My 1st Years , a U. K.-based e-commerce startup that offers personalised gifts for babies and children, has picked up £5 million in growth funding.
The round, which adds to the £2 million raised previously, was led by Beringea, with participation from funds managed by Hargreave Hale. The company says it plans to use the new capital for operations, marketing and international expansion into the U. S.
Founded in 2009 by Daniel Price and Jonny Sitton, My 1st Years claims its personalised baby and child gifts — a concept, I’m told, inspired by NikeID tags — has since become a favourite with celebrities including Dannii Minogue and Elton John as well as the British royal family.
“It was actually during university that we came up with the idea,” My 1st Years’ Price says. “We were working on a project on the baby clothing industry. It really showed us how huge the baby gifting market is, but we also noticed a big gap.
