Fitness founder raises £400k for a baby carrier built for dads
What's the deal? Scottish entrepreneur Ben Leonard has raised £400,000 in angel funding for tukoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a baby carrier he says is the first "precision-engineered" for dads. Scottish EDGEDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → added a further £70,000.
Who's behind it? Leonard, a dad-of-three from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, previously built strength-and-conditioning brand Beast Gear to more than £4 million in annual sales before selling it in 2019.
Why now? Leonard spent six years developing tuko after struggling with conventional carriers following the birth of his first child. He has invested a six-figure sum himself, working through more than 10 iterations with outdoor equipment designers, baby-carrying specialists, and researchers.
What's the endgame? tuko is built around differences in the male torso, shoulders, and pelvis, and is designed to carry children aged four to 36 months. Features include a patent-pending hip belt, one-handed magnetic buckles, breathable vents, and a sunshade.
"Men and women are built differently, but traditionally the answer to making a baby carrier appeal to dads has often been little more than making it black," Leonard said. A UK direct-sales launch is planned for early 2027.
What could go wrong? The funding is pre-launch backing for a differentiated product, not proof of demand. tuko enters a category with established carrier brands, and its claim to be the first designed around men's anatomy remains its own.
The signal: Investors continue to back products for new families, with recent UK rounds including £2 million for children's food brand Lune & WildDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and £50,000 for parent-discount platform CubbiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The test for tuko is converting its design pitch into sales and retail distribution.
Read more: aberdeenbusinessnews.co.uk
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
