Museum of Ice Cream, New York, closed a $40 million Series A seed round led by Elizabeth Street Ventures, New York; Maywic Select Investment, Cincinnati; and OCV Partners, Los Angeles, and then launched Figure8 , an experience-first development company.
“We created Figure8 to chart the future of how Millenials and Gen Z will want to spend their time. Over the past 3 years building Museum of Ice Cream, we have learned so much from our guests and gained endless insight. Globalization and technology have made the world smaller, yet people are more lonely than ever,” says Maryellis Bunn, co-founder. “I want to inspire people around the world with what I call ‘experiums,’ emotional and transformative moments and spaces for people to reconnect with themselves and those around them.”
“Museum of Ice Cream receives an overwhelming amount of requests from companies asking us to design branded experiums for them,” says Manish Vora, co-founder of Figure8. “Now we can answer this need and more. Figure8 will expand internationally, rolling out a new Museum of Ice Cream location each quarter while also launching new Figure8 brands and working on commissioned special projects. ”
“Figure8 and Museum of Ice Cream are built on core tenets of imagination, connection and creativity,” adds Will McClelland, co-founder of Elizabeth Street Ventures and member of the board of directors for Figure8. “These are things that are part of a shared human experience and so important to how we live and improve our daily lives. Elizabeth Street is incredibly excited to support this endeavor and bring memorable experiences to people around the world.”
“Museum of Ice Cream has redefined the expectations and influence of experiences with explosive growth,” says Frederic Mayerson, chairman and managing partner of Maywic Select Investments. “Figure8’s team has a unique ability to tap into the mindset of today’s customers, and will continue to revolutionize the industry it has helped create.”
Figure8 employs 35 people at its New York City headquarters. And, Andrew Lumsden joined as senior vice president of operations, while Peter Sun joined as vice president, brand and marketing.
