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š Your Weekly Slice of UK Consumer Startups #16
Meet the 11-year-old who showed Dragonsā Den why neurodivergence is a founderās edge.
The Startup Slice
August 17, 2025 ā¢ Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Hey š
Itās been a busy one across the consumer startup world, from joining the worldās biggest startup run to fresh funding rounds and exciting brand moves; thereās plenty to get into š„³
In this weekās bitesize playbook, we sit down with Matt from Comfa, the father-and-son team who recently stepped into the Den together. Max, who was just 11 at the time, inspired the idea behind Comfa from his experience with autism, a brand creating comforting, sensory-friendly products designed to support wellbeing.
š± From the Feed
 Reece James (Chelsea FC right-back) investor in Mighty Slice. šø Elspeth Vincent | š Sampling at Jumpstartās BIG Startup 5k: We explored the consumer startups fueling Jumpstartās Big Startup 5K, where 350+ startups and 1,000 runners came together to celebrate the UK startup space. š° STOCKED raise Ā£1.3M: The frozen food startup first seen on Dragonās Den, has raised Ā£1.3M to scale production, expand retail, and launch new products with support from high-profile backers. ā½ļø Athletes investing in startups: Athletes are increasingly investing in consumer startups, especially in food, drink and wellness, where their influence and hands-on involvement bring credibility beyond capital. |
š ICYMI: Brand Moves Worth Watching
ā Babble & Hemp disqualified from Ironman for filming during the race, but not before racking up 350k+ views and a wave of brand buzz. š Better Nature has raised Ā£1.1M: to fuel growth, build the tempeh category, and push plant-based innovation forward after their best quarter yet. š Cheesies x Edinburgh Fringe: The Curators become first-ever snack sponsor, bringing free packs and cheesy jokes to festival-goers. |  Charlie Thomas, Chief Shirtmaker @ Babble & Hemp at Ironman finish line. |
š” Bitesize Playbook: Matt Palfrey, Co-Founder @ Comfa
Fresh from their Dragonsā Den appearance, we caught up with Matt, one half of the fatherāson duo behind Comfa, to talk about the brand and their time in the Den š
Matt & Max Palfrey, Co-Founders of Comfa, entering the Den š
Elevator pitch: What is Comfa?
Comfa is a family run clothing brand creating clothing solutions from the lived experience of our Autistic Founder 12 year old Max.
What inspired the creation of Comfa?
Max was inspired to create Comfa when he had the idea for a piece of clothing with built in pop fidgets. He had always found they helped him to self regulate and focus in difficult situations, so combined them with solutions to his other clothing struggles- rough fabric, itchy seams and acratchy labels, to create the Fidget-T, the flagship product. His dream is to help everyone, whether Neurodivergent or Neurotypical feel comfortable in their clothing.
What was your and Maxās experience like on Dragonsā Den?
Dragons' Den was an amazing experience. Being able to pitch the idea for Comfa to the Dragons and being seen by such a wide audience was incredible, and the production team were fantastic at putting Max at ease and making accommodations to help with the process. They made what was a stresful and nerve wracking experience so much easier.
What is your advice for brands interested in appearing on the show?
Our main advice would be have a strong idea of why you want to go on the show and pitch accordingly- is it the investment, the publicity, testing out your idea? Also make sure you are at the right stage to pitch. The Dragons are more likely to be interested if you have firm evidence to back up what you are saying.
Whatās next for Comfa?
World Domination! We want to expand the range into a full collection of products around the same idea. Our patent covers us in UK, Europe and USA so we think the markets there are ripe for us to expand into.
Thanks for reading this weekās edition! š„³
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