Lune & Wild raises £2m led by Guinness Ventures with Dr Rupy Aujla
This article covers Lune & Wild, a foodtech startup, which has raised £2m in a seed funding round to boost production capacity, accelerate retail roll-outs and grow its team. The funding is intended to help the chef-led brand scale listings in supermarkets and specialist outlets and expand availability of frozen, chef-crafted meals for babies and young children.
Lune & Wild, a foodtech startup, has raised £2m in a seed funding round to boost production capacity, accelerate retail roll-outs and grow its team. The funding comes as the chef-led brand looks to expand beyond its direct-to-consumer base and scale listings in supermarkets and specialist outlets.
Why it matters
Parents and caregivers increasingly want convenience without compromising on nutrition or flavour. Lune & Wild is positioning itself in that space with frozen, chef-crafted meals for babies and young children — a segment where product quality, trust and distribution matter for growth. The £2m raise gives the company capital to meet demand and move further into mainstream retail, which can be a costly and logistics-heavy step for food businesses.
Inside the product
Founded in 2021 by cousins Lara Rodgers and Nadia Simonds, Lune & Wild produces frozen meals developed by Rodgers, a trained chef who has worked at The Ritz and The Newt. The founders designed recipes to reduce free sugars and increase flavour and variety during weaning and early childhood. The brand reports doubling revenue year-on-year and selling more than one million meals in the last 12 months. It also points to a 4.8-star Trustpilot rating and recent retail traction, including a listing on Ocado.com that the company says has exceeded forecasts since launching. Products are sold through the brand’s DTC channel, in family clubs, cafés, delis, farm shops and in 15 nurseries across London and the Home Counties.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Guinness Ventures and includes participation from Doug Struthers and Dr Rupy Aujla. Doug Struthers is chairman of Lune & Wild and previously served as managing director at Ella's Kitchen. The board has also recently added Mike Hedges, formerly CEO of Little Moons, GrowUp Farms and Proper. Existing backers named by the company include Charlie Gardiner, Siân Parry Jones and Harry Bloice, though they are not stated as participants in this round.
In the announcement, Lisa Fox, Head of Co-Investment at Guinness Ventures, said:
Lune & Wild is a brand that defines the future of food: purpose-driven, product-led and building deep trust with parents. Lara and Nadia, together with their team, have built something incredibly special by combining chef-quality food with nutritional expertise, and we're delighted to support the next stage of their journey.
In the announcement, Rupy Aujla, NHS GP & Investor, said:
Lune & Wild stood out because they refuse to compromise on ingredients, on taste, or on their mission. It aligns really well with my personal philosophy at The Doctor's Kitchen. In a category full of hidden nasties, they're building something parents can genuinely trust, and that's exactly the kind of brand worth backing.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Lara Rodgers, Co-founder at Lune & Wild, said:
From day one, we've believed that children deserve better food. Food that's full of flavour, made with care and genuinely supports their development. This investment allows us to take our mission and products further, without compromising on the quality and craft that got us here.
In the announcement, Nadia Simonds, Co-founder at Lune & Wild, said:
We've built Lune & Wild in close conversation with parents, understanding the real challenges they face and creating food that genuinely helps. With Guinness Ventures and our existing investors behind us, we're excited to scale that impact and reach many more families across the UK.
The bigger picture
The round highlights how founders with food and culinary expertise are translating credibility into commercial momentum in the frozen and convenience food category. Lune & Wild’s combination of product-led credentials, early DTC traction and entry into established retail channels reflects a common playbook for foodtech startups attempting to move from niche to national distribution. The company’s all-female founding team also sits against a broader backdrop: the British Business Bank’s latest VC and Female Founder report continues to flag the underrepresentation of all-female founder teams in UK venture capital.
This deal is another marker of investor interest in food businesses that marry nutrition credentials with proven consumer demand. As Lune & Wild scales production and retail reach, it will be a useful case study for how UK foodtech startups bridge the gap between challenger brand and supermarket shelf.
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