STOCKED offers frozen, portioned meals in handy blocks that can be mixed, matched and reheated in minutes – cutting down on food waste and plastic use.
See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index.
Founders: Sam Moss and Charlie Gilpin
Year founded: 2020
Website: stockedfood.com
Life is hectic for many, and more often than not, people simply don’t have the time to make fresh meals from scratch.
Founder Sam Moss understood this lifestyle. His busy career as a consultant meant he was spending time on weekends batch-cooking meals, which led to his space being filled with tupperware, and used ziploc bags ending up in the bin.
But it was a conversation with his mum that sparked a new business idea. After she told him that she used to freeze his food into ice cube trays as a baby, Moss saw an opportunity to find a smarter way to prepare and store meals.
Moss quickly discovered the benefits of freezing food this way. It saved space, used less plastic, was faster to heat up, and allowed for flexible portions. With this new revelation, STOCKED was born.
The idea behind STOCKED is straightforward. All you have to do is choose and order your meals online, and they’ll be delivered to your door.
However, beyond convenience, STOCKED is also on a mission to minimise food waste in the UK, as well as offer an alternative to traditional ready-made meals and meal kits.
While subscription recipe boxes are convenient, their short shelf lives often lead to wasted food and packaging – a major contributor to 70% of the UK’s food waste coming from households.
Moss’ novel idea and solution to this problem saw him and co-founder Charlie Gilpin appearing on Series 21 of the BBC show Dragons’ Den. After a successful business pitch, the pair successfully secured a £50,000 investment from Steven Bartlett.
And STOCKED hasn’t slowed down since. In 2025 alone, it became the second highest-selling frozen ready-meal brand on Ocado, sold its millionth meal block, and acquired $1.3m in seed funding from investment firm Active Partners in August 2025.
These incredible milestones have seen STOCKED soar up to 35th place in this year’s index. With its plans to widen its retail distribution, this incredible company is set to change the way we see frozen food – one delicious, waste-free meal at a time.
View the full Startups 100 Index for 2026
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