RSJ is raising a Crowd SAFE at a $10 million valuation with a 20% discount. The discount offered is attractive for investors and contributes positively to RSJ’s price score. The valuation is also somewhat in line with similar startups that are currently raising capital. However, the revenue-to-valuation multiple is not in the company’s favor, as RSJ has seen very limited revenue so far. Altogether, RSJ’s price score is above average without being particularly strong.

The global color cosmetics market was valued at $57.2 billion in 2018 and expected to grow steadily due to women’s increased participation in the workforce and their growing purchasing power. RSJ products appeal to this broader market and are also technically part of the clean beauty segment, which is a $5 billion subset of the overall cosmetics market. 

However, it’s too soon to tell how exactly RSJ will play within the broader cosmetics market. While RSJ products are non-toxic and vegan, the company doesn’t appear to be leaning too much into the prototypical “clean beauty” space. RSJ products also don’t seem to fall neatly into the premium cosmetics segments or the less-expensive drug store segment. RSJ’s pitch to consumers is still quite undefined within a total market that is decent-sized but not gigantic. Therefore, the company’s market rating is low.

RSJ was founded by Shalini Vadhera, a serial entrepreneur, thought leader, and beauty expert with more than 20 years of experience as a makeup artist and cosmetics spokesperson. Vadhedra has spent her career developing various initiatives related to beauty and women’s empowerment. Her experience includes writing a book uncovering beauty secrets from around the globe, two subscription box companies, a brand consultancy, networking group, and women’s empowerment foundation. Vadhera has more than 90,000 followers on Instagram and has built a strong following at the intersection of beauty and social good. 

Thus, RSJ seems to be set up for success in reaching an audience of beauty consumers, forging international beauty partnerships, and achieving its target impact among global populations of women. RSJ’s team score is above average due to Vadhera’s extensive background in this field.

On the basis of its products alone, RSJ does not appear to be very well-differentiated from scores of competitors in the cosmetics industry. Virtually every cosmetics brand offers some products that are physically small and are meant for efficient application. In addition, there are many brands that ban toxic ingredients and offer vegan foundations, blushes, etc. RSJ’s “beauty batons” offer some customization options, but even that value proposition isn’t particularly unique in the industry. 

Of course, RSJ’s mission to empower underserved women across the world is a strong differentiator between it and other beauty brands. However, that mission isn’t abundantly clear in RSJ’s marketing materials at this point and won’t necessarily help the company generate revenue. Consequently, RSJ’s differentiation score is low. 

RSJ launched to the public in December 2020, and the company is conducting its raise under expedited COVID-19 regulations, so there isn’t a great deal of performance data available. One of the only relevant data points to note is that RSJ reportedly generated $40,000 in revenue over the last three or four months. That’s not a bad launch for a new beauty brand, though it’s not explosive, either. There are strong signals that RSJ might perform well in the future, with at least one major retail deal secured and the company’s significant press opportunities through its founder’s credentials. Thus, Ready Set Jet’s performance score is moderate. 

The main reason to be concerned in assessing RSJ’s potential is the lack of history and performance data to evaluate. The company only launched in December 2020, and it’s simply too soon to say whether it has achieved product-market fit or whether its unique business model (including a digital content academy) is viable. RSJ doesn’t seem to have a particularly clear focus on the beauty-versus-empowerment arms of its mission. In addition, the company’s products don’t seem very differentiated from those of competitors, and a $10 million valuation seems a bit steep at this stage. RSJ’s lack of operating history combined with these headwinds might cause prospective investors some concern.

RSJ has an admirable mission of using beauty as the common ground upon which to unite women from around the world. RSJ’s founder has deep experience doing just that as an influencer, award-winning philanthropist, author, entrepreneur, and makeup artist. It’s widely known that companies started by those with large followings have a higher chance of success, given that they have to work much less hard to gain an initial audience of loyal customers. RSJ’s initial launch also generated $40,000 in sales. While that number isn’t enormous, it reflects a solid level of interest from consumers that might well grow over time. While investors are really backing an idea — not a proven track record — at this stage of RSJ’s development, there is good reason to believe that RSJ has the potential to scale and do meaningful good along the way. 

Ready Set Jet is a cosmetics brand selling convenient, clean beauty products that help empower underprivileged women around the world. Ready Set Jet only launched in December 2020, but it has already generated $40,000 in revenue. This early traction is likely due to its founder’s significant social media following and presence in the beauty and women’s empowerment space. 

On the other hand, Ready Set Jet’s $10 million valuation is somewhat steep given the company’s current level of revenue, and it’s too soon to tell whether this blended beauty and social good business model can win out in the market. Ready Set Jet’s current product line isn’t very well differentiated, so there’s some risk that the company can’t generate the revenue it needs to achieve its social mission or create returns for investors. Therefore, Ready Set Jet has been rated a Neutral Deal. 

For questions regarding the KingsCrowd staff pick or ratings for this company, please reach out to support@kingscrowd.com.