serial entrepreneur Joshua Katz and co-founder Carli Roth, with medical guidance from double board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Wendi LeBrett, Norms makes serious medicine, simple and the so-called ‘unmentionables” not just mentionable, but manageable. Available first on Amazon. Get the full Norms experience on www.getnorms.com and by following on Instagram & TikTok @getnorms
Board Member
Jun 2024
Inspiring environments that awaken the spirit... The Maker pioneers a new concept in hospitality by doing the unconventional - leading as a lifestyle brand. Our approach is simple: first to inspire our guests. Through the immersion of The Maker’s signature bohemian sensibility that goes against standardization, we deliver the element of surprise. In every space, a story is told through the highly refined curation and collaboration with masterful makers. Where meticulous detail and considerate service provides an emotional escape. But more than a fleeting memory, our ultimate goal is to create a transcendent experience that lingers beyond our walls. One where The Maker can be brought home, not as a souvenir, but as a sustainable style that becomes part of your life. Our Story Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg are the co-founders of international beauty brand Fresh that started in Boston, MA in 1991. Lev and Alina were natural-born pioneers, leading effective natural ingredient formulations in beauty. Fresh grew from a small business to a leading global innovator that is today part of the LVMH portfolio. Lev and Alina turned their entrepreneurial and visionary prowess to hospitality with the opening of Bartlett House in 2016, with hospitality expert Damien Janowicz – an all-day kitchen, bakery, and cafe serving seasonal, local fare in Ghent, NY. Together they applied their unique sensibility and cohesive vision with the launch of The Maker beginning in 2018. Lev and Alina continue to build The Maker into a global innovative lifestyle and hospitality brand. Our Core Values We are driven by a determined creative mindset, where we do what we dream. We value collaboration, go deep below the surface to shape our art of living. Above else, we provide spaces with unparalleled comfort at no cost to the environment. We support social and economic growth in communities we call home. All are welcome at our address.
late stageHospitality
Board Observer
Nov 2023
Skincare-makeup hybrids to help you consume less and live more. Less makeup. More you.
mid stageCosmetics
Board Member
Oct 2023
Leisure-Enhancing Sunscreen
early stageManufacturing
Board Member
Jul 2023
8 billion of us share this one beautiful world and when we evolve together, all our small actions can add up to a lot of good. That’s why we make beautiful, high-performing daily essentials in the home, personal care, and wellness categories to take care of people and the planet — and stamp each one with global coordinates as a reminder that we’re all connected no matter our race, gender, religion, or where we live.
Board Member
Sep 2021
Glow Recipe is clean, fruit-forward, clinically effective skincare, created to bring out your healthiest, glowing skin yet. Glow Recipes skin-care formulation philosophy pairs antioxidant-rich super fruits with clinically effective actives for efficacious, sensorial, gentle formulas that deliver results. All Glow Recipe products are vegan, cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified, and 100% of our packaging is recyclable either curbside or renewable through our partnership with Terracycle. At Glow Recipe, we want you to love the skin youre in, and that means setting realistic expectations around beauty. In April of 2021, we announced our pledge to never use the words poreless, perfect, ageless or flawless to describe skin. We promise to celebrate and showcase real, unretouched skin, because real skin is beautiful skin. Glow Recipe is currently available at Sephora in North America, UK, South East Asia and Middle East and through other key retailers such as Mecca & Cult Beauty globally.
Board Observer
May 2021
Founded by Eva Goicochea, maude® is a modern, direct-to-consumer sexual wellness startup that launched in April 2018 and has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Forbes, and Fast Company, amongst others. In July of 2019, maude was one of CircleUp’s 25, an "annual award recognizing some of the most innovative consumer brands on the market”, part of The Lead’s Foremost 50 in both 2020 and 2021, and has been heralded as “redefining the sex essentials industry for modern consumers” by Forbes. By eschewing the traditional approach through quality, simplicity, and inclusivity, maude is setting new standards for sexual wellness and works closely with factories to create body-safe, accessible essentials for all. maude is backed by True Beauty Ventures, Fable Investments (under Natura&Co), True, RRE Ventures, CASSIUS Family, Endeavor, and angels including Benjamin Millepied and Dakota Johnson, amongst others. In 2022, we launched in Sephora, one of the first sexual wellness brands ever carried in the retailer’s 52-year history. In 2022, we announced partnerships with Advocates for Youth and SIECUS, organizations dedicated to sexual health access and education. This is modern intimacy.®
mid stageManufacturing
Investor
May 2021
Crown Affair is a haircare brand that empowers people to redefine their relationship with their hair through products, guidance, and community. Launched in January 2020, Crown Affair’s initial offering is a collection of four post-wash essentials: The Brush, The Comb, The Towel, and The Oil. These products form the foundation of any healthy haircare routine, and are designed to work together to enhance any texture, length, or style.
early stageManufacturing
Board Observer
Apr 2021
Feals is a modern wellness brand delivering thoughtful, cannabinoid-based supplements designed to keep your head clear and help you feel your best. Our mission is to provide a simple, healthy, better way to feel better.
Investor
Dec 2020
Kinship Skincare offers delightful solutions for sensitive skin, using science-backed, sensorial formulas. Our products feature bioactive ingredients, skin-soothing plant extracts, and uplifting botanical scents, along with our clinically proven pre-probiotic technology that supports the skin barrier. We believe sensitivity is a superpower, and a joyful skincare routine can uplift and empower you.
Board Member
Oct 2020
Hair like new, no matter what you put it through. K18Peptide™ is the breakthrough molecule haircare was waiting for. Clinically proven to reverse damage in just 4 minutes. A BREAKTHROUGH IN BIOSCIENCE K18Peptide™ was patented after a decade of scanning and testing the 1,242 decapeptides that cover the entire keratin proteome. Our miracle molecule carries amino acids into the cortex of hair to reconnect keratin chains and reconform disulfide bonds to bring damaged strands back to their original, youthful state. Soft, smooth, strong, bouncy hair that feels like new. K18 heals damage caused by: 1. Bleach + Color 2. Chemical Services 3. Heat 4. Mechanical Styling Just one salon treatment restores hair up to - 91% original strength* - 94% original elasticity* * Results observed in a clinical study while using mist and mask as part of a bleaching treatment. Results may vary depending on hair type, quality and history. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2015056216A2/en
early stageManufacturing
Board Member
Dec 2017
Founded in 1997, RéVive™ is a luxury skincare line developed by Dr. Gregory Bays Brown, a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. Each product has been scientifically formulated with Bio-Renewal Technology, inspired by patented and Nobel Prize Winning science used by Dr. Brown to heal burn victims. This technology is comprised of three key peptides and clinically proven to help reduce visible signs of aging and delivers fast results. With increased skin renewal and improved collagen and elastin, skin looks rejuvenated and revitalized and signs of aging are dramatically reduced. The appearance of wrinkles is minimized, skin density and elasticity are increased, collagen breakdown is slowed, and dark spots are lightened. Skin acts younger and looks soft, smooth, and glowing. RéVive can be found at reviveskincare.com, select specialty stores and luxury online retailers in the US and UK and other global markets such as Spain, Italy, China and more.
Board Member
Nov 2017
We do beauty differently at Lime Crime. As a cult-status, digital-first makeup and hair color brand, we’re here to unleash what makes you unique. Founded in 2008, our mission is to inject color and joy into the beauty category and encourage you to express yourself unapologetically, experiment with every color of the rainbow and escape from looking like everyone else. We’re known for creating colorful trends and innovations that have taken the industry by storm, from our famed Velvetines, one of the first liquid matte lipsticks, to our best-selling Venus palettes which started the reddish grunge rage, to our award-winning semi-permanent Unicorn Hair Dye. We design, manufacture and assemble our quality products right here in Los Angeles, using globally-sourced ingredients for high performance wear and high color pay-off. Certified vegan and cruelty-free, our makeup and all of its ingredients are never tested on animals. We champion you to NEVER BLEND IN, to explore your individuality and find your joy through color.
late stageRetail
Board Member
Aug 2016
ALGENIST was born from biotechnology, the innovative green science respecting nature, to uncover the limitless potential of algae. Alguronic Acid, ALGENIST’s patented and exclusive star ingredient is naturally sourced and sustainably produced and used in every single ALGENIST formula to boost the performance and benefits. Alguronic Acid is the fuel in the power of our performance. We promise to deliver only innovative and efficacious formulas that are vegan and safe for measured and visible skin transformation in 10 days – no compromise.
Experience · 26 entries
All (26)
Investments (22)
Founder (1)
Board (18)
2026
Investor
Mar 2026
Next-generation beauty by The Lipstick Lesbians. Formulas leaked from the lab, directly to you.
2025
Investor
Nov 2025
Norms is a modern self-care start-up on a mission to normalize the conversation and treatment of common yet highly stigmatized personal health conditions. We’re starting with hemorrhoids and will be moving from the butt to the gut (and beyond). Our shame-free selection of maximum-strength, FDA-compliant hemorrhoid relief products combine medical efficacy with modern brand clarity to replace shame and confusion with support and straightforward care. Founded by serial entrepreneur Joshua Katz and co-founder Carli Roth, with medical guidance from double board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Wendi LeBrett, Norms makes serious medicine, simple and the so-called ‘unmentionables” not just mentionable, but manageable. Available first on Amazon. Get the full Norms experience on www.getnorms.com and by following on Instagram & TikTok @getnorms
2024
Board Member
Jun 2024
Inspiring environments that awaken the spirit... The Maker pioneers a new concept in hospitality by doing the unconventional - leading as a lifestyle brand. Our approach is simple: first to inspire our guests. Through the immersion of The Maker’s signature bohemian sensibility that goes against standardization, we deliver the element of surprise. In every space, a story is told through the highly refined curation and collaboration with masterful makers. Where meticulous detail and considerate service provides an emotional escape. But more than a fleeting memory, our ultimate goal is to create a transcendent experience that lingers beyond our walls. One where The Maker can be brought home, not as a souvenir, but as a sustainable style that becomes part of your life. Our Story Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg are the co-founders of international beauty brand Fresh that started in Boston, MA in 1991. Lev and Alina were natural-born pioneers, leading effective natural ingredient formulations in beauty. Fresh grew from a small business to a leading global innovator that is today part of the LVMH portfolio. Lev and Alina turned their entrepreneurial and visionary prowess to hospitality with the opening of Bartlett House in 2016, with hospitality expert Damien Janowicz – an all-day kitchen, bakery, and cafe serving seasonal, local fare in Ghent, NY. Together they applied their unique sensibility and cohesive vision with the launch of The Maker beginning in 2018. Lev and Alina continue to build The Maker into a global innovative lifestyle and hospitality brand. Our Core Values We are driven by a determined creative mindset, where we do what we dream. We value collaboration, go deep below the surface to shape our art of living. Above else, we provide spaces with unparalleled comfort at no cost to the environment. We support social and economic growth in communities we call home. All are welcome at our address.
late stageHospitality
2023
Board Observer
Nov 2023
Skincare-makeup hybrids to help you consume less and live more. Less makeup. More you.
mid stageCosmetics
Board Observer
Oct 2023
At The 7 Virtues, we make perfumes that are good for the world, and good for your soul. We’re a socially and environmentally conscious brand that sustainably sources ingredients from around the world. Our aromatherapy scents are cruelty-free, hypoallergenic, and free of phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, and sulfates. Our hero perfumes are Vanilla Woods, Cherry Ambition, Amber Vanilla, Coconut Sun, Lotus Pear and Santal Vanille. Our aromatherapy perfumes are now available Exclusively in Sephora Canada, USA, EU, UK and AUS/NZ. In the summer of 2024, we opened our flag ship perfume atelier in the Queens Marque in Halifax where clients design and name their own bespoke perfume.
Show all 26 entries ↓
Investment activity
2012–2026 · 22 investments
201212013120152201612017220202202142022220234202412025120261
Recent (last 2 years)Earlier