A startup that sells water-resistant furniture covers has partnered with Heather and P.J. Fleck’s nonprofit Row The Boat.
Recently launched Wayzata-based LiLLE Cover Co. has created a co-branded product with Row The Boat to coincide with the Minnesota Gophers spring football kickoff April 22. The collaboration comes after Minneapolis-based e-commerce company Artisan Venture Lab (AVL) announced it had invested in LiLLE, whose product can also be used as a "stadium blanket," LiLLE CEO and founder Hilary Le Bon said in an interview.
Founded two years ago, LiLLE Cover Co. has since been conducting product development and launched publicly late last month. The company sells furniture covers that are machine washable and have removable corner weights, as well as pillow cover sets.
Le Bon came up with the idea after she bought outdoor furniture with white cushions that were soiled one day by a couple of birds. She sought out a fashionable cover for her furniture but couldn’t find one – so she made them.
Row The Boat (RTB) feels "fortunate" to partner with AVL and connect with LiLLE, Heather Fleck said in an emailed statement. “LiLLE seemed like a great fit within our portfolio. We are always looking for innovative collabs to generate revenue for UMMCH or the Ronald McDonald House."
All of RTB's proceeds from the LiLLE collaboration will be donated back to M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital or the Ronald McDonald House, AVL says.
Le Bon agreed that RTB was a good fit with “P.J. and Heather's optimism and energy and dedication to the community,” she said.
The company launched with the help of Steve Morem of the Morem Group, and AVL, which has helped LiLLE with product feedback, building the e-commerce site and facilitating strategic partnerships, like Row The Boat. AVL had previously helped launch Row The Boat’s website, and has invested capital and resources into LiLLE, according to AVL Co-founder and President Kevin Zinniel.
AVL is working to facilitate other potential collaborations for LiLLE, Zinniel said.
