Bootstrapping Oatco to £1M, Surviving Dragon's Den, & Making Forbes 30 Under 30 with Laura Murphy

About this episode

Laura Murphy shares her journey of building Oatco Superfuel and her experience on Dragon's Den.

In this episode of Trading Up, Jim Fitzpatrick sits down with Laura Murphy, the 29-year-old founder of Oatco Superfuel, a natural oat-based energy snack brand. Launched in May 2024, Oatco has experienced explosive 500% growth this year, surpassing £1 million in sales and landing in over 1,000 retail stores. Laura shares her inspiring journey of bootstrapping her startup from a local kitchen in Tyrone to pitching on Dragon's Den. She reveals the preparation strategy behind securing three investment offers and why she ultimately chose to partner with Steven Bartlett. We explore how she navigates the competitive healthy food market by prioritising natural energy over sugar-free protein trends, all while balancing life as a mother of two young children. Recently named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Laura offers actionable insights on scaling organically, pitching investors, and building a powerful lifestyle brand. Brought to you in association with EY. The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not reflect the views or positions of EY or its other member Firms. EY proudly sponsors the Trading Up podcast but does not endorse or take responsibility…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Fitzpatrick

Guest: Laura Murphy

Topics covered

• bootstrapping
• entrepreneurship
• investment
• healthy food market
• scaling a startup

Keywords

• Oatco
• Dragon's Den
• Forbes 30 Under 30
• healthy snacks
• investment offers

Sponsors

EY

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oatco Superfuel, Forbes, Queen’s Business School

Places: Tyrone

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