Waken Mouthcare, the oral care brand launched by the founders of Bulldog Skincare, is seeking to raise £900k via crowdfunding to grow retail listings and boost marketing.
The brand, which boasts annual sales of £1.7m to 31 July 2024, is seeking a minimum of £900k on the crowdfunding site Republic Europe (formerly Seedrs) to underpin further growth.
The campaign has already secured 90% of its target from 31 investors, at a pre-money valuation of £5.1m.
Since launching Waken in 2019, the brand has been listed by a string of national retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Amazon, Boots, Asda, Ocado and Waitrose.
It has also begun exporting to international markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Korea and more.
The brand aims to the use the fundraising cash to further grow retail listings, invest in NPD and increase its marketing spend.
“It’s an exciting time for Waken, with so much on the horizon,” said co-founder Simon Duffy. “We’re actively growing our distribution network by bringing on new retailers, and we have some ground-breaking innovations in the pipeline.
“On top of that, we have a host of marketing initiatives planned for 2025 that we’re really excited about. The funds we’re currently raising will be strategically invested to fuel growth across these key areas and a few others, ensuring we continue to deliver on our mission to offer more sustainable, next-generation oral care products.”
The Waken brand saw 32% growth in value sales over the past year, according to NIQ data, with its Whitening Mouthwash up 51% in units sales and Whitening Toothpaste up 78% in unit sales year to date .
Duffy added: “It’s been a very encouraging period for Waken as we expand our presence in the UK by growing our distribution, particularly through continued partnerships with major retailers. Our commitment to sustainability and effective formulations has made a lasting impact, with more consumers choosing us again and again.”
Waken co-founders Duffy and Rhodri Ferrier previously founded Bulldog Skincare, scaling the brand to more than 17,000 locations globally before exiting to US public company Edgewell Personal Care in 2016.
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