AUSTIN, TEXAS — Serenity Kids, a brand of shelf-stable toddler and baby food, raised $7 million in a Series A funding round led by CircleUp Growth Partners, with additional funding by Wild Ventures. Investors in the round also included the founders and leaders of Thrive Market (Nick Green and Gunnar Lovelace), Whole30 (Melissa Urban), Spartan Race (Joe De Sena), Kion (Ben Greenfield), Wellness Mama (Katie Wells) and mindbodygreen (Jason and Colleen Wachhob), and Max Lugavere, author of “Genius Foods.”
Founded in 2017, Serenity Kids markets a portfolio of savory vegetable baby food, toddler purees with bone broth, and grain-free puffs. The company uses ethically sourced meats, organic vegetables and healthy fats.
Married co-founders Joe and Serenity Carr launched the business shortly after the birth of their daughter, Della. Adopting healthier diets years ago helped the pair resolve chronic health conditions and drove them to seek nutrient-dense baby food for their newborn. Unable to find options in the marketplace that met their nutrition and ingredient standards, the couple set out to rattle the category with products that are free from antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, fillers, genetically modified ingredients and major allergens.
The startup more than doubled its revenue in 2020 and is on track to expand another 150% this year. Serenity Kids has expanded its retail footprint to more than 4,400 retail stores nationwide, including Kroger, Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market.
“CircleUp Growth Partners looks to invest in companies that are primed for disruption,” said Karen Howland, general partner at CircleUp Growth Partners. “I was immediately drawn to the brand’s focus on nutrient-dense meals — a trend that was not being met by options on the market. We’ve had our eye on Serenity Kids for a while, when our proprietary Helio data discovered strong results for the brand, we were confident that Serenity Kids was the company to back in the infant and toddler food category.”
