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SimplyCook

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Recipe and ingredients delivery

London, United KingdomFounded 2013eCommerce & Marketplaces
Valuation $10–25M Last recorded · 2018
Revenue $10–50M Latest reported FY
Headcount <100 Current team size
Total funding $10–50M Disclosed equity funding
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About SimplyCook

SimplyCook operates within the direct-to-consumer meal kit market, providing a unique subscription service focused on flavour enhancement rather than full ingredient delivery. The company was founded in 2014 by Oli Ashness. Ashness, who has a background in venture capital and private equity with a Master's in Management from London Business School, identified a gap in the market while living a busy London lifestyle. He recognized that most people cook from a limited repertoire of meals and that experimenting with new recipes was often costly and time-consuming. This personal pain point led to the creation of SimplyCook, designed to make home cooking more varied and exciting.

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The business model is centered on a subscription service that delivers letterbox-sized boxes to customers. Each box contains four recipe kits, which include pre-portioned, chef-designed flavour pots—blends of spices, herbs, pastes, and stocks. These kits, some containing up to 18 different ingredients, are paired with simple, 20-minute recipe cards. The core value proposition is that customers purchase their own fresh ingredients, such as meat and vegetables, which provides flexibility, reduces food waste, and keeps costs down compared to traditional meal kit services that ship perishable items. Revenue is generated through recurring subscription fees, with introductory offers to attract new users and a standard fee for subsequent boxes.

A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by Nestlé in February 2021. This strategic move was part of Nestlé's broader effort to expand its direct-to-consumer portfolio. Following the acquisition, SimplyCook continues to be led by its founding team from its London headquarters, benefiting from Nestlé's operational expertise and global reach to accelerate growth. Prior to the acquisition, the company had successfully raised capital, including a $1.1 million seed round in 2015 and a £4.5 million Series A in 2019 led by Octopus Investments. The service has a catalogue of over 140 recipes, has shipped millions of kits, and has expanded its presence into retail outlets.

Source: Dealroom company data

At a glance

Founded
2013
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Sector
eCommerce & Marketplaces

Investors

6 investors on the cap table

From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.

Seed3 investors entered at this stage

Series A3 investors entered at this stage

Team profiled 10 named & role-tagged
Founders Hidden — book a demo/100 quality score
Key operators 2 quality Hidden — book a demo/100
Potential founders Hidden — book a demo likely future founders
Startup mafia Hidden — book a demo alumni-founded startups
Talent movements Hidden — book a demo in · Hidden — book a demo out past 12 months

Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.

Global footprint

Workforce and web traffic by country
Workforce by country
2 countries with
team presence
🇬🇧 United Kingdom97%
🇷🇴 Romania3%
2 countries shown

Market sentiment

Posts on X, past 7 days

An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about SimplyCook on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.

Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…

Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour

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