El Cristiano was founded with a simple mission: to create the most delicious, sustainable, and additive free tequila in the world. The name symbolizes our reverence and love for Mexico. It is also our commitment to sustainable harvesting of agave, sustainable wages, and traditional processes to make additive free tequila.
Kali Mata focuses on investing in and operating consumer focused health and wellness businesses. In a rapidly changing and confusing world consumers are increasingly seeking personalized and alternative solutions to ensure their fitness, health, and balance so they can deliver peak performance at work and enjoy happy and satisfying interpersonal relationships. Kali Mata is the family office of two Indian immigrant brothers, Nitin and Karan Khanna.
Investment Thesis
Kali Mata’s core investment thesis is that:
- We believe that physical, mental, and emotional health are the key drivers to a fulfilling and happy life.
- We believe that consumers are seeking personalized solutions to their health needs. And these solutions are increasingly alternative solutions and are being sought outside the traditional industrial healthcare ecosystem.
- We believe consumers are integrating these solutions into their daily, weekly, and monthly habits. Self care solutions like working out, yoga, mediation, sound baths, cryo chambers, and so on are exploding as consumers take control of their own health and happiness.
- We believe that the personalized and alternative therapies that consumers are seeking are going to drive massive change at the political and corporate level. Just a decade ago it would have been unimaginable that medical marijuana is legal in 36 states, ketamine clinics can be found in almost any city, and that publicly traded psilocybin companies have raised several billion dollars in just the first few months of 2021.
- We believe that traditional pharmaceuticals are less effective and more dangerous than so called “illegal drugs”. We encourage the ongoing research into the effectiveness for anxiety, depression, PTSD, sleep, and pain of drugs like cannabis, CBD, MDMA, psilocybin, Ketamine, and LSD and we decry the efforts of the FDA, the federal government, and Big Pharma to restrict this research and demonize these alternative therapies.
- We believe that rapid and relentless technological innovation is giving rise to increasing social isolation and dysfunction. We are literally the loneliest generation in the history of the world and that has an impact on our health and happiness. Any consumer products or services that promote social interactions, get together, and friendships are a key antidote to this technology driven isolation and they have our support.
- We believe in having significant operational and financial control in the companies we invest in.
Portfolio
Artha
artha.la is a sanctuary rooted in using innovative and modern health and wellness therapies and treatments such as infrared saunas, cryotherapy, float tanks, yoga, sound bath, and massage. Artha is based in LA with locations in Wesr Hollywood and Studio City with a west side location coming in 2024. After that the plan is to aggressively expand Artha through a franchise model.
Comfort Food Group
Comfort Food Group is a restaurant management company with a portfolio of nine Oregon fast food and fast causal restaurants across two concepts. We focus on creating an elevated experience for serving comfort and fast food made fresh with local high quality ingredients . These concepts include Super Deluxe Burgers, and Boxer Ramen + Bento.
Exits
Saber Software
Saber Software was the leading stand alone government software company in the US when it was sold to EDS for $473MM in 2008. Best known for its elections software (currently in use by over 20 States), Saber also provided software for Unemployment Insurance, Child Support Systems, Public Retirement Systems, and for the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Mergertech
Mergertech is a leading sell side mobile tech M&A firm. After leading it to the top of the league tables for the most transactions completed in the mobile tech space, Nitin and Karan sold the firm to its bankers in 2014.
Saber Fitness
Saber Fitness is a franchisee of Planet Fitness gyms in the Southern and Northern California. With 25 opened gyms, and 24 more on the way, Saber Fitness is the largest privately held (neither owned by the corporate parent or by Private Equity) Planet Fitness franchise in the country.
Cura Cannabis Solutions
Cura was the largest cannabis company in the world by revenue from 2016-2018 and was sold to Curaleaf in 2019 for $950MM making it the largest M&A cannabis transaction in history as of that date.
Social CBD
Social CBD was created by the founders of Cura and is currently a top 5 leading CBD brand in the country. Social CBD was acquired by Kadenwood for an undisclosed amount in June 2021. Social CBD has the unique distinction of being a unicorn on the day it was founded; its seed money was raised at a $1.45BB valuation.
