Today Yumi, the organic food delivery service for babies and kids, announced it has raised an $8 million strategic round from the founders and CEOs of Warby Parker, Sweetgreen, Uber, and more. This brings the L.A.-based startup’s total funding to $12.1 million.
Founded in 2017, Yumi delivers weekly subscription-based shipments of baby food tailored to meet each child’s specific growth stage and any special dietary needs. The company works with doctors, nutritionists and chefs to develop each of their 70 blended and solid baby foods. Additionally, Yumi sends parents educational info and tips tailored to each kid’s age and developmental stage, as well as previous food orders via the service. Customers can choose subscription plans for one, two or three meals a day, which shakes out to around $5 per meal. Meals are shipped nationwide every week and shipping is free.
Yumi will use its new capital to expand nationally and further develop its proprietary personalized meal planning software.
The average baby food found on supermarket shelves is unappetizing, shelf-stable mush, so it’s no surprise that Yumi is trying to shake up the space with fresh ingredients and D2C delivery. But they’re not alone. Little Spoon and Nurture Life also deliver personalized pre-made baby food. On the more DIY side, Raised Real and Thistle Baby deliver pre-prepped ingredients meant to be steamed and blended at home (though the latter is not currently accepting new customers).
I’m guessing that Yumi is hoping that its data-driven meal customization, as well as its supplementary educational content, is enough to help it stand (er, crawl) out from the crowd. Perhaps its new $8 million in funding will help them do so.