The Duchess of Sussex was seen in Montecito last week! I mean, big surprise, Meghan lives in Montecito. The general lack of photos of Meghan around town always pleases me though – she’s probably only been pap’d in Montecito about a dozen times in three years, which means that she really can fly under the radar and go about her business without the British media constantly stalking her. The only reason why we know that Meghan was out and about last Thursday is because a Sussex Squader put the pieces together. Meghan stopped by an event hosted by Greycroft, a venture capital firm. It was like a business conference at a ritzy hotel (the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel).
Working 9-5! The Duchess of Sussex was spotted networking on Thursday May 2 in her hometown of Montecito, California. With her hair loose and in her uniform of a shirt in neutral tones, Meghan sat front row at the event hosted by Greycroft, “a seed-to-growth venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs who are striving to build category-defining companies across intelligent consumer and enterprise applications, AI infrastructure, sustainability, and consumer products”. They have partnered with businesses including Bumble and Axios.
Held at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel in Montecito, the event saw a speech by Brian Bustamante-Nicholson, a growth investor, who shared that everyone in the audience had been invited because “we want to work with you as investors and entrepreneurs, and we can’t wait to build with you all”.
Meghan’s appearance does not come as a surprise, as she has been forging her own path as a businesswoman since her and husband Prince Harry left the British royal family in 2021. Meghan has also invested in two small women-owned companies, coffee brand Clevr and financial services company Ethic. Clevr began as a “pop-up adaptogenic coffee bar” and its plant-based drinks contain many natural benefits. The brand is also socially conscious, relying on ethical and transparent supply chains, while also donating parts of their revenue towards “equitable food systems”.
Did Meghan attend the conference for advice or was this some kind of strategic move and she has some kind of connection to Greycroft which will be revealed at a later date? Neither option would surprise me. We’re generally assuming that Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard will be launched in the next month or so, and I imagine there will be a lot of “process stories” about who invested what and where things were made, etc.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen at the One Year to Go Event, a significant milestone leading up to the Invictus Games. These games are an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, which bring together wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans to compete in various sports. The event serves as a celebration of the strength and resilience of these individuals, providing a platform for them to showcase their abilities and inspire others. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen at the One Year to Go Event, a significant milestone leading up to the Invictus Games. These games are an international adaptive multi-sport event, created by Prince Harry, which bring together wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and veterans to compete in various sports. The event serves as a celebration of the strength and resilience of these individuals, providing a platform for them to showcase their abilities and inspire others. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Whistler, CANADA – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, were seen engaging with attendees on the second day of the ‘One Year to Go’ event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, held at Mountain Square in Whistler, Canada. The royal couple’s visit highlighted their continued support for the Invictus Games and its participants. Pictured: Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 15 FEBRUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the IG25 and Team Canada Reception at the Hilton Hotel during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Dusseldorf, Germany When: 15 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the IG25 and Team Canada Reception at the Hilton Hotel during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Dusseldorf, Germany When: 15 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the IG25 and Team Canada Reception at the Hilton Hotel during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Dusseldorf, Germany When: 15 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the IG25 and Team Canada Reception at the Hilton Hotel during the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Featuring: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex Where: Dusseldorf, Germany When: 15 Sep 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attending the One Year to Go Event before the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 at Mountain Square Featuring: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Where: Whistler, Canada When: 14 Feb 2024 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Get that funding, Duchess! 💵
Seriously though, I just assumed the VC firm is an investor in one (or multiple) projects so she was invited for that purpose.
Can’t wait for ARO to go live. Maybe next week, after Harry’s IG anniversary events and the trip to Nigeria? 🤞🏽
I thought it was company they’re involved with. She’s obviously not hawking herself 🤣🤣 she’s like triple A plus. But I thought this was a company they both had a relationship with biz wise
Yes, Greycroft invests in start-ups. ARO is a start-up. The connection seems pretty obvious.
“a seed-to-growth venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs who are striving to build category-defining companies across intelligent consumer and enterprise applications, AI infrastructure, sustainability, and consumer products?..”
— HAHAH I love business-nonsense-speak.
“Meghan’s appearance does not come as a surprise, as she has been forging her own path as a businesswoman since her (sic) and husband Prince Harry left the British royal family in 2021.”
— Can Hello no longer afford editors?
OMG thank you. That made my teeth itch. “her and husband…” mumble grumble snort.
🎯
Meghan taking care of business, and getting on with her life, while the trolls and the BM are scrapping the bottom on the barrel.
I do like that they can live their lives with some privacy. I don’t know the first thing about this investment group but I am looking forward to any and all of Meghans projects and products.
I love this for Meg. She just keeps on working toward her goals and gets things done all on her own.
Why is coffee being called plant based here? That’s like saying a lettuce farm is plant based. Completely redundant. Am I missing something?
Maybe because the milk etc in the mixes are plant based? At least Hello got that right. The rest of it was a word salad in my eyes.
Love that Meghan can live her life without the rota constantly around.
Love Meghan being out and living her life in montecito. They really picked a beautiful place to live.
I must thank Meghan for introducing me to Carley Fortune. I hadn’t read any of her books, but the news last year about making “Meet Me at the Lake” prompted me to read it, which then prompted me to read Fortune’s prior book “Every Summer After”, which immediately became my favorite book I read last year and is now one of my all time favorites. I just received my copy of her newest release “This Summer Will Be Different” yesterday in the mail just yesterday, and I can’t wait to read it. I cannot wait to see Archewell bring MMATL to life!
It was probably a paid speaking engagement. She probably can ask for top dollar to speak at these events. She’s working.
From the photo that was posted, Meghan looked like she was just in the audience. That’s ok she doesn’t always have to be working,
Meghan was a businesswoman before she met Harry. She’s just going back to what she used to do before she was made to give up everything by the Royal Family.
I love this for her and her family. She has however alway been a business woman who entered that family as a self made millionaire. She has always had her head on her shoulders and likely was making moves like this even prior to Harry.
Montecito has eye-wateringly strict rules that keep it as private and secure as possible without it feeling like you are living in a gilded cage. The paps know not to even bother, because their job isn’t worth the hellfire that would rain down on them if they got caught snapping away.
Petal, which only makes the paps and bm angry. I’m happy about that.
Go, Meghan!