Recipe box company Gousto has completed a £170 million secondary placement led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
The SoftBank fund provided £74m of primary investment just last month.
Described as the only profitable B Corp unicorn in the UK, the London-based firm welcomes three additional blue-chip institutional investors onto its register: Fidelity International, Grosvenor Food & AgTech and Railpen.
Fidelity International is a global asset manager with total client assets of more than $800 billion, while Grosvenor Food & AgTech is an international investor in food and agriculture businesses, and Railpen is the seventh largest pension fund in the UK.
A recent study by environmental services company Foodsteps found that Gousto meals produced 23% fewer carbon emissions than the equivalent meals from supermarket stores, driven by minimising food waste, a tighter supply chain and reductions in plastic usage.
It said each Gousto order saves 2kg food waste and 7kg of CO2 emissions, compared to the equivalent meals purchased at a supermarket store. In 2020 alone, shopping at Gousto saved 39,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions, the equivalent of removing over 14,000 cars from UK roads for a year.
“This successful placing follows the primary capital raise announced in January and is further testament to the relevance and appetite for Gousto’s leading recipe box solution, as we meet an accelerating consumer need to eat healthily and sustainably, at value,” said Timo Boldt, founder and CEO of Gousto.
“I’m thrilled that following on from their initial investment, Softbank has increased its stake, which speaks volumes for where they see the business heading. I’m also delighted to welcome new shareholders to our investor base.
“Our new investors, Fidelity International, Railpen and Grosvenor Food & AgTech are all leading investors in ESG; their investment is testament to the important role Gousto is playing in reducing food waste and carbon emissions in the food supply chain.
“All four investors recognise the growth that Gousto has achieved and the opportunities ahead for the Company as we embark on our next stage of growth and accelerate towards our goal to become the UK’s most loved way to eat dinner.”
Katrin Burt, managing partner at Grosvenor Food & AgTech, said: “Gousto supports households in establishing the healthy habit of cooking from scratch by offering recipe kits that cater to a broad range of tastes and budgets.
“Enabling people to cook high quality, fresh food at home with minimal waste has far-reaching benefits for both human health and the environment and we are excited to partner with this fast-growing company.”
Gousto offers more than 60 recipes to customers via a menu which changes every week. A third of these can be customised – for example, by switching proteins.