Business
Affiliates of CriticalPoint Acquire Pura Vida Bracelets from Vera Bradley, Inc.
Ryan Heuser, Co-Founder and Former President of Paul Frank Industries, Is Pura Vida's New CEO LOS ANGELES, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Affiliates of
About this update from Vera Bradley, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Ryan Heuser, Co-Founder and Former President of Paul Frank Industries, Is Pura Vida's New CEO \nLOS ANGELES, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Affiliates of CriticalPoint announced today the acquisition of consumer wearables brand Pura Vida© Bracelets (\"Pura Vida\") from Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRA). Under CriticalPoint's ownership and operational expertise, Ryan Heuser, co-founder and former president of Paul Frank Industries (\"Paul Frank\"), has joined Pura Vida as the company's new chief executive officer, effective immediately. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nFounded in 2010 in La Jolla, Calif., Pura Vida began as a digitally native jewelry and lifestyle accessories brand, selling hand-crafted bracelets and jewelry made by artisans from Costa Rica. Its high-quality, on-trend products and donations to 300+ mental health, disaster relief, and environmental nonprofits quickly built a loyal following on social media with younger, female consumers. Pura Vida was repeatedly named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, and in 2019, the company was acquired by Vera Bradley, Inc., a maker of high-end handbags and accessories.\n\"At CriticalPoint, we were actively seeking a high-potential consumer brand where our operational expertise could accelerate growth— and we saw that in Pura Vida,\" said Brad Holtmeier, partner at CriticalPoint. \"The brand has an incredibly passionate customer base, a compelling product line, and a purpose-driven mission that deeply resonates with the next generation of consumers. We're equally excited to welcome Ryan Heuser as CEO. His entrepreneurial track record, combined with his instinct for design, storytelling, and brand building, makes him the ideal leader to unlock Pura Vida's full potential.\"\nRyan Heuser, co-founder and former President of Paul Frank, brings nearly three decades of fashion industry experience to his new role at Pura Vida. Known for his ability to build iconic lifestyle brands, Heuser began his career in public relations at Mossimo Inc. before launching Paul Frank in 1997 from his garage in Huntington Beach, Calif. Under his leadership, the brand grew into a global phenomenon—spanning licensed products, apparel, accessories, and a retail footprint of 30 \"Paul Frank Store\" locations worldwide. At its peak, the brand was distributed in over 60 countries through re...