Omaha, Nebraska – September 20, 2021 – Peeq Industries announced today that it has closed a $535,000 seed investment round.
The company was formed by two optometrists, Cheryl Chapman and Chris Wolfe, who were researching better treatments for blepharitis. They partnered with Chapman and Company, an Omaha-based consulting organization, that provided research around their initial problem statement. The team discovered that generally eyelid hygiene was woefully inadequate. New tools and cleansers were necessary.
Peeq Industries is not a healthcare company despite its origin. Instead it is a company that specializes on cosmetic and skincare around the eyes, specifically the eyelids. “We were surprised by our initial findings regarding individual hygiene around the eyes,” said Tom Chapman, CEO of Peeq Industries. “In our focus groups and interviews, women were generally satisfied but neutral on current offerings. But, we thought that there was an opportunity to delight.”
The capital round was provided by angel investors, including the Nebraska Angels and Nelnet. In addition, Invest Nebraska played a key role in raising the capital for this round. “We were super excited to work with Tom and his team,” said Ben Williamson of Invest Nebraska. “It is a little different than what we normally see, but we believe in the problem and think Peeq is really on to something special.”
The round will be used to help finalize and test the cleanser, “Puck”, and initial offerings. The hope is to have products for sale on the web site by the middle of November, with a subscription box in early spring 2022.
“Rarely do you find more interest and excitement as you do customer interviews. But our focus groups and early users have been very excited about the product,” said Chapman. To find out more about the company, check out its website at https://getpeeq.com.