Wise Apple, the Chicago-based startup that provided a subscription lunch service for kids, has shut down.
The startup announced it was closing down its business in a June 22 email to customers, in which the founders Rebecca Sholiton and Nate Cooper said all Wise Apple accounts will be terminated and permanently deleted, and that any outstanding orders will be refunded within two to three business days.
“We have had the opportunity to deliver tens of thousands of lunches to families in nine different states – and we couldn’t be more proud and grateful for all we were able to accomplish,” the founders said in the email.
It is unclear as to exactly why the startup shut down and neither Sholiton nor Cooper responded to requests for comment.
Wise Apple, founded in 2015 and formerly known as Pak’d, specialized in delivering fresh, custom, ready-to-serve lunches and snacks for kids. In August 2017, the startup raised $3.6 million in a seed funding round led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Levy Family. Other investors included Chicago Ventures, Greycroft Partners, BoxGroup and Irish Angels. According to Crunchbase, the startup had raised a total of $4.4 million.
Sholiton and Cooper were both MBA candidates at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business when they came up with the idea for Wise Apple. They competed in the college’s annual venture competition and won $10,000 in 2016, and later that year, were one of 10 startups that pitched at the Chicago Techstars demo day.
