Vuori gets financing to move outside the U.S.

To help finance its international expansion, SoftBank has made an investment of $400 million in Vuori, a six-year-old activewear brand from Southern California, giving it a valuation of nearly $4 billion. The premium sports apparel brand plans to move outside the U.S. next year by launching omnichannel operations in key markets in Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It will also open an innovation center in Taiwan. In addition to its website, Vuori has ten physical stores in the U.S. Their number is set to grow to 100 in the next five years. Meanwhile, the company will continue to pursue its sustainability efforts, with a goal of offsetting its carbon footprint and eliminating 80 percent of the plastics it uses across the supply chain by 2022. Founded and run by Joe Kudla, Vuori already got a major investment in 2019 from Norwest Venture Partners.