About the fund
The Good Food Fund is a £1.8 million fund with an associated business accelerator programme, providing equity, debt, and expertise to invest in up to 14 brands looking to tackle childhood obesity — developed in partnership with urban health foundation Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, fund manager Ascension, and food business accelerator Mission Ventures, together providing financial support and business expertise to healthier challenger food brands to allow them to scale, leading to changes in food environments including in low-income areas. The fund addresses a structural gap in the UK food system: three in ten children in the most deprived areas of England are currently obese, driven in part by a lack of healthier food options that are affordable and convenient in low-income neighbourhoods. Launched in March 2019 with a five-year term, the fund operates as a social lending and equity vehicle targeting early-stage food businesses with the ambition to displace less healthy mainstream options through better-for-you alternatives accessible across income levels. The fund represents one of Ascension's first dedicated thematic impact vehicles alongside its broader Good Food Fund II and general VC activity. Known LPs include Better Society Capital (£1.1 million) and Guy's and St Thomas' Charity as co-investor and key partner. The fund is aligned with SDGs 2, 3, and 10.
