Cubbi raises £50k pre-seed to cut baby costs with verified parent discounts
This article covers Cubbi, a UK-founded startup, which has closed a pre-seed funding round of £50,000 after securing an investment from guest Dragon Susie Ma on Dragons’ Den, with Ma taking a 10% stake. The funding gives the startup capital to expand partnerships and product development and supports new and expectant parents by aggregating verified discounts to help manage rising household costs.
Cubbi has closed a pre-seed funding round of £50,000 after securing an investment from guest Dragon Susie Ma on Dragons’ Den; she took a 10% stake in the business. The deal gives the UK-founded startup immediate capital to expand partnerships and product development as it seeks to help new and expectant parents manage rising household costs.
Why it matters
The timing matters. UK families are facing acute financial pressure: parents reportedly spend an average of £6,000 on essentials before a baby arrives and 40% experience reduced income during parental leave. Cubbi positions itself as a practical response to that squeeze by aggregating verified discounts for verified parents. The investment also demonstrates how mainstream media exposure, via Dragons’ Den, can translate into capital and distribution for consumer-focused startups.
Inside the product
Cubbi runs a free app and website that offers verified users exclusive discounts from more than 100 partner brands across baby essentials, maternity, food, fashion, wellness and lifestyle. Verification uses documentation such as a MATB1 form or birth certificate; the company says accounts can be verified in as little as two minutes. The platform’s core proposition is to centralise brand offers that are only available to parents, reducing search friction at a time when household budgets are tight.
Who are the investors?
Susie Ma, appearing as a guest Dragon on Dragons’ Den, invested £50,000 for 10% equity in Cubbi. The funding is earmarked to accelerate growth in the UK market, expand partnerships with established consumer brands, and develop the platform’s technology and user experience. Cubbi’s pitch leaned on both the size of the addressable customer base and rising demand from parents looking for smarter ways to manage costs. The deal highlights how broadcast-backed investment can act as both capital and a distribution catalyst for early-stage consumer startups.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Olivia Davson, co-founder of Cubbi, said:
Securing investment from Susie is a huge moment for us and for Cubbi. We built this platform because we lived the reality of trying to make maternity pay stretch while still wanting to give our children the best start in life. This backing means we can reach more parents, bring more meaningful savings onto the platform and continue building something that genuinely supports families at a time when they’re under so much financial pressure.
In the announcement, Olivia Davson, co-founder of Cubbi, said:
Standing in the Den and pitching Cubbi while pregnant was incredibly personal for me. Parenthood is one of the most joyful but financially vulnerable stages of life, and having that recognised and backed on such a big platform meant so much. This investment allows us to turn that recognition into real, practical support for thousands more families.
In the announcement, Tanyka Davson, co-founder of Cubbi, said:
This investment is a huge vote of confidence in what we’re building. We’ve been building the platform ourselves so far, which limits the impact we can have. With Susie’s backing, we can scale faster, strengthen our technology and bring even more trusted brands on board so parents can find real savings across everyday essentials.
The bigger picture
Cubbi’s focus on parents taps into broader consumer trends: targeted membership services, increased demand for verified, needs-driven discounts, and startups seeking to convert single-use moments—like preparing for a baby—into ongoing customer relationships. For investors, backing family-focused platforms can be a way to reach a high-frequency shopper segment with clear lifetime value.
The funding and media exposure also underline a practical route for early-stage startups in the UK: combine lived experience-driven product development with visibility on mainstream channels to attract both customers and capital.
This deal adds to a steady stream of early-stage activity in UK consumer and healthtech-linked services, and signals continued interest in businesses that target specific life stages and offer tangible cost savings for households across the country.
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