Gousto’s Growth Story: Startup Beginnings, Unicorn Status & A Profitable Future

In 2012, at just 26 years old, Timo Boldt had a simple but powerful idea: make home cooking easier, healthier, and more efficient.

Working long hours in finance, he found it difficult to plan meals and buy ingredients without waste.

His frustration led to a breakthrough, a recipe box delivery service that would provide fresh ingredients in exact portions, reducing waste and making home-cooked meals more convenient.

And so, Gousto was born.

Spotting Household Names Before They Make It Big

In 2014, just two years into his journey, Timo Boldt was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

At the time, Gousto was still an emerging startup, competing in a relatively new market. A decade later, it’s a billion-dollar brand delivering over five million meals per month.

This isn’t an isolated success story; The Great British Entrepreneur Awards has a long history of recognising and championing the UK’s most promising founders long before they become household names. From disruptors in food and retail to tech innovators and global brands, we’ve consistently celebrated businesses in their earliest days, before they hit their first major milestones.

Gousto is just one of many examples of a visionary entrepreneur identified early, who then went on to reshape an entire industry.

From Startup to Scaleup What started with Timo personally hand-delivering recipe boxes around London and answering customer calls at midnight has evolved into a nationwide operation employing more than 1,000 people.

Gousto now offers a choice of 100 recipes per week, has attracted major investors including celebrity fitness coach Joe Wicks, and has revolutionised food waste reduction through AI-driven forecasting.

A Shift to Profitability

After nine years of rapid expansion, Gousto pivoted its strategy in 2023, shifting focus from rapid growth to profitability and operational efficiency.

The company: