Brava had a lot of things working in its favor, as startups go. It was founded in 2015 by serial executive John Pleasants, whose past stints have included being co-president of Disney Interactive Media Group, COO of Electronic Arts and CEO of Ticketmaster. His plans to create a suite of snazzy direct-to-consumer smart hardware and software products, beginning with the Brava oven, also attracted tens of millions of dollars from an impressive lineup of backers, including True Ventures, TPG Growth and Lightspeed Venture Partners, among others.