UK: Super U launches crowdfunding round following Dragons’ Den win

  • 9 April 2021
The organic superfood brand has secured investment from Peter Jones and Tej Lalvan and gears up for US expansion
From left: Super U co-founders Charlotte Bailey and Sean Ali. Photo as seen on the company website

UK-based organic superfood brand Super U has set sights on the US market after securing a five-figure investment at the BBC One show Dragons’ Den. Headquartered in Gateshead, England, Super U received offers off all five Dragons for the exact amount pitched for – £50,000 for a 5% stake in the business. The brand went home with a better deal – the company received the capital it asked for in a 3%-to-2% stake ration between Dragons Peter Jones and Tej Lalvani.

Super U was founded by Sean Ali and Charlotte Bailey in 2017. The young entrepreneurial duo created the company inspired by the effect that superfoods had on Bailey’s health when she had to embrace a gluten-free diet after she was diagnosed with coeliac disease.

The company is leveraging the prime-time exposure it got at the UK television show and is gearing up for a fundraising round at crowdfunding platform Seedrs. The co-founders revealed they hopw to raise 10 times the amount secured at Dragons’ Den.

Super U is growing fast in the UK. The brand has secured shelf space with key stockists including Selfridges, Whole Foods Market and John Bell & Croyden.

The company has seen online sales skyrocket and Super U expects to reach £1.4 million this year, up from £500,000 recorded in October.

Super U products combine nutrient-dense ingredients from berries to greens, functional mushrooms, adaptogens and plant proteins. And the product line comprises blends in powder form designed to provide taste and wellness – from immune health to beauty.

Products can be blended into smoothies and shakes and mixed into salads and yoghurts. The range is certified organic, gluten-free and plant-based. Products don’t contain sweeteners flavourings or fillers.

The superfood category is an attractive investment space given the increasing consumer awareness of the health benefits of functional mushrooms, adaptogens and other seeds and grains.

US-based Laird Superfood is a reference in the market. A former Danone Manifesto Ventures-backed business, Laird Superfood went public in September with shares trading 81% above its IPO price.