LEESBURG, Va., July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SWaN & Legend Venture Partners (SWaN), a multi-stage venture capital firm that invests in high-growth, high-quality organizations, has recognized CAVA Group (NYSE: CAVA) CEO Brett Schulman and his partners with its prestigious “Legendary SWaN” Award for leading the category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand through one of the most successful consumer IPOs in a decade. As of July 15, 2024, CAVA’s market cap is more than $9 billion.
Schulman accepted the award on behalf of CAVA and his co-founders and partners, Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ron Shaich, chairman of the board.
He also acknowledged the support and advisement that CAVA has received from SWaN over the past few years. CAVA, a trailblazer in the Mediterranean restaurant sector, opened its original full-service restaurant in 2006 and its first CAVA fast-casual restaurant in 2011, offering patrons the opportunity to build customized bowls, pitas, and salads. As of June 2024, CAVA boasts an impressive 337 restaurants in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
At SWaN’s most recent Annual Partner’s meeting, Fred Schaufeld, co-founder and managing director of SWaN, presented the award to Schulman and discussed the IPO, the company’s strong performance, its decision to acquire Zoes Kitchens, and more with him.
David Strasser, managing director of SWaN and long-term CAVA board member, lauded the company.
“The Legendary SWaN Award is exclusive to businesses, such as CAVA, that bring industry-disrupting ideas to the market,” Strasser said. “Like our previous legendary winners, CAVA created a new category, this time in fast casual, defining the next large-scale cultural cuisine, Mediterranean.”
CAVA built a loyal customer base by positioning itself as a healthy alternative to fast food and now has two manufacturing facilities that produce tzaziki, harissa, salad dressing and crazy feta for its restaurants and for sale through select grocery chains.
“We are honored to be recognized by SWaN & Legend. Fred and other SWaN leaders and senior advisers, including David Bosserman, who currently serves on the CAVA Group Board of Directors, have played an integral role in our success,” Schulman said. “He, along with Fred, Tony [Nader], and David Strasser, has brought incredible levels of business acumen and experience to the table. We have greatly benefited from the coaching over the years.”
There have been three previous Legendary SWaN Award honorees: Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND Healthy Snacks; Marc Katz, founder of Custom Ink; and Jay Tapper, co-founder of DuraStat and La Lumiere LLC.
About SWaN & Legend Venture Partners
Based in Leesburg, Virginia, with an office in New York City, SWaN & Legend is a multi-stage venture capital firm that invests in high-growth, high-quality organizations and the exceptional management teams behind them. The company was founded in 2006 by Fred Schaufeld, Cliff White, and Tony Nader and was initially known as SWaN Investors. Today, Schaufeld and Nader are among three managing directors of SWaN & Legend, which has invested in numerous companies, including CAVA, Anonymous Content, Sugar23, Custom Ink, CaaStle, KIND Healthy Snacks, MusiCapital, Optoro, Mindshow, José Andrés Group, Class Technologies, UrbanStems, Pinterest, Airbnb and Square.
SOURCE SWaN & Legend
