# Mars

> Mars is a VC fund in Mclean backing Education and Nutrition. See 10 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Mclean, United States
- Total investments: 10
- Last investment: Mar 2022
- Lead investor: 60%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/mars
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/marsglobal
- Website: http://www.mars.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mars

Mars is a manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products.In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932,Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of a “mutuality of benefits” for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today.Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Mars. Shizune tracks 8 team members at Mars. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/mars?utm_source=investor_profile

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $950k–$1.7M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Education | 2 | 20% |
| Nutrition | 2 | 20% |
| E-Commerce | 2 | 20% |
| Universities | 2 | 20% |
| Biotechnology | 2 | 20% |

18 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grant | 4 | 40% |
| Seed | 3 | 30% |
| Series B | 1 | 10% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 10% |
| Corporate Round | 1 | 10% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 6 | 60% |
| Canada | 1 | 10% |
| Mexico | 1 | 10% |
| Nicaragua | 1 | 10% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Andy Pharoah | Vice- President Corporate Affairs, Strategic Initiatives and Sustainability | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/andy-pharoah |
| Berta de Pablos- Barbier | President Mars Wrigley Confectionery US | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/berta-de-pablos-barbier |
| Bobby Chacko | Regional President and GM Mars Drinks North America | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bobby-chacko |
| Claus Aagaard | CFO | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/claus-aagaard |
| Eric Minvielle | Global Vice President, People & Organization | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/eric-minvielle |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hydraverse | Hydraverse is a metaverse dragon fighting game developer, focusing on the development of a PVP dragon fighting game software. | $1.7M | Seed | Mar 06, 2022 |  |
| Henderson State University | Henderson State University is proud to be one of Arkansas’ most prestigious public universities. Located in the beautiful but small town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University offers superb educational facilities and a scholarly faculty to contribute to the academic pursuits of its students.Offering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees,Henderson State University is proud to attract students from all over the country. Bachelor’s degrees can be earned in many of the traditional concentrations, such as Communications, Political Science, Sociology, Business, the arts, the sciences, and much more.The Henderson State University master’s program has a shorter list to offer, which includes various concentrations in education, clinical mental health counseling, and business.Henderson State University’s number one priority is student success, which is why support services are so popular among students. Students are encouraged to take advantage of academic workshops, tutoring opportunities, academic advising, career counseling and preparation, and much more.Though Henderson State University is proud of its academic excellence, student life is an important aspect of the overall college experience. Students can get involved in student organizations, take advantage of the recreation center, explore student housing, take part in intramural sports, and try out for competitive sports.Henderson State University can offer the whole package, academic excellence, a vibrant student life, and a support staff to help you succeed. |  | Grant | Feb 24, 2022 |  |
| University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth | University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth boasts challenging academics, particularly in the fields of Engineering, Law, Marine Science and Portuguese studies among others.One of the largest and most comprehensive Portuguese studies programs in the United States, this particular department offers specialized emphases in Portuguese Language andLiterature and a doctorate in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory. The department also puts out its own publication and hosts conferences featuring scholars from around the globe.Since UMass Dartmouth’s Visual and Performing Arts Department is also one of its most respected, the campus abounds with theatre performance opportunities as well as student art galleries.Additionally, UMass has Business and Liberal Arts divisions as well as a division for the study of Education, Public Policy and Civic Engagement. Graduate programs are also available in a number of departments.Since UMass Dartmouth houses numerous research centers and institutes where scholarly conferences are held, the level of scholarship on campus is inspiring and stimulating.An application, transcripts, a personal essay and SAT scores are some of the materials prospective undergraduates will need to submit to admissions for consideration.Students who need assistance with paying tuition may apply for financial aid. |  | Grant | Feb 24, 2022 |  |
| We Make History | We Make History is devoted to creative and inspirational education, bringing history and the arts to life in the context of positive, interactive, family-friendly environments. |  | Grant | Feb 24, 2022 |  |
| New-york Historical Society | New-york Historical Society is an American history museum and library. |  | Grant | Feb 24, 2022 |  |
| Oliver Pets | Oliver Pets is an all-in-one pet care platform that makes pet parenting simpler and smarter. Our App integrates all pet goods and services involved with the pet care. Pet food delivered within 3 hours, convenient pet insurance, online vets and more with an incredible experience. | $950K | Seed | Feb 08, 2021 |  |
| KIND Snacks | From the healthy foods we make to our commitment to social impact, KIND focuses on making the world a little kinder, one snack and one kind act at a time. |  | Corporate Round | Nov 29, 2017 |  |
| Smooth Commerce | Smooth Commerce is a fully-integrated technology platform designed to deepen the connection between retail merchants and their customers.Build best-in-class branded native mobile apps for merchants that activate their customer through mobile payment, order ahead, loyalty rewards, offers and promotions customized to be most relevant to the user. |  | Seed | May 01, 2016 |  |
| Heliae | Heliae is a platform technology company that uses sunlight and low-cost carbon feedstocks to produce high-value products from algae. Based in Gilbert, Ariz., Heliae is leveraging its core production technology into four target markets: nutrition, therapeutics, health & beauty and agrosciences. With a seasoned management team and world-classscience, Heliae is advancing the future of the algae industry by delivering novel algae-based products to dynamic markets around the world. | $80M |  | Sep 03, 2013 |  |
| Vanson HaloSource | In the spring of 2002, Vanson, Inc. and HaloSource Corp. merged to form Vanson HaloSource, Inc. in order to expand opportunities for product commercialization by capitalizing on manufacturing facilities, distribution channels and intellectual property. Vanson’s cGMP certified manufacturing facility, located in Western Washington accommodates theproduction of most of Vanson HaloSource's products. The management team and a talented pool of chemists, biochemists and microbiologists are working together to create and expand the Company’s broad spectrum of applications. Today the Company holds dozens of patents and patents pending on a broad range of products that are distributed to the pool and spa, wastewater treatment, and biomedical industries. The Company has a substantial pipeline of proprietary new products in research and development, and a growing number of strategic alliances with prestigious companies to manufacture and market value-added chitin/chitosan-based and antimicrobial products. | $5M | Series B | Mar 17, 2005 |  |

10 of 10 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [American Heritage Chocolate](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/american-heritage-chocolate) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [Alexander Hutton Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alexander-hutton-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Almora Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/almora-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [AlphaCrypto Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alphacrypto-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Alpha Moon Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alpha-moon-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Astronaut](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/astronaut) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar industry
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [Right Side Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/right-side-capital-management) — VC Fund

### Similar stage
- [Scottish Enterprise](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/scottish-enterprise) — VC Fund
- [Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT)](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/foundation-pour-l-innovation-technologique) — VC Fund
- [Business Finland](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/tekes) — VC Fund

### Similar country
- [Nazca Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/nazca-ventures-3) — VC Fund
- [Hi Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/venture-partners-2) — VC Fund
- [The Ark Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-arkfund) — VC Fund

## Featured in investor lists
- [All Investors in Nicaragua](https://shizune.co/investors/investors-nicaragua)
- [Mobile VC Funds in Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/mobile-vc-funds-mexico)
- [Artificial intelligence Investors in Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/artificial-intelligence-investors-mexico)
- [Artificial intelligence VC Funds in Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/artificial-intelligence-vc-funds-mexico)
- [Community Investors in Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/community-investors-mexico)
- [Community VC Funds in Mexico](https://shizune.co/investors/community-vc-funds-mexico)

## FAQ

### What does Mars invest in?

Mars invests primarily in Education, Nutrition and E-Commerce startups, most often at Grant and Seed stage. Most of the 10 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Mars's check size?

Mars typically joins rounds of $950k–$1.7M at Seed. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Mars participates in.

### How do I contact Mars?

Public channels for Mars include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Mars?

The team at Mars includes Andy Pharoah (Vice- President Corporate Affairs, Strategic Initiatives and Sustainability), Berta de Pablos- Barbier (President Mars Wrigley Confectionery US) and Bobby Chacko (Regional President and GM Mars Drinks North America), among 8 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

# About Shizune
Shizune.co is an investor database. Core features:
- 48,091 startup investors (angels, VCs, accelerators, and others)
- Email, phone, LinkedIn (for intros), socials, and other contact data
- Updated daily from public funding news
- CSV and Excel export

The User can access the full database FOR FREE after signing up: shizune.co