Gut Wealth’s Gemma Stuart on turning science-led gut health into a scalable business
This month we caught up with Gemma Stuart, founder of Equity Gap portfolio company Gut Wealth – an Edinburgh-based business developing science-backed digestive health supplements.
Built from her own experience with IBS, which affects around one in 20 people in the UK, Gemma has created two products that are easy to use, taste good and have proven ingredients.
With strong early traction, having just reached 1000 customer reviews and having received a £300k investment round recently, the business went from DTC-only (direct to consumer) into retail and scaling its product range.
In this Q&A, Gemma shares what she’s learned building the business, what investors actually look for, and why traction matters more than anything.
Can you share the inspiration behind founding Gut Wealth and the journey to securing investment?
Gut Wealth came from a pretty simple but frustrating place. Digestive issues are incredibly common, but people either don’t talk about them or get fobbed off with vague advice.
I’d had my own experience with IBS, and when I started looking into the space, it felt like there was a gap between clinical, overly complicated solutions and gimmicky wellness products that didn’t actually do much.
I wanted to build something that sat in the middle – properly formulated, backed by science, but spoken about like a normal human would. No fluff, no embarrassment, just ‘this is what’s going on and here’s how we can help’.
The journey to investment wasn’t overnight. We focused on building traction first – product, customers, repeat purchase and real feedback, with over 500 customer reviews at the time.
That gave us something tangible to take to investors. From there, it was about showing that this isn’t just a gut health brand, it’s a scalable business in a huge, under-served category.
What makes a pitch stand out to angel investors?
Clarity and conviction. You can tell very quickly when someone actually understands their business versus when they’re just repeating a deck.
The pitches that land are the ones where you can clearly answer why this problem matters, why your solution is better, and why you’re the person to build it.
Then you need to back that up with real numbers – not vanity metrics, but things like repeat purchase, customer behaviour and early signs of product-market fit.
Angels are investing their own money, so they’re backing the person as much as the business. They want to see that you’ve got a grip on reality.
What challenges did you face during fundraising, and how did you overcome them?
Fundraising is a rollercoaster. We were already trading, so it was a constant balance between running the business and focusing on raising investment. I didn’t want growth to stall just because I was preparing pitches and having investor conversations.
Momentum is everything. We had a strong start, then a period where things felt like they slowed down, which can be tough mentally. But, I’d been warned about that by other founders, so I knew it was part of the process.
Interestingly, I’d expected a lot of rejection, but that wasn’t really the case. When it did happen, it was just part of the journey. You focus on the people who lean in and see the opportunity.
How important is storytelling in a successful pitch?
Storytelling is really important, but not in a fluffy or overly salesy way, the story is what makes someone care. The numbers are what make them invest, but the story is what gets their attention in the first place.
It’s not just the story of the product though, it’s the story of the business – how it grows, where it’s going, and what success looks like.
For us, it was about making digestive health feel real and relatable. Not abstract stats, but actual human impact. If someone can understand the problem quickly and feel it, it opens the door to the next conversation.
What advice would you give to other founders seeking investment?
Get your fundamentals right before you start. Investors aren’t there to figure out your business for you. Be clear on your numbers, your margins, your growth levers and where the money is actually going.
Also, take the time to properly complete investor platforms and materials. Leaving things half-finished gives the impression you either don’t have the answers or haven’t put the effort in.
And don’t try to be what you think investors want. Be honest about what’s working and what isn’t. The right investors respect that far more than a polished but unrealistic story.
Read more about Gut Wealth and their mission here www.gutwealth.co.uk