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📬 DEAL LIFT: The PerfectTed Story — Growing a Matcha Brand to £140M in Just 4 Years

Hey Deal Lifters! 🚀

What if I told you that a girl with ADHD and anxiety, who hated energy drink crashes, could spark a multi-million pound brand while learning beverage manufacturing on the fly? That’s the exact path Marisa Poster walked with her co-founders—and PerfectTed is now turning heads across the UK and beyond.

This is a founder tale full of grit, raw pivots, TV drama, fires, and sky-high ambitions. Here’s how they did it — and what you can steal for your own hustle.

1. The Spark: Coffee Crashes, ADHD & A Matcha Fix

Marisa Poster was studying when she realized something wasn’t working. She binged on coffee and energy drinks to stay alert, but the crash, jitters, and anxiety only made her focus worse.

She discovered ceremonial-grade matcha — which offers smoother, sustained energy thanks to caffeine + L-theanine — and it flipped her world. The problem? In the UK, matcha energy drinks were almost non-existent.

So Marisa teamed up with brothers Teddie & Levi Levenfiche, and they decided to build the brand she wished she had.

2. The Early Hustle: Kickstarter, Fires & Learning on the Fly

In May 2021, they launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $20,000 to kickstart production. That capital helped them take the first small steps toward manufacturing.

But it didn’t go smoothly. Just a week before their first production run, their factory suffered a fire. 🔥 A disaster? Yes — but they made it through. They scrambled, rescheduled, improvised, and got product out the door. That resilience set the tone for the company’s character.

3. Dragons’ Den Moment: A Televised Leap

Fast forward to February 2023: Marisa and Teddie appeared on BBC’s Dragons’ Den seeking investment. They pitched their matcha energy drink vision, and it worked — they got investment offers from all five Dragons.

They landed a deal: £50,000 from Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones, each taking 5% equity. That marked the beginning of something big.

Now — get this — PerfectTed’s post-show growth exploded. Thanks to the exposure, distribution deals, and Bartlett’s support, the startup soared.

4. The Growth Spurt: Scaling, Investors & Valuation

After the TV boost, things moved fast:

• 2024: Steven Bartlett invested another £1 million via his Flight Fund.

• That year, PerfectTed posted projected revenues of £12 million and recorded 5,000% growth since the Dragons’ Den airing. +1

• In 2025, they clinched a seven-figure VC round from Felix Capital, valuing the business at ~£140 million.

• They’re now recognized as the UK’s fastest-growing founder-led firm according to the FEBE Growth 100 ranking.

This means in just ~4 years, they went from zero to a brand valued at over a hundred million. That’s seriously fast.

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5. Product & Distribution: What Makes PerfectTed Tick

What sets PerfectTed apart isn’t just the story — it’s how they built the product and adopted smart distribution.

🍵 Product: Matcha with Purpose

• They use ceremonial-grade matcha from Uji, Japan — premium source.

• Drinks contain 80 mg caffeine + 80 mg L-theanine — designed for energy without the crash.

• Flavours include apple & raspberry, peach, and they also offer matcha powders, lattes, and more.

🛒 Distribution: From Kickstart to Shelf

• In the UK, you’ll now find PerfectTed in Tesco, Waitrose, and other major grocers.

• They’re also in ~30,000 stores across 50+ countries.

• They partner with cafes like Joe & The Juice and Caffè Nero to expand their footprint.

• Collaborations like PerfectTed x Crosstown help extend visibility into specialty coffee & matcha spaces.

So they built not just a product, but a multi-channel distribution engine.

6. The Momentum & Challenges Ahead

Even with the meteoric growth, PerfectTed is navigating headwinds. Here’s what’s fueling momentum — and what might trip them up.

✅ Tailwinds

• Wellness + clean energy trend: Consumers are shifting from synthetic energy drinks toward more natural, plant-based alternatives. PerfectTed sits right in that wave.

• Brand-first approach: They’ve leaned heavily on storytelling, authenticity, and transparency — building trust in a crowded beverage space.

• Strong backing: Steven Bartlett’s involvement brings not just capital but mentorship, network, and media attention.

• International expansion plans: They’re not just a UK play; with presence across 50+ countries already, global scale is in view.

⚠️ Risks & Watchouts

• Supply chain & manufacturing risks: They survived a factory fire once — scaling this in food & beverage is always delicate.

• Competition: The healthy energy drink segment is heating up. Big incumbents and startups alike might take aim.

• Margins: Beverage businesses have slim margins. Cost of ingredients, packaging, and distribution can squeeze profitability.

• Brand fatigue: They need consistent innovation (new flavors, formats, offers) to maintain consumer interest.

7. What We Can Learn — Deal Lift Takeaways

If you’re building something small now, there’s gold in this story. Here are the lessons:

💡 Lesson 1: Start from your pain

Marisa built this because she needed it. That deep empathy helped her build a brand, not just a product.

💡 Lesson 2: Don’t over-engineer early

Early on, they bypassed perfect formulation and focused on getting something out there (via Kickstarter). They iterated fast.

💡 Lesson 3: Use media + exposure as a growth engine

Appearing on Dragons’ Den didn’t just get them money — it gave them a megaphone. TV exposure amplified trust and demand overnight.

💡 Lesson 4: Let demand pull in investors

Instead of chasing big funding early, they built traction, then raised rounds to scale. That gives leverage — not the other way around.

💡 Lesson 5: Align mission + brand + product

Consumers buy brands that resonate with their values — PerfectTed’s focus on clean energy, mental wellness, no crash is a powerful differentiator in a saturated beverage market.

8. The Vision: What’s Next for PerfectTed

What’s on their roadmap? Based on public data and market signals, here’s where I expect them to head:

• New product formats: Matcha lattes, powders, ready-to-drink teas, possibly matcha-based supplements. (They already dabble here.)

• Expansion in retail & geography: More stores, more countries.

• Deeper community & content: They already use storytelling. Expect more content around focus, wellness, mental health.

• Tech & personalization: Maybe club subscriptions, flavor recommendations, or AI-powered product suggestions.

• Vertical integration or partnerships: To control supply chain, sourcing, packaging, reduce cost and risk.

If they pull this off, they could become the first billion-dollar matcha brand globally — which is something several news sources speculate.

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9. The Timeline Recap

Here’s how the journey unfolded (fast):

10. Final Thoughts

PerfectTed is more than a beverage success. It’s a testament to what founders with curiosity, grit, and mission can build — even in industries they didn’t originally know. From choppy coffee journeys to a national brand in thousands of stores — they made it happen fast.

If you’re working on something small now, don’t underestimate the power of aligning product, mission, and hustle. The next big brand might just start in your kitchen, lab, or backyard.

💬 Deal Lift Prompt:
What problem do you experience in your daily life — maybe one you think is too trivial? That might be your PerfectTed moment. Hit reply, let’s brainstorm.

— The Deal Lift Team

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