How Octillion Capital Partners Is Building an Inclusive Empire of Sustainable E-Commerce Brands

A New Model in E-Commerce: Octillion Capital Partners Redefines Brand Acquisition

The world of e-commerce has seen an explosion in acquisition entrepreneurship over the past few years. Funds, aggregators, and roll-ups are all searching for established online brands with loyal customers and strong margins. But for Ayo Disu, co-founder of Octillion Capital Partners, opportunity isn't just about acquiring attractive business metrics. It's about building a platform that values sustainability and inclusivity at its core, and in the process, provides economic advancement for underrepresented founders and communities.

The Opportunity: Generational Wealth Transfer & Acquisition Entrepreneurship

There’s a historic $30 trillion wealth transfer happening across the US and Europe as baby boomers entrust their assets to younger generations. For new acquisition entrepreneurs, this isn’t just a number, it’s a pipeline of profitable, proven businesses ripe for new leadership. Ayo sees this as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity: established SMEs have customers, profits, and systems that, with the right fresh perspective, can flourish. Many owners lack resources or desire for next-level growth. Octillion steps in here, ready to drive performance while honoring the original brand mission.

Why Mission Matters: Preserving and Building on Founders’ Legacies

Acquiring a brand isn’t just a transaction. For Octillion, buying into a founder’s original mission is essential. “If we understand and buy into what the founder was looking to achieve when they started, it makes us very excited, and we’ll work to preserve their legacy while still innovating, ” Ayo explains. Maintaining the soul behind a business ensures continued brand trust with established customer communities.

Inclusion and Sustainability: Not Just Buzzwords, But Growth Drivers

Octillion’s thesis isn’t rooted purely in spreadsheets. Their acquisitions are designed around cultural shifts in consumer behavior and spending. Minority consumers in the US already spend $1 billion annually on health and beauty; in the UK, minority groups spend 25% more than average, jumping to 41% extra in the US. Yet, close to half of Black female shoppers still find it tough to find cosmetics and skincare fit for them. The gap, Ayo argues, is a lack of real inclusivity. That’s money left on the table, especially as the buying power and expectations of minorities keeps rising. Octillion’s approach isn’t to just find inclusive brands, but to strengthen these values after acquisition, opening brands up to wider, multicultural markets.

Sustainability’s also part of this equation. With 1 in 3 shoppers leaving brands over ethical concerns and a massive 600% rise in interest in sustainable shopping since 2020, the pressure is real. Octillion seeks out brands that are beginning this journey, or, at the very least, are ready to map out an honest plan for environmental responsibility. For consumers now, a brand’s ethics are at least as valuable as the product in their hands.

Standing Apart from Amazon Aggregators

Octillion is frequently compared to Amazon aggregators, but Ayo draws a thick line. “We’re channel-agnostic, focus only on specific verticals, health, beauty, food, beverage, and aim for a maximum of 20-30 acquisitions in ten years. We’re not after scale for its own sake.” The company builds operational expertise in one domain before moving to another, ensuring each brand can be truly culture-defining. Unlike aggregators driven by volume and platform dependency, Octillion is about true omni-channel growth, owning the relationship with customers wherever they are.

What Makes a Brand Worth Buying?

For anyone considering building their business for exit, Octillion’s criteria shed light on what makes a deal work:

• High net margins, 15% and up. The brand must control costs or charge a premium.
• Clear moat, a strong niche/community focus or unique product joy.
• Engaged community, repeat customers who are there for more than just the products.
• Profitable, with $250K+ in annual net profit or seller’s discretionary earnings.
• Track record, operating for at least 2 years (3+ is best) for data-driven improvement.
• Lean catalog, less than 40 SKUs keeps things manageable and focused.
• High retention, low dependence on customer acquisition drives.
• Positive, ethical approach, some evidence of sustainability already in place.
• Founder alignment, Ayo values cooperative, responsible, values-driven partners.

Vertical tailwinds matter too, the brand’s sector should have industry-wide momentum. Octillion sees most potential in brands that serve multicultural or overlooked segments with clear, consistent value. If a sector is out of fashion, your job as a founder is a lot harder.

Portfolio Highlights: Real-World Results

Though they’re tight-lipped about specifics for confidentiality, Ayo says Octillion has evaluated a dry foods brand making around $6 million a year at 22% net margin, with just a tiny team. Another minority-owned beauty/hair brand hit $10 million in four years, propelled by a loyal community, though poor financial management blocked stronger profits. The lesson? Scale and community are great, but margin discipline and operational basics remain critical.

The Path Forward: Building an Ecosystem of Liberated Minority Founders

For Ayo and his co-founder, Octillion isn’t just about assembled brands and profit. The ultimate mission is more ambitious: liberating minority commerce founders, arming them with capital and know-how to drive change in their own communities. By creating culture-defining brands, Octillion hopes to spark a virtuous cycle, economic growth, local impact, and a new generation of entrepreneurs who see inclusive, sustainable business as the only option, not the exception.

What Can Entrepreneurs Take From Octillion’s Model?

For founders, there are clear takeaways:

• Modern consumers crave identity, ethics, and shared values, not just transactions.
• Diversity and inclusion must be lived in product development, marketing, and hiring.
• Operational discipline, solid margins, focus, and positive cash flow, will always draw investor interest.
• Mission matters, stand for something, and build your brand community around it.
• If you want to sell your business, prepare your numbers, keep your SKUs focused, and keep loyal customers coming back.

Octillion’s journey shows there’s real upside, and lasting impact, in doing things differently, scaling with integrity, putting culture at the heart, and never ignoring the bottom line.