Serenity Kids Raises $52 Million in Series B Round

Baby food brand Serenity Kids has closed a $52 million Series B investment round led by Stride Consumer Partners. The growth capital will be used for marketing, new product development and hiring. Married co-founders Serenity and Joe Carr will maintain ownership and continue to operate the company.

Founded in 2016, Serenity Kids offers shelf-stable pouched baby food made with meat and vegetables, dairy-free smoothies, grain-free puffs, and A2 whole milk toddler formula that are sold in more than 18,000 grocery stores nationwide, including Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, Walmart and others. Products are third-party tested for more than 200 heavy metals and contaminants and contain ethically sourced, regeneratively farmed meats and organic vegetables, herbs and spices.

“The current investment landscape is pretty dire, so our ability to attract this financing and partnership validates our differentiation, mission and growth potential,” Joe Carr said in a statement.

He added the company is profitable and was not seeking to raise funds, yet the pair was attracted to the Stride team’s track record partnering with brands like Yasso and Chomps.

Serenity Kids posted 71% year-over-year retail revenue growth in 2023. Juan Marcos Hill, partner at Stride Consumer Partners, credited the company’s unique positioning in the baby and toddler food category as a draw.

Last month the brand unveiled a line of globally-inspired pouches including Free Range Chicken Coconut Curry, Grass Fed Beef Chimichurri, Wild Caught Salmon Teriyaki, Free Range Chicken Tikka Masala, Grass Fed Beef Kabob and Free Range Chicken Mexican Stew.

In 2021, the company raised a $7 million Series A funding round led by CircleUp Growth Partners with additional funding by Wild Ventures, the venture arm of Thrive Market. In 2019, the company closed a $1.5 million funding round led by Wild Ventures.