SmartSweets has announced that Canadian actress Nina Dobrev has joined as an investor. 

The brand is partnering with Dobrev to bring awareness to its low-sugar candy offerings. Additional investors in this strategic round of funding include Grammy-nominated Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes and manager Andrew Gertler; American actress Zoey Deutch; and PLUS Capital.

"SmartSweets lets me enjoy candy daily, without the crazy amounts of sugar traditional candy has," Dobrev said. "As a fellow Canadian and female entrepreneur, I am honored to invest in SmartSweets and work with the team of incredible women behind one of my favorite products."

"We are so excited for Nina to join the SmartSweets family," added Tara Bosch, founder of SmartSweets. "SmartSweets is proud to be a brand that is 77 percent women and a champion for female founders and entrepreneurs, so I couldn't think of a better representation for our brand than Nina. We are lucky to have her, Shawn, and Zoey on our team as we continue to grow and launch new products this year."

SmartSweets continues to expand its product lineup with innovations including Cola Gummies and Lollipops, alongside fan-favorites like Peach Rings, Sour Blast Buddies, Sweet Fish, and more. Since its launch, the brand has helped consumers kick over 3.9 billion grams of sugar – and counting. SmartSweets is a leader in the low-sugar movement and is sold in over 38,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada.